Rising enrollments

Yu, the instructor in Jiangxi, said the growth in demand is reflected in enrollment numbers.

When Hejun College launched its equestrian program in 2022, it admitted just over 20 students. By 2023, the number had grown to more than 40. By 2025, nearly 200 students were enrolled in equestrian studies.

Yu said the college now boasts one of the largest equestrian facilities in Jiangxi, with a 40-by-50-meter indoor arena and a 30-by-40-meter outdoor training area, a two-story stable with 40 stalls, and a fleet of 19 horses, including one warm-blood used for competition. A second, larger venue is under construction nearby, designed to host major competitions.

The curriculum combines practical stable work with theoretical courses on horse nutrition and care, stable management and equine anatomy.

"The most important attraction for students is job placement," Yu said. "Our first-time employment rate is over 95 percent, with more than 90 percent of graduates entering equestrian-related fields," he said.

The college has partnerships with more than 200 equestrian clubs across China, many in first — and second-tier cities where the industry is growing fastest. Some students receive job offers before they graduate. "The market has a huge appetite for skilled talent," Yu said.

The growth of Hejun's program reflects a broader policy push. In 2020, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the General Administration of Sport jointly issued the national equestrian industry development plan (2020–25), which explicitly called for integrating the equestrian industry with tourism, culture, and animal husbandry.

The plan envisioned a complete industrial chain, from breeding to sporting events management, and signaled that equestrian sports were no longer niche hobbies but a recognized economic sector.

Zhao Chunjiang, director of the equine research center at China Agricultural University in Beijing, sees the trend as part of a larger pattern.

Equestrian sports and their competitive levels are closely tied to a country's economic development, Zhao said. As incomes rise in China, he expects participation to grow accordingly.

The benefits extend beyond physical fitness, he said. Working with horses builds willpower and resilience, and the sport's inherent emphasis on etiquette can add a refined quality to a person's character that is increasingly valued in contemporary society, Zhao explained.

Yet he acknowledges that barriers remain. Equestrian sports demand high-quality facilities and well-trained horses. They're still a niche activity in China, not yet as widespread as in Western Europe, he added.

Zhao argues for innovation in business models to broaden participation, along with greater domestic breeding of sport horses to reduce costs and improve animal welfare.