The opening ceremony of the China Inner Mongolia Horse Racing and the 6th Inner Mongolia International Equestrian Festival is held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on June 29. [Photo/nm.people.cn]

The China Inner Mongolia Horse Racing and the 6th Inner Mongolia International Equestrian Festival was launched in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on June 29.

Over 6,000 people from local departments and visitors from across the country participated in the opening ceremony of the horse racing. And some 800 horses were on show at the event.

The event was organized by the Inner Mongolia culture and tourism and sports departments, the municipal government of Hohhot and other regional authorities.

According to organizers, the horse racing also marks the opening of the 2nd Inner Mongolia International Horse Culture Expo, which will end in September.

During the opening ceremony, more than 20 equestrian institutions expressed congratulations to the event organizers.

Zheng Hongfan, vice-president of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said in opening remarks that Inner Mongolia has a long history of raising horses and horses are widely popular among locals.

Inner Mongolia leads the nation in the number of horses. Statistics show that the area now has 935,000 horses, 15.6 percent of the national total.

He said that Inner Mongolia has striven to promote the development of the horse industry and built an industrial chain of horse breeding and raising, winning fame as a horse culture tourist attraction across the nation.

He noted that the horse racing, which will last for nearly four months, aims to become a platform to showcase the progress Inner Mongolia has made in promoting horse culture and horse events.

According to the local government, Inner Mongolia will continue to step up efforts in organizing equestrian events and launching more horse-related tourist routes and cultural products to further boost the horse industry.

People in traditional Mongolia costume perform on horseback during the opening ceremony in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on June 29. [Photo/nm.people.cn]