Over and through the hoops

A public servant's passion for horses put him on an unlikely seven-year odyssey that took him to the Olympic Games. Yang Feiyue reports.

Twenty years ago Huang Zuping had his first ride on a horse, and as he celebrates the anniversary of that first shaky equestrian experience this year, he can look back on a day that changed the course of his life.

Just how far Huang, 52, has traveled was there for all to see on Sept 9 when, looking as sparkling as a tack in his riding garb, he won an event at the national championship at Beijing Sports University. Not only that, but the man who has learned so much over the years is now passing on that knowledge to a younger breed of riders, and on Sept 9 he was able to watch two of his proteges win events in their age category.