A 2008 national intangible-heritage record locates the traditional Yushu Horse Festival at Zaxike Grassland, usually from late July to early August. Its program brings together distance races and skills performed on horseback: archery, shooting, picking up a hada from the ground, standing upside down and hanging from the horse. The list moves between speed and balance, testing how a rider handles a moving animal as well as how fast a horse can run.
The record describes the festival opening with burning cypress incense, followed by ceremonial processions, performers and horse teams. It also names walking-horse races, yak races, songs and dress displays. The festival is more than a single finish line; it is a sequence of riding, ceremony and public gathering.