Riding English in China

Last Summer we met the friend of a friend's colleague who owns a club just East of BJ called Sheerwood Equestrian Country Club.  We'd been trying to connect and visit and it happened yesterday.  We went out with our friend, a visiting MI family from SF, and our weekend driver.  It was about 45 minutes East of BJ in holiday weekend traffic.   We got there and stepped into another world

On tens of thousands of acres there are several outdoor rings, a jumping ring, indoor ring and paddocks.  We heard they have nearly 90 horses there now.  The buildings are Spanish style set in clusters around a central courtyard.  There are separate compounds owned by club members including our friend's which itself contained grand rooms, six gorgeous guest rooms, a kitchen, theater and game rooms.  Our friend had organized private lessons for the girls who are all horse lovers.

A club staff person took the girls to get outfitted in boots and hat-helmets.  LiLi's was exactly the hat I had as a kid with the big button top that looks like a little anthill.  LiLi's coach obviously thought she has had more experience than she's had and gave a real lesson, trotting and posting her very patient mount.  The lead trainer was working on jumping a drop dead gorgeous stallion and the rider himself was some sort of world wide champion.  We also met the head coach who is also apparently an Olympic equestrian judge.  After the girls' ride we got to walk around the barn and peek in and pat the horses in their stalls.  Gorgeous animals, all.

We'll probably pursue lessons for LiLi which is what I had planned to do in SF if we were there.  I figured age 10 or so is a good time to start learning to ride.   She's 9 so it seems close enough.

Who would have thought horsebackriding in China.  English style, too.