Some sports fans wake up at midnight just to watch a football match. Others know NBA players like the palm of their hand. And some have an interest in horse racing. We check-in on a trainer whose first love is equestrian sports, and see how the competition plays a big part in her life.
August 8th was National Fitness and Body-building Day in China. On that day, the National Horse racing competition also took place in Inner Mongolia,which attracted 15 teams from around the country.
This girl's name is Li Xuan, the leader of Dalian team. Li and her team brought more than 10 horses to the competition. Li Xuan used to be a lawyer, but once she began getting to know the horses, she started to fall in love with the sport. Li quit her job and began to raise horses.
Li Xuan is always the first person in the stable every morning. She checks each horse while talking to them. Li says the horses can understand what she says, and she also knows the expression in the horses'eyes. Among her horses, one named Tian Nv will run the 5000 meter race on the first day of the event.
Li Xuan has gained a lot of experience in nearly two years of raising and training horses. She has gradually gained recognition after getting top results in national competitions. Li hopes this time the racing horse, Tian Nv, will earn a good result in the 5000m race.
Tian Nv didn't let her down. The racer got off to a quick start and set the pace at the beginning of the race, but couldn't keep the lead to the end. Tian Nv got hurt after being kicked by the following horses and had to drop out of the competition.
Checking the condition of Tian Nv's injury, Li Xuan couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She said the horses are like members of her family. She's not willing to see them get hurt.
The Dalian team didn't do well in this event. But Li said the result is not that important. What she cares about more is the horse's health.
(CCTV August 12, 2009)
