Industrial Transformation and Sustainability in China’s Emerging Equestrian Sector: A Socio-Economic Modeling Approach

Abstract Book of the 11th International Conference on Research in Humanities and Social Sciences

Year: 2026

[PDF]

Industrial Transformation and Sustainability in China’s Emerging Equestrian Sector: A Socio-Economic Modeling Approach

Ming Dong

ABSTRACT:

Over the past decade, China’s competitive equestrian industry has undergone a profound transformation from a traditionally agricultural and pastoral system into a professionalized sport-industrial sector embedded within urban economic networks. This study examines the socio-economic restructuring of China’s emerging equestrian industry and evaluates its sustainability within broader rural modernization and institutional development frameworks.

Drawing upon a modeled case study of an elite equestrian training facility, this research analyzes annual cost structures, agricultural resource dependencies, and environmental externalities associated with high-performance horse management. By integrating agricultural economic theory with institutional transformation perspectives, the paper introduces an original evaluative framework—the Equestrian Sustainability Index (ESI)—which measures operational resilience across economic efficiency, feed resource intensity, transport-related emissions proxies, and animal welfare stability.

The findings suggest that contemporary equestrian operations function as hybrid socio-economic systems embedded within agricultural production networks and regional development structures. Sustainable management strategies not only mitigate ecological impact but also enhance long-term financial stability and institutional legitimacy. By reconceptualizing competitive equestrian sport as an emerging economic institution rather than merely an athletic practice, this study contributes to interdisciplinary discourse in humanities and social sciences on modernization, industrial transition, and cultural-economic hybridity in rapidly developing societies.

Keywords: Equestrian Industry, Sustainable Development, Agricultural Economics, Socio-Economic Transformation