BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Mu Zi, two years and three months old, goes to Haidian District, Beijing every week to hone her horsemanship. The thing turns out to be very different as the racetrack is not located in a suburban area but in a shopping center in the downtown area.
On the horseback, she practices her balance, with one hand pulling the rope and swinging her arm in the air.
In recent years, more and more equestrian training centers have made their presence in shopping malls, presenting a unique landscape in Chinese cities. In 2016, a Kunming-based equestrian center called Tianmaxingkong Equestrian Club broke new ground by establishing an equestrian racetrack on the roof of a mall. According to a rough estimate from Chen Che, President of Beijing Turf & Equestrian Association, China has nearly 200 equestrian training centers in shopping malls.
"The biggest advantage for indoor equestrian site is free from bad weather," Mu Zi's father told Xinhua.
Mu Zi learnt her equestrianism on the third floor of a shopping mall where there is an equestrian center branded as "a happy pony", also known as "Kuaile xiaoma", which was founded by Zhang Ying, who began to open indoor racetrack in 2018 and attracted more than 300 members to his club. With seven young horses, the center has a floor space of over 500 square meters, equivalent to one thirtieth of outdoor equestrian field. And Zhang has now set up an open equestrian center in the suburban area of Beijing.
"The equestrian center in the shopping mall is more likely to enable children to access fundamental equestrian lessons. After the training, they will go to big equestrian fields in suburban areas in the future," Zhang Ying said.
The burgeoning development of equestrian activity in shopping malls is also evidenced by a prosperous trend that is witnessing an ever-expanding equestrian population and kid-led equestrian training.
"Ten years ago, rich people were the majority of China's equestrian consumption, but today people of young ages are the target of shopping mall equestrianism," Chen Che said.
The Beijing Turf & Equestrian Association and Equestrian Magazine released the Report for the Development of Equestrian Market in China in 2018, which shows there were 1,802 equestrian clubs in China, with 10.8 per cent of them were in shopping malls. 70 per cent of the clubs had training classes, most of which were for kids.
In 2018, 116,000 equestrian numbers were created, reaching 1.088 million. Among the active equestrian group, teenagers and children are 49 per cent and 17 per cent respectively, which are two third of the total equestrian consumption number.
However, the interests children pick up in equestrian activity are mostly driven by their parents. The cost is very high, and the training price of Kuaile xiaoma totals 800 RMB (about 110 U.S. dollars) in a 45-minute session, for example.
"I hope she can improve her personal charm," said Mr. Liu, who brought his daughter to the center to learn the horsemanship, but the latter revealed she views this sport as very "cool".
"Another important reason for the rise of shopping mall equestrianism is the force of capital," said Chen in an interview.
With the emergence of kid-led equestrian market, the business model of profit can be copied and expanded in other regions, creating a favorable environment for capital market. Kuaile xiaoma is a good proof of this trend.
Although the industry is winning great favor from the market, the equestrian development in shopping malls is still fraught with many challenges. "The emerging equestrian industry is an untapped area, and more importantly, it requires more support and guidance from the relevant authorities," Chen said.
