Big shoes to fit

Photo by Yang Xinyu / For China Daily

He got his first taste of the occupation when he was 7, during a trip to England with a family friend, a farrier. He started to work with him on vacations once he reached the age of 12.

In the UK and Ireland, farriers are required to have formal qualifications. Judge received his four-year college education at the Irish School of Farriery, one of the world's most respected schools in the field.

The curriculum includes shoeing practice, anatomy and dissection.

Having received a bachelor degree in 2009, Judge worked globally to improve his skills, including in the UK and the US. He then passed the exam to become a master farrier.

Judge says his Chinese opportunity came by chance.

An equestrian club in Beijing called an Irish farrier federation in 2012 for help, asking for a farrier to shoe their competition horses. The federation turned to Judge, who said no at first.

"Why China? Chinese people don't care about horses," Judge recalls thinking, adding that he later took the one-month job because no one else was able to go.