In Chinese traditional sports and activities equestrian sports mainly consists of Horses ?Racing. Horse Racing or Saima, as it is known as in Chinese, is an ?essential part of the lifestyle of those ethnic groups of a heroic spirit, especially in the areas of Inner Mongolia and other minority areas. There are regional variations and the types of competition are diverse.

What does the Horse Racing come into its existence?
Traditionally, the Mongolian, Kazak, Kirgiz and some Tibetan peoples led a nomadic existence, moving from one place to another seeking hunting prey or fresh pasture for their livestock. They live mostly on the plains which provide a natural field for the races. To herd livestock and animals, and occasionally do battle against other ethnic groups, horse riding became an integral part of the lives of theses nomads. Many festivals of horse-racing are celebrated by these "Horse-Riding Ethnic Groups", such as the Mongolian Nadam Fair, the Tibetan Bumper Harvest Festival and the Greater Prayer Ceremony.

Horse-racing can be divided into three categories: horse racing contests, horse walking contests and steeplechase.

horses. The one who reaches the end point first wins the race, and the sight of dozens of sleek horses galloping off under a blue sky is rather spectacular.

The horse walking contests, however, test the patience, the steadiness and the grace of horses as well as their speed. Here the horse must walk elegantly rather than gallop crazily. The horses used in these contests are adult horses over five years old; the riders are also strong and robust adults.
The steeplechase racecourse usually includes mountainsides and rugged mountain roads. The length is usually some five hundred meters, although this type of contest is most common in Tibetan areas.

What are the main stunts of Mongolian horsemanship?

The Mongolian fantastic horsemanship involves a lot of performing stunts.

"Hurdle crossing", in which one-meter-high hurdles are set up dozens of meters apart on the track, with a fire ring about two meters in diameter erected at the track end is an important stunt. Strong and robust horses begin their race at the starting line, cross the hurdles and go through the fire ring,

charging toward the finishing line.

"Cutting Hurdles on Horseback" is also an important stunt, where a dozen or so hurdles are set up on a 200 to 250-meter track. When saber-wielding horsemen gallop by, they clear their way by cutting the hurdles one by one.