With the characteristics of living in high mountains, steep hills, the life of Mong people is almost always associated with horses. The original horse breed in Bac Ha is mainly red, yellow and black; with a rather small physique, only from 1.2 to 1.5m high, the length of the body from the head to the tail is about 1.2-1.3m; weighing only 130kg to 170kg. They work daily for the people in the labor force such as goods, towing vehicles, transporting people in remote and dangerous terrain. You can easily see a picture of a Mongolian guy who leads a horse, on his back, the durable goods pass through but the path is small, steep, bumpy, climbing hills, wading streams regardless of the weather. They are gentle, devoted and easy to care for.

Over the years, the image of the horse has entered into the Hmong folklore, through folk songs, proverbs, appearing in rituals, funerals, weddings, festivals with an important role. Because of its important role, Mong people never naturally meat a horse. They often have surgery when they are old or weak, or their owners have enough strength and pulling power. Therefore, dishes from horse meat are not much, and only the winner is the most famous. In addition, there is also fresh fried horse meat, stewed horse legs, smoked horse meat, ... In particular, anyone who has set foot in Bac Ha has never tasted the victory because the Mong people have not felt all the flavor. The sweet taste of the white highlands.

In the Cao Cao festival every year, the horses are also attended by the owners who wish to enjoy a part of the fortune of the mountain god. In particular, horse racing from popular folk games of the Mong people in Bac Ha has gradually become a sport that receives special attention from the public. The races were originally organized with small scale, simple forms. People choose a distance of several kilometers long with a flat section with a bumpy section to make a race track. The person and the horse who comes first will be the winner. The reward is only symbolic as a jar of wine or linen but the competition attracts a lot of interested people and horse riders to compete. After many years of halting horse racing, Bac Ha traditional horse race was launched in 2007 to become an annual cultural and sports activity of the district, attracting many visitors to attend and cheer.
Every year when plums in the garden of the Mong people are red, it is also the time when the horse riders around Bac Ha district are busy preparing for the traditional horse race. This year, within the framework of Bac Ha Tourism and Cultural Festival (taking place from May 29 to June 9), the traditional horse racing tournament will be the place where the best horse riders in the Northwest meet. These races have become an indispensable spiritual food of the Mong people, as well as horses that have become an indispensable part of the culture of Bac Ha.