A trainer prepares a horse for upcoming lessons by riding a few laps around the ring at the Guofa Equestrian Club in suburban Beijing in April. [Photo/VCG]

Dressed in a complete set of equestrian gear, 34-year-old Lin Yan sat on the back of her mount and fine tuned her gestures to synchronize with the steps of the horse, seeking the look of a professional rider.

Since the beginning of this year, Lin has driven almost an hour every Saturday morning, from downtown Beijing to the suburbs, to take an hour-long horsemanship class at an equestrian club. She's found that both the time and money spent are worthwhile.

Learning horsemanship at an equestrian club is totally different from riding horses for recreational purposes at tourist sites, Lin said. She recalled riding in suburban Beijing, where local farmers uttered simple commands to their horses to let tourists take a ride.