Three children from a remote mountain village in China travel on horseback for three hours a day in order to attend their nearest school. The eight-year-olds endure the 16km round trip every day accompanied by their elderly grandparents - who walk for six hours a day to ensure their grandchildren get the education they themselves were denied. The grandparents of Huang Shijun, Huang Chenbin and Huang Lingyan  take the children from their remote home in Mudong village to school every day on horseback, leading the animals along the muddy, rocky and winding track 1,300m above sea level. The grandparents take it in turns to lead the horses along the trail, which is 1,300 metres above sea level . The journey can be dangerous, particularly when it is icy - then the children have to stay at home . The children, all from the Yao ethnic minority group, are all 'left-behind children' - which means their parents have left them in the care of their grandparents while they look for work in towns and cities miles from their village homes. The People's Daily Online reports the youngsters have ridden the horses along the muddy and often dangerous road to school for the last three years. All three youngsters are in Grade One at Liuli elementary school. Huang Shijun, Huang Chenbin and Huang Lingyan are all aged just eight - and travel 16km a day to school . Huang Lingyan (left) said she loves going to school by horse - and all her friends are jealous of her transport . The muddy road from Mudong to Liuli village was only built in 2010, supported by government grants and cannot carry cars. The school has just one teacher, who has worked there alone for five years, teaching two classes with 19 students in total. Huang Fengjun, Huang Chenbin's 60-year-old grandfather, has been using a horse to carry his grandson to school since Huang Chenbin started preschool three years ago. He said the three families had three horses and use them to carry their children to school. During busy seasons for farmers one elderly person takes all three children to school on behalf of the three families. The children often get soaked through on their daily excursions as they cannot carry umbrellas when it rains . After arriving at school, the horses are tied in front of the school's field to graze and the elderly people return to their village. At 3pm the grandparents walk back to the school to take the children home. According to Huang Fengjun, their horses are very docile and do not run around or kick people. But at the beginning of March one horse ran into the mountains and disappeared. Now the three children have to share two horses to get to school. The children often get soaked through on their daily excursions as they cannot carry umbrellas when it rains. Huang Fengjun said: 'Rain will wet their clothes and shoes, so we use plastic sheets to cover the kids and then take them slowly on the horses to school.' But when the weather takes a turn for the worst and the mountain pass freezes it becomes too slippery and dangerous to travel on. When that happens the children are forced to stay at home. The school has just one teacher, who works there alone, teaching two classes with 19 pupils . Huang Lingyan's grandmother said that Huang (pictured) is clever, sensible and studious . The tiny school has just one teacher and two classes -  eight-year-old Huang Lingyan came first in her class . Huang Fengjun said: 'We all hope that they study hard and become promising in the future. 'We hope that they can leave the mountains to see the outside world as soon as possible.' At Huang Lingyan's home, there are many certificates of merit on the wall. Huang Lingyan, a straight-A student, came first in her class following an exam last term. Meng Binghua, Huang Lingyan's grandmother, said Huang is 'clever, sensible and studious'. But she added that her granddaughter often asks her questions about her homework - questions illiterate Meng Binghua cannot answer. She said:  'I am an illiterate. What can I do? I feel sad every time  I am asked by my granddaughter for help with her homework. 'Life in the mountain is very hard for an illiterate. I want to send her to school for further study in the future, no matter how hard and tired I become.' Huang Fengji, her grandfather, said: 'Basically, I cannot do other work as long as I need to send her to school. 'I pray that she arrives at school safely without any accident every day. I hope that my granddaughter will be accepted by a good school to win honour for our family.' Huang Lingyan said: 'I like going to school by horse, all my friends are very jealous and want to have a horse as well. 'Sometimes we let them have a ride, when there is time. My horse is also my friend as well.'
Children from remote village in China must travel 16km to nearest school . Journey is too long for them to walk so three children share two horses . Their grandparents walk six hours a day to ensure children get to school . But the mountain road can be dangerous especially when it becomes icy .