About 50 equestrians kicked off a cross-country horseback ride from Jejudo Island to Seoul on Monday in a bid to promote equestrianism.

Organized by a national association to promote the horse industry and a local club of horse riders, the journey started at Jeju Race Park on the southern island of Jejudo and will end at Seoul Race Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, the equestrian ground nearest to the nation’s capital, on Oct. 3.

The 11-day tour will mobilize about 60 horses for 490 kilometers to cover the total distance of about 800 kilometers.

They moved from Jeju Port to Haenam, South Jeolla Province, by ship on Monday, and went for 50 km on horseback to Gangjin on Tuesday. Then they will move on to Gwangju, Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, Sejong City, the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, North Chungcheong Province, and Gwacheon.

The Korea Racing Authority and race parks along the way will provide horse stalls and drinking water and also deploy veterinarians to help along their journey.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)