In the lead up to this year’s horse racing festival in Lao Cai Province, Bac Ha District, racers have been travelling to several highland villages to search for race horses.

Horse racing in Bac Ha

Na Hoi, Ban Pho, and Ta Van Chu Communes, inhabited by the Tay and Mong ethnic groups, are famous for breeding racing horses.

Thao Seo Lenh, a Mong ethic man in Ta Van Chu Commune, said, “In the past most people in Ta Van Chu Commune only raised horses for work purposes, but now more are raising race horses because of the annual horse racing festival was held in Bac Ha, which started in 2005. The price for a race horses has increased to between VND15 million and VND20 million (USD713.06-USD950.75).”

Vang Van Cot, a Tay ethnic man in Na Hoi Commune, is experienced in raising horses.He said prices could be much higher for the best horses.

“A good race horse can be over 1.6 metres high, and is usually between four and six years old,” Cot shared.

A race horse must be fed with over 10 kilos of fresh grass together with two kilos of corn per day, and should be trained regularly to maintain their stamina, he added.

Last year’s festival drew the participation of 72 horses from several teams including Na Hoi, Ban Pho and Ta Van Chu. Prizes were awarded to contestants named Vang Van Cuong and Vang Van Huynh from Na Hoi Communes, Ly Seo Ao from Ban Pho Commune, and Thao Seo Lenh from Ta Van Chu Commune.