An international equestrian culture festival will be held in Weifang, Shandong province from Oct 27 to 29, aiming to rein-in more support for the sport in the country.

The three-day event, hosted by the Chinese Horse Culture, Sports, Tourism Planning Institute and the Weifang Binhai Economic and Technological Development Zone, will feature horse orienteering, as well as cross-country and endurance contests following standard procedure and international standard of the International Federation of Equestrian Tourism (FITE).

Horse racing and equestrian events are growing in popularity across China. [Photo/ wfcmw.cn]

China became the 21st member of FITE this month and is the first country in Asia to join the organization.

"The membership will help China to accelerate standardization of equestrian tourism and promote horse cultural exchange and cooperation with other countries," said Frederic Bouix, president of the federation.

Frederic Bouix, president of the International Federation of Equestrian Tourism, endorses the coming horse culture festival. [Photo/ WeChat account: Ai-horse]

According to Zang Chuankui, president of the Weifang Binghai Tourism Group, the event will include equestrian contests, performances, tourism promotion and horse culture forums.