【我的中国梦】为马儿打造“金靴”_时事

【我的中国梦】为马儿打造“金靴”

Deng , the sales director of the club, says that Judge is the only master farrier in China.

"Only 144 farriers are certified master farriers in the world," Deng says.

Judge gained the status in 2010, becoming one of the youngest master farriers in the world. He was 23.

In Ireland, a farrier must pass a three-day exam to become a master farrier. The test includes shoeing five horses, completing a written test about shoeing and anatomy, and explaining horse dissection to experts.

"It was probably the most difficult three days in my life," Judge recalls.

Judge was born on a farm in Ireland and grew up among horses. His father breeds horses and owns about 120 to 130.

Judge can tell the name of "his" horses by looking at their faces, though he only sees them at four - to five-week intervals, when the shoes need replacing.

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.