Horse Racing (Saima)

Horse Racing

This is horse racing. Riding a horse is an essential part of the lifestyle of those ethnic groups of a heroic spirit, especially in the areas of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. People in those areas live mostly on the plains which provide a natural field for the races. There are regional variations and the types of competition are diverse.

The main contests involve racing, horsemanship to demonstrate the handling of the mount as well as the ability of the animal achieved through its training, shooting and throwing spears while in the saddle and picking up 'hada'; these are silk favors and an auspicious symbols of esteem for the rider. The contestants ride along a course that has two sides of over 100-meter-long (109-yards-long) along which are 10 hadas; the player has 12 seconds in which to pick them up in order to score a point. If he exceeds the time limit a point is deducted for each second. The result is decided after two rounds. Balloons are used as targets for the shooting matches and distance as well as accuracy is an element of the contest. Bamboo spears are thrown at a target set at some distance form the course.