IRISH riders carving a career for themselves across the western world are a regular success story. To do so in China is a very different challenge but it is one which Tuam native Austin Melia has not only excelled at but has also opened doors for others along the way.

“I’ve often found if you want to find someone with drive and fire in their belly, you have to go west of the Shannon,” remarked Michael Connolly. His and Arthur Judge’s stories about their Chinese ventures are intertwined with trailblazer Melia, who first arrived there in 2010 after several years spent competing on the North American circuit.

“I got a job offer for one year in the Midwest and spent two winters in Ocala and Palm Beach,” said Melia, recalling his early American experiences.

He competed his own string of Irish horses, including Grand Prix partner Marley Star. “He was by Indian Ruler out of a Primal dam, good old Galway bloodlines.”

After five years working at Ivy Gate Farm in California’s Orange County, he moved to China.

“Ian O’Grady, a friend of mine, did business with a farm in China so when I heard about the job through him, I sent my CV over. It was down to me and two Americans, but they decided to go with me because I was Irish and I suppose I had proved that I could live outside my own country.”

“China is a very challenging place for westerners to live en-masse,” said Michael Connolly, summing up the east-meets-west lifestyle challenge.

“One option is to surround yourself with other expats which is a very cocooned, artificial lifestyle so it takes a very, very rare combination of qualities for someone to be able to survive here for a long time. Austin has proven himself to be one of those.”

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

Melia credits the golden advice given by his Malaysian boss, who had lived in China for 15 years, in helping him to adapt to local culture. “He told me: ‘There’s two things you can do. Number one is get 1.3 billion people to change their history, culture and the way they think or get one Irishman to adjust, which will be easier.’

“There was Irish here before me but none resident. I was lucky in that I landed a job in the prestigious Beijing International Equestrian Club, whose owner wanted to run FEI shows,” continued Melia. “Unfortunately there weren’t enough good horses then to compete at 1.40/1.45m level so they went on a trip to Germany, Belgium and Holland and ended up buying nine horses there. My job was to evaluate what was put in front of me. I can’t just say ‘Let’s go to Ireland’. I can’t show favouritism because that is a cultural difference between here and Europe.”

Another difference was the lack of equine medication, with expat workers often stocking up on bute, Buscopan and antibiotics during trips home.

Melia went one step further and brought in Oranmore-based vet Ned O’Flynn to give the club’s 40 horses a thorough check-up.

“Ned came over with medications – we’d organised an official letter to say he was carrying horse medication - portable x-ray and ultrasound machines and he did a clean sweep of the barn,” said Melia. Another innovation was bringing in China’s only resident master farrier, Arthur Judge.

“The traditional horse here would be the Mongolian horse, they’re the small sturdy workhorse. Then the Hong Kong Jockey Club donate all their ex-racehorses to China so they’re often used in riding schools instead of ponies. Once the standard of competition horse improved though, I persuaded the club to hire an Irish farrier as I know the high standard of shoeing in Ireland.

“I said to Arthur there was a great opportunity for someone here if you can cope with the culture but you had to give me three months. In fairness to him, he stayed. He was 26 when he arrived here and if I had come here at that age, I don’t know if I’d have stayed,” he recalled.

PROUDEST MOMENT

The next stage, once imported horsepower was in place, was to go organise an FEI two-star show. Melia rates the 2012 event, held just after the London Olympics, as the best to date.

Among a host of Nations Cup veterans taking part were Olympic medallists Cian O’Connor and Will Simpson, as well as Daniel Etter.

“I had competed the horses on the circuit here and then stepped off when the riders arrived as I was needed on the ground to keep the show running. That was my proudest moment in China to hear the Irish anthem being played after Cian won the class. Ronan Tynan provided the musical entertainment, the Irish Embassy staff were invited as guests and we had an all Irish team of official vet, farrier and sponsors like Red Mills, Horse Sport Ireland and Tipperary Crystal,” he added.

Melia has further staked his claim in China by setting up his own company.

“I made Dandan [Huang], who was my assistant for three years, the manager of the company and I act as its consultant. She’s a smart girl with a degree in racehorse management and did all the translation for the riders, the FEI entries and show organisation,” he explained.

With Chinese owners starting to pump money into show jumping and eventing, will China follow the Middle East by becoming medal winners at international level?

“In the future but it may be years from now,” he maintained.

One Irish medal winner in China this year was Mayo show jumper Michael Duffy, who helped the European team take gold. They competed on borrowed horses at the Youth Olympics hosted in Nanjing in August.

Strict international quarantine regulations can be overcome though, as Melia pointed out: “Earlier this year Jan Tops held a Global Champions Tour round in Shanghai. They flew the horses in, competed them while under quarantine and flew them back out again. That was a huge step forward, because for the Beijing Olympics they had to hold the equestrian events in Hong Kong, not in mainland China.”

With an estimated 300 riding clubs in Beijing, there is some scope for potential equine exports, although quarantine costs can be prohibitive.

“Between 30 days quarantine in Europe and China, then to fly them over here, you’re talking about €9,000. A lot of the time it can cost more to ship the horse than what the horse is worth,” is Melia’s pragmatic viewpoint. Realistically more horses and ponies will cross the Irish Sea to new homes each week than those exported to China per annum, however there is certainly potential in other areas of the Chinese market, including coaching, language skills and horse care management.

“Austin has and continues to bring Irish horsemanship into China. He actually introduced me to the Red Mills business partner here and helps, not just me, but lots of Irish companies here. He never asks for anything in return” said Michael Connolly.

“I suppose I have been a pioneer over here,” reflected Tuam’s unofficial Irish horse ambassador in China, “But I just took moving here as a challenge and an opportunity to meet new people.”