"From my experience of training Chinese coaches and competitors, they love their show jumping, are dedicated, hardworking and many are very talented."

Some have been fortunate enough to ride in Europe and North America, where they have received invaluable training and had competition experience, he says.

"The area in which they most need to improve is exposure to competing against foreign riders over larger jumping tracks."

They would also benefit from the services of foreign trainers coming to China, he says.

Although finances can be a high hurdle for some would-be equestrian competitors, age seems to be largely irrelevant.

"Not everyone has to start riding young to be a top rider. There are many cases where people have started riding in their teens or 20s, have a natural feel for riding and then (go on) to be successful internationally."

Winning is wonderful, but it should not come at any cost, Michaels says. The best riders in the world are experts not just in riding, but in caring for and managing horses, which underlines the fact that to be successful a rider needs to take a holistic view of horses and training, he says.

Cheng Zhaoyi says he practices endurance horsemanship twice a week, each session lasting for seven hours.

"The most important thing is for the horse and the rider to work together. That's because the rider needs to know how to do particular things in a way that relieves pressure on the horse, thus reducing its physical exertion."

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn

Luan Shu contributed to the story.