Alex Hua Tian

www.alexhuatian.co.uk   
Photos by Optimal Photography, official photographers for Team Fredericks
You need ambition, luck and talent to make it to the top of eventing.
 
Alex Hua Tian has all three. By the time he is 18, Alex plans to have accomplished more than many would dream of in a lifetime. He aims to represent his country, China, at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and in so doing will not only be one of the youngest riders ever to compete in an Olympic Games but also will be the first person of Chinese nationality to do so. Alex Hua Tian on WP in Limbo (Photography by Tim Nicholls © 2007)It will be a fitting tribute to Beijing, the city where his riding career began just a decade ago. Like many small boys Alex was put on a pony but, unlike most, his passion for riding kept him in the saddle. A chance connection through his English mother then enabled a 10 year-old Alex to visit Rosegarth in Wiltshire, England, home to leading international event riders, Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks.
 
With his legs barely reaching beyond the saddle flaps Alex showed such a natural flair that he was able to ride the horses that would later go on to win a medal at World Championship level and be victorious at the prestigious Burghley Horse Trials.
 
Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks felt they had a star in their stable and were delighted to offer a home to Alex’s horse, an ex-racehorse from Hong Kong, and introduce him to competitive eventing. Nowhere in the World is competition as fierce as in England – a myriad of international riders choosing the country as their base and so Alex has always had to hold his own against the big guns.
 
Cool, calm and collected Alex quickly caught the attention of fellow riders, trainers and selectors and as part of his pony club team won the National show jumping championships in 2005> He was then invited to join a regional team for the under-18 three-day-eventing championships later that year where he finished 11th individually.
 
2006 saw the beginning of a new partnership for Alex. Having achieved great success with his former racehorse, Chance Bid (nicknamed "Monkey King" after the famous Chinese hero), he has proved his versatility as he has partnered Koyuna Sun-Glo alongside him.
 
A former winner of a four-star event – the highest level of competition in eventing – Koyuna Sun-Glo could certainly offer Alex the benefit of his experience, but being an aged, laid-back, campaigner he’s also taught Alex the art of horse mastership – learning when to kick him home or let him up due to the associated troubles of injury and fitness as befits an older horse. Alex’s results on the horse, and his continued campaign with Chance Bid, have included placings in national and international two-star competitions, thus putting him on track to move up to three-star level in 2007 and thereby ensure his place at the 2008 Olympic Games.
 
Excitingly Alex then secured two new horses for his campaign part-way through the 2007 season.  They are Castlebanny Prince, a 16.1hh chestnut gelding produced to three-star level by Mark Ford, himself a former working pupil of Team Fredericks, and WP In Limbo, Clayton's former horse whom he has produced to consistent success at four-star level.
 
Alex Hua Tian Castlebanny Prince (Photography by Tim Nicholls © 2007)Alex has coped with film crews watching his every move as China Central Television, (the sports channel with the largest audience in the world) continues to make a documentary on him and is unfazed by the growing number of fans that flock to him. His presence on the eventing scene at first seemed to have novelty value, but his performances show he’s worth more than that. It is unsurprising then, that he has already found a way into the hearts of the international press – as a great sporting ambassador, he’s charming and polite and yet has the ability to set the competition alight.
 
Luck puts Alex in a position to be able to prove this in the greatest contest of all time, so let us join Alex under the flames of the Olympic torch to inspire not just a nation, but a generation.
 
Quotes:

Chinese Press: Websites, Newspapers, including CCTV5 September–November 2006
“China’s Equestrian Olympic Hope: Hua Tian: Waiting for 2008 Olympics. On a horse he is mature and calm beyond his years. Even in England, the leading nation for eventing, he can hold his own. At the Olympic Games he will certainly be a force to be reckoned with.”

“China’s Olympic Equestrian Star has just risen – Young Chinese Eventer, Hua Tian, produces an outstanding result”,

“What does the “Hua Tian phenomenon” tell us about China’s equestrian hopes for the Olympics? If Hua Tian continues to represent China after he is 18 years old, he will be a massive star at the Olympics.”

“Young Chinese Eventer competes successfully against World Champions in UK Alex Hua Tian, 16 years old, China’s only international eventer, successfully competed against European and World Champions on Friday in England to gain a 3rd place.”

“China’s first ever Eventer to campaign on the international circuit”

“17 year-old Chinese Eventer Hua Tian, training abroad with a growing following on the European circuit, hopes to create history for China in the Equestrian Olympics.”
 
Hartpury College, University of West England, will support young Chinese eventer Alex Hua Tian in his preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong: “Alex is a talented young rider who has achieved remarkable results on an inexperienced horse. Hartpury College Equine Academy is proud to support this young man in his goal to represent China in the Beijing Olympics 2008. With the right horse power, Alex will be in a strong position to do his country proud”, said Jeremy Michaels, Equine Director.
 
South China Morning Post - 04 December 2005
“At his yard in Wiltshire, Fredericks is also training a promising young ex-Hong Kong eventer, Alex Hua Tian. With support and sponsorship, Fredericks feels Alex could be a serious contender for a place in the 2008 Olympics.”
 

Horse and Hound - 01 September 2005 Pony Club National Championships 2005, Show jumping Team Champions: Alex Hua Tian was the man with the most pressure

on his shoulders …he had to produce a faultless second round to put the Lord Leconfield Team into the jump-off. Riding with calm determination, the 15-year-old…kept Chance Bid’s concentration on the long, twisting track and went clear.
  Alex Hua Tian on WP in Limbo (Photography by Tim Nicholls © 2007)

French Equestrian Federation (FFE) report - 22 August 2005
“We should take note of the excellent result achieved by Alex Hua Tian. The only representative from China was number one with the press. He completed his first ever international event by achieving an 18th.”


Agence France Press - 19 August 2005
Martinvast, France – Chinese teenager Alex Hua Tian becomes the first rider from the country to compete in a European eventing competition when he saddles up for the opening event of the 2005/6 season here in Normandy this weekend. Tian 15....has been training for the past five years in England. “I’m very, very proud” Tian told of his representing China.

WWW.SPORT.FR - 05 August 2005
“Martinvast will see the first ever appearance in the world of a Chinese eventer…This new generation is without doubt preparing for the Beijing Olympics 2008. When one understands how well China prepares their young athletes in all disciplines, we are right to take this arrival seriously.” Alex Hua Tian

His Trainers say:
“Alex Hua Tian started training with us six years ago. Even as a ten year-old he showed enormous potential and displayed natural horsemanship. We are thrilled to have seen him establish himself as one of the leading riders of his age category in Britain. This year he has increased his experience against senior competitors including Olympic, World and European champions. His results include being place in national and international two-star com-petitions and he continues to show his potential for even higher competition. He has achieved all this on an inexperienced horse and we believe with the right horsepower he has the potential not just to compete at elite, even Olympic, level but to be a force to be reckoned with too.”