Erbay Dosbag leaped on his horse's back and galloped into a river to save a drowning man. The moment of life and death recently gripped the hearts of numerous netizens.

Tuesday should've been another ordinary day of horseback riding for Erbay and his friend Su Shaogao. They run an equestrian club in Xiantao city, Hubei province.

As they were riding along the banks of the Hanjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, Su heard a splash and saw someone falling into the water. "When I ran over, a young lady was also about to jump in, shouting for her dad. After I stopped her, Erbay also heard the cries," Su said.

Erbay wasted no time moving to save the middle-aged man, who was struggling desperately in the water.

"I thought riding a horse would be faster," he said, adding that he had no time to fasten the saddle properly, only securing it with a single rope buckle. The lack of straps increases the risk, as the rider can fall or the horse can be injured.

After running through the water for about 3 meters, the white horse needed to swim the remaining 40 meters. Erbay managed to grab the drowning man, and they turned around for the bank.

At the same time, another winter swimming amateur, Liu Hangzhou, swam behind the man to hold and push him. Liu, 57, is a veteran who began to swim in winter only one year ago.

"We know how deep, cold and turbulent the river is. It's lucky that we saved the man," Su said.

Their heroic deed won widespread applause on social media platforms. One netizen commented: "I know him (referring to Erbay). His name is Xiantao Zhao Zilong (a military general in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) who is famous for his manly demeanor and white horse)."

Erbay, 39, from Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, began to tame horses at age 6. The white horse, named White Dragon, is 7 years old.

On Thursday morning, officials visited the trio and awarded them the "Righteous and Brave" title, which is given to private citizens who put their lives on the line to help others. In response to the calls from netizens, they also held an on-site commendation ceremony for White Dragon, adorning its head with a red flower and preparing fresh corn and grass as a token of appreciation for its act of bravery.

Video provided to chinadaily.com.cn.