Born into an ethnic Russian family in Urumqi, Lina Liu took up horse riding at 14 by joining Xinjiang equestrian team, after working on another sport for two years, the javelin throw.

"I was scared when I got on the horse for the first time. I fell almost every time I passed a hurdle. Then I realized how dangerous and hard this sport is, especially for girls."

Her talent and perseverance soon made her one of the best dressage riders in China. In 2002 she got the opportunity to train with Europe's finest to better prepare herself for the Beijing Olympics.

"Language was my biggest headache then and the three-month English crash course didn't work at all," she said.

"Every evening I asked my foreign teammates to teach me some English and it really worked well."

When in Europe, Liu gets up every day at 7am and spends 10 hours a day cleaning the stables and training the horses.

"I only get Sundays off and my favorite pastime is to take my 'fat little girl' out to the forest," she said.

Liu is referring to her new best friend, Piroschka, the 12-year-old mare she bought in Germany last July.

Riding Piroschka, Liu performed well at an Olympic qualifier in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, in early March to become the first Chinese person to qualify for an Olympic equestrian event.

"When my results came out my coach and I hugged each other in the stable. My eyes were full of tears and my coach Liu Zong was too excited to speak a word."

Liu's success has helped China achieve its goal of fielding an athlete in each of the 28 sports on the Olympic roster when it hosts the Games in four months.

She spent several years training in Denmark and Germany, the world's leading equestrian countries, for a shot at making history.

"I didn't think too much about becoming the first one or making history before I competed at the tournament," she said."I just wanted to earn the berth as soon as possible."

As the key rider on her local equestrian team, Liu has the full backing of the Xinjiang Sports Bureau, which helps by providing horses, training fees and covering her daily expenses. Riders need to spend an estimated $2.5 million to compete in the sport at the Olympics.

"Before I got the berth, I was under great pressure because it's a very expensive sport and my hometown has invested so much in me. I felt I could not let them down," she said.

Liu will stay in Europe to prepare for the Olympics before arriving in Hong Kong, the host city of the Olympic equestrian events, around July 25.