HOHHOT, China, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 66 riders from seven countries with 80 horses competed in an American-style international equestrian invitational that started on Saturday at Baotou, China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The three-day invitational was approved by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), an organization to promote Western Riding of the United States, as one of its special events in China.

The competition included barrel racing, pole bending, ranch work, trail challenge and other races, attracting riders from Australia, Costa Rica, Germany, Ireland, the United States, Italy and China.

The AQHA event was being held during an international horse fair, which featured cultural aspects of indigenous nomadic Chinese in Inner Mongolia.