ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, June 23 -- The 69th edition of one of the most prestigious equestrian events in Europe takes place in Rotterdam from June 22 until June 25, with the organizers already dreaming of such an event in China, one of the promised lands in the horse world.

One horse rider walking hand in hand with his child, another on a bicycle and one other relaxing on a steady ride on his brown horse, at the same time chatting with a friend on his mobile phone. It is not the scenery you would expect a few hours before one the most prestigious horse competitions in the world, but it is the scenery of the CHIO. It is the most prestigious equestrian event in the Netherlands, and after Aachen the second biggest in Europe. With a long history going back to 1948, CHIO Rotterdam is the oldest international sport event in Rotterdam.

"The CHIO is about more than sports," explained Jan de Mooij, the chief operating officer of CHIO Rotterdam, to Xinhua.

In the beautiful green environment of the Kralingse Bos, a wooded park that surrounds the Kralingse Plas lake, the best jumping horses and the best riders from Europe competed against each other on Friday as part of an FEI Nations Cup Jumping qualifier in the top European division. In this competition national teams, and in this case the Netherlands, Spain, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, competed for one of the most coveted prizes in this Olympic discipline.

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