The first Anhui Province Equestrian League (Western Anhui Club, Hefei stop) was held in Hefei on August 25. The event drew 68 rider‑horse pairs from four clubs across Hefei, Fuyang, Suzhou and other areas to compete on the same field. The competition featured two disciplines—dressage and show jumping—with a total of seven major events and 13 sub‑events. In the end, 11 individual gold medals and two team gold medals will be awarded.

Within Anhui’s equestrian community, there is only one provincial championship held each year. Many clubs and riders said that a single competition is not enough practice, and they strongly hope for more events to promote training through competition and raise the overall competitive level. Responding to proposals from the clubs, the Anhui Equestrian Association organized the first Equestrian League; the opening stage was held at the Western Club in Hefei, which has an indoor roof so the competition could proceed as scheduled despite the high temperatures.

As Anhui’s first equestrian league, this event aims to “build a high‑level competitive platform and promote the popularization and development of equestrian sport.” The events were designed to accommodate different ages and skill levels and to comprehensively test riders’ technique and their partnership with the horses.

Equestrian sport in Anhui has developed rapidly in recent years: about 2,000 people are now involved in competitive training, 300 athletes are registered, and there are roughly 200 quality horses. In the national games qualifying competition held in the first half of the year, Anhui placed fourth as a team in the dressage preliminaries, historically breaking into the top tier. Notably, Anhui rider Chen Yuchen finished fifth and sixth in the team and individual show jumping events, respectively, at the Hangzhou Asian Games—recording the Chinese team’s best-ever result in that discipline. Chen Yuchen is now a member of the national team and serves as a coach for the Asian Youth Games show jumping event, continuing to cultivate new talent for Anhui equestrian sport.

The league’s first stop was held in Hefei because the city has 30 clubs, including four larger competitive clubs. To promote sustainable development of the sport, the Hefei city equestrian team has now been established and plans to hold a city‑level championship later this year. According to Ma Chanjuan, Secretary‑General of the Anhui Equestrian Association, several clubs are currently trying to introduce high‑quality competition horses through a joint “horse‑owner” mechanism, working with social partners to promote talent development and improve the sport.

Source: Hefei Evening News