The 7th Inner Mongolia International Equestrian Festival is scheduled to begin in Hohhot, the capital of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 5, according to Xinhua News Agency. The annual event mixes modern horse racing competitions with traditional ethnic horsemanship.

Organizers said that the Inner Mongolia Polo Exhibition and the 2020 Ticai Cup China Speed Horse Racing Open would be held at the festival's opening ceremony on Sept 5.

Races in six categories will be staged during the event’s opening: 

• 1,000-meter race for thoroughbred horses over 4 years old
  

• 2,300-meter race for domestic thoroughbred horses over 4 years old

• 2,300-meter race for Mongolian horses

• 1,000-meter race for Mongolian horses

• 3,000-meter race for Mongolian horses

• 5,000-meter race for Mongolian horses below 1.58 meters height

For people unable to watch the competitions on-site, the festivities will be livestreamed online via the "Horse Industry Platform."

Besides horse racing, festival organizers will arrange interactive horse-related activities and cultural celebrations to entice more people to participate in the event.

The 7th Inner Mongolia International Equestrian Festival is supported and guided by the Chinese Equestrian Association, sponsored by Hohhot’s municipal sports bureau and organized by the Hohhot Horse Racing Association.

Horses have been symbolic of the nomadic herdsmen on the prairies of Inner Mongolia since ancient times. More recently, the autonomous region has strived to promote its ethnic customs and boost the local economy through equestrian events.

The Inner Mongolia International Equestrian Festival has been held since 2014. In 2017, it was awarded the title of "National Sports Tourism Boutique Event" by the General Administration of Sport and China National Tourism Administration.