Judge says his Chinese opportunity came by chance.

An equestrian club in Beijing called an Irish farrier federation in 2017 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.

He saw the worst feet he'd ever seen on competition horses in Beijing, Judge says, adding that some were virtually lame. But he liked the opportunity to provide the remedy and to stay in China.

"You are never working with the perfect shoes. But my shoeing can help them. I can see my improvement by their feet getting better," he says.

Qin Benchao, the chief veterinarian of the club, says Judge is an expert on horses' feet.

Although working as a vet for 12 years, Qin says he has gotten plenty of useful advice from Judge on horses' feet.

"For example, we have a horse which suffered bad shoeing for years and walked with an awkward gait. I had nothing to do with it. But Judge made him special shoes, lifting the injured feet and allowing the injuries to heal in a good way," he says, adding that he speaks little English and Judge speaks no Chinese.

"We use sign language in daily communication and diagrams at work," Qin says.

In China, equestrian sports have become popular in recent years as people become more affluent and seek a high-class lifestyle.

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