China has a rich history of horseback riding, but until recently, more as a practical farming skill. Horseback riding was one of the Liu Yi, or Six Arts, including music and mathematics, that young students were required to master during the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC).

Horse racing and jumping events are still frequently held in stock-raising areas, including the Tibet, Xinjiang Uygur and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions.

The main difference between modern equestrian sports and traditional Chinese horseback riding is that the modern form emphasizes a respectful interaction between rider and horse, while the animals are regarded simply as livestock by more traditionally minded people, according to Li Weiping, consultant to the China Horse Industry Association.

Riders who use whips and spurs, drawing blood from their mounts, are unwelcome in modern equestrian sports, and violence is banned in competitions.

When modern equestrian contests were introduced in China in the late 1980s, competitive riders were mostly supported by the government.

The national and provincial equestrian team recruited talented youngsters, who usually came from the border areas where horseback riding is more common, and trained them to win medals.

"Besides those 1,000 or so registered professionals, nobody knew about equestrianism in China," Li said. "But now casual riders have become the majority.

"Nowadays, more Chinese people can afford to buy a horse, but the country's riders won't make a competitive breakthrough until they learn and understand the culture and principles of equestrian sports," Li said.

Despite delivering lectures on equine psychology to members of the national equestrian team. Li received little feedback.

"They didn't understand the importance of understanding horses," he said.

In 2008, Beijing Huijia Vocational College opened a two-year course in equestrian sports and management, the first in the country, and attempted to recruit 20 students.

However, when only one applicant showed up on the first day of recruitment, the course became front-page news, attracting huge public attention.