 The racecourse was initially 5 km, but from 2005 (the 10th National Games) was extended to 12 km.The longer race led to deaths and injuries to participating horses in both 2005 and the 11th National Games in 2009.Also, with the entry into the sport of Han majority provinces such as Hubei, which are better funded and used Western, rather than traditional, breeding and training techniques, meant that the original purpose of the event to foster traditional horse racing for groups like the Mongols was at risk of being usurped.