Thunder of hooves in Chengdu

CHENGDU - Horses are coming to town. Lots and lots of horses.

The four-day 2011 China Equestrian Festival begins in the capital of Sichuan province on Friday.

Sponsored by the State General Adminstration of Sports, the China Equestrian Federation (CEF) and the Sichuan Provincial Sports Bureau, it will be the first national equestrian event held in a city in the central or western part of China, said Wang Xuanqing, vice-chairman of the CEF.