Horsemen pick up hadas on galloping horses during a horse racing festival in Nagqu of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

BEIJING, Aug.14 (Xinhua) --- Tibetan horsemen race at ferocious speed while swooping down to pluck hada - a silk cloth - from the ground. With every success, spectators let out exultant cheers.

The competition is one of the most exciting parts of the annual Nagqu horse festival in Tibet. The rider who picks up most hada within a certain period of time wins the competition.

Tibetan men and women perform at the opening ceremony of the annual horse racing festival in Nagqu of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

Around August every year, when the climate is agreeable and the Nagqu grass lush and green, the biggest equestrian event in northern Tibet hosts thousands of riders, performers and spectators.

The 4-day event involves racing, archery and feats of strength, along with much singing, dancing, and trading of equestrian paraphernalia and local crafts and products.

Women dance at the opening ceremony of the annual horse racing festival in Nagqu of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

Women come in their festive finery and jewelry, while men in the saddle and on foot swagger or strut in traditional boots and hats. The horses, the real draw, are festooned with ribbons and ornaments. The atmosphere was jovial and exuberant.

Horsemen ride at the annual horse racing festival in Nagqu of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

Chiring Dorje, 36, has participated in the festival eight times and won several competitions. He says horse racing is the most fundamental sport for Tibetan nomads and the festival is not just a great chance for horsemen to show off their prowess, but a once-a-year chance to meet old friends, revitalize timeless rivalries and settle old scores.

A Tibetan woman and her baby attend the annual horse racing festival in Nagqu of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

For nomads in Nagqu, a vast, sparsely populated area, the horse is very important to their lives, for transport, herding and as a pack-animal, but also as a friend and member of the family.

Dorje Senge at the annual horse racing festival in Nagqu of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

Dorje Senge, 15, did not make the final in horse racing competition, but was still happy to have tried. He says all Tibetan people love horses and no matter rich or poor, every household raises at least one horse.

Until he was 12 years old, Dorje Senge feared horses and never rode them, having been kicked by one when he was 6 years old. Only when he finally conquered his fear could he learn to ride with the help of his father.

A horseman rides at the annual horse racing festival in Nagqu of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

Instead of training his horse for racing, he let it run free on the plain and only started to train it five days before the festival.

"Horse racing is a tradition and a competition, but also the source of our happiness," Dorje said.

Spectators watch horse racing competition at the annual horse racing festival in Nagqu of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)