Feature: Horses shaping Xinjiang's culture, economy and new-generation riders

by Sun Zhe, Hu Huhu

URUMQI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- For Xirzat Nurmu, a horse trainer in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, horses are more than animals. They are brothers. Though they cannot speak, he believes they understand his moods, and when he feels low, they lean against him quietly as if offering comfort.

Across Xinjiang's vast grasslands and high plateaus, horses have long been stead