OES

Project Introduction

Oriental Equine Services (OES) is a one-stop-shop in the horse sector. OES exports Belgian jumping horses to China, but also offers know-how and gives advice to Chinese customers, including horse training, nutritional and stable management advice, veterinary advice, etc. Additionally, OES sells horse products and accessories, such saddles and luxury goods.

Belgium and especially Flanders is the mecca of warmblood horses. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games provided proof: 25 of the 90 horses during the Olympics came from Belgian soil. Even more, 5 of the 9 horses on the podium were born in Belgium. As a result, Belgium is considered the world center of sport horses.

With the economic development in China, equestrian clubs are opening for business in Chinese cities and there is a rapid rise in the number of horses imported from abroad. In China, there are more and more middle-class citizens shifting their interests from traditional luxury goods to entertainment and sporting activities. Golf, winter sports, and also equestrian sports symbolize the interest and lifestyle of the new high-end class in China. Today, there are already more than 2000 equestrian clubs in China’s major cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and other 1st and 2nd tier cities. Increasingly equine sports are becoming more popular with the general public, and also the Chinese government is giving a lot of support to this new sector.

Website
www.orientalequineservices.com

Involvement of Horsten International

After a first investigation phase in the late spring and summer of 2023, Horsten set up a WeChat official account for OES and prepared a first visit to China in October 2023 to discover the Chinese horse business and visit horse clubs in Guangdong province, Xi’an and Beijing.

After this successful visit, Horsten and OES decided to join forces and build on each others’ knowledge and resources to bring the Belgian horse culture to China. From 29 February to 2 March 2024, OES participated in the China Horse Fair in Shanghai, the first time this exhibition was held after Covid. Horsten appointed one of its Chinese employees in the China office to represent OES in China and assist in communication and business development. Also Wim Horsten was present during the exhibition.