HE’s the master farrier employed by top show jumpers and has now established himself in China where the job offers continue to roll in. And while he may have the Asian world at his feet, you quickly discover that Arthur Judge is still the same likeable, obliging individual as when he worked around the east Galway area.

Catching up with Ahascragh-born Judge though proved to be a challenge. ‘First World problems’ from phone networks to cancelled Lufthansa flights and delays at Heathrow meant touchdown at Beijing coincided just before his departure to Korea, where his skills are also in demand.