Getting them to the saddle

Yi'an says her horse, Elf, performed well in the competition ensuring that she got no penalties. "My horse was brave enough to jump over every barrier with no hesitation," she says.

Yi'an says the secret of her success is to feed her horse a carrot before a competition.

"Food can bribe any horse, but, before I feed the horse I let it smell my face or hand to identify me," says Yi'an.

"I also clean the horse each time I complete my training, so that my horse remembers me."

Yi'an's parents saw their daughter compete at the Bird's Nest, and they noticed her improved riding skills.

After her competition, she got the chance to watch the top riders compete in the riders' tent, which is much closer to the field than the regular audience's seats.

The event, besides bringing together world ranked international riders and China's top show-jumpers, also celebrates the equestrian lifestyle.

To that end, an equine park was built in the area to popularize the equestrian culture.

The riding experience area in the park had long queues, as many parents wanted their kids to experience the sport.

According to the program book of the competition, 70.9 percent of the riders were male, but, in the U14 and U18 groups, there were more female riders than males.

Also, more young riders were part of the competition this year as 34 percent of the riders were born post 2000, compared with 22.7 percent born in the 1990s.

In Yi'an's equestrian club, all five of her coach's students are girls.

As for her future, Yi'an, who is going into senior middle school next year, says: "I may not become a professional rider when I grow up, but I plan to do a job that's related to horses."