One of the popular events of the Tibetan people is the horse races, which is a unique festival in the grazing area of the Tibet. It is usually celebrated between June and July on the Tibetan calendar, when grass is abundant and horses and cows are strong.
Horse races are seen every year, but a large one is held every two or three years which lasts for several days. The most famous of them are the races of the Kyagqen Art Festival and Gyangze Dharma Festival.
For this event, the shepherds will come from a long way on horseback with colorful clothes for this party and all kinds of jewelry and ornaments. The horse racing field will instantly be surrounded by tents. The Rinpoche then begins the blessing ceremony by touching the foreheads of the elect.
The Tibet Autonomous Region is a place where all the people who are believers are religious. However, compared to other places, Buddhism on the Changtang Plateau is less influential due to the vast area of land with sparse population and harsh climate as well. The shepherds always get on with the herds day to day and it is impossible to place an altar in tents.
Another popular horse race takes place in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of yushu, which is located in the south of Qinghai province, on the northern plateau of Tibet. Yushu is one of the most remote areas in Tibet being more than 500 miles (800 km) from Xining (capital of Qinghai) and more than 750 miles (1200 km) from both Lhasa and Chengdu.
Yushu is not connected by plane or train. The only way to get there is by sleeper bus. Also the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is famous for containing the headwaters of three of the largest rivers in Asia: Mekong (Lancang Jiang in Chinese), the Yellow River and the Yangtze where they all begin in Yushu.
Living conditions are very harsh because winters are long and cold. Snow can fall in these counties well into the summer. These areas average over 270 days per year of freezing. .
The horse race festival lasts for a week starting on July 25, in the south of the city where the plain is covered and where the Tibetan tents and tents that surround the track abound. In addition to equestrian skills, there is archery mounted or not.