When I connected to the Sloth Bear Sports video call, it was 9am UK local time. Hua Tian looked full of energy, and he could feel his excitement about the upcoming day across the screen. This day is May 14, the 70th countdown to the Tokyo Olympic Games, and it is also the day when Huatian went out to the Olympic conference.
The event, which was supposed to be held in Beijing last year, was interrupted by the outbreak and the venue was changed to Huatian's stable in Manchester.
This gives Huatian a dual identity, both the protagonist of the event and the host of the event. Before the launch, he and his team repeatedly hammered out the details - designing a plan b, a kt version and how the mirrors would be placed so as not to frighten the horses for potential rainy days.
Before participating in the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other competitions, Huatian will prepare a slogan for the expedition, this time "new print to tokyo". The hoof print stands for horseshoe print, symbolizing step by step footprint.
The scene of the press conference (picture copyright akplus).
The upcoming Tokyo Olympics is Huatian's third Olympic Games. Huatian not only qualified for the competition itself, but also the national equestrian team qualified for the team competition, which was the first time in history, and several other team members, coaches and support teams have been training in Europe since 2018, leaving their hometown and running into the Olympic arena step by step.
As the Olympic Games are gradually clear as scheduled, Chinese equestrianism will also take a new step in the Olympic arena and embark on a new imprint.
"Huatian's Stable"
Huatian was either in the stable or on the way to the stable.
People around them said that when they did not compete, Huatian's life was very regular, basically two points and one line between home and stable. However, every weekend, Huatian will drive 60 kilometers to Happy Valley with a carriage and several horses, mainly for the practice of cross-country events in equestrian triathlons.
Huatian's stable, pinfold, is a medium-sized manchester on the outskirts of Manchester, England, with a total of 26 horses, 8 of which are Huatian's personal three-sport horses.
From left to right: Chocolate Chocs, Don Geniro, Spirit Rhino King Spike, three horses are likely to follow Huatian to Tokyo to participate in the Olympic competition and see the status of the horses.
Huatian's stable is fully equipped, the stable manager, consultant, horse doctor, horse masseuse, nail hoof master and other types of work have, Huatian and his girlfriend - also a dressed dance step athlete, usually also take students. Learning equestrianism in the UK is mostly apprenticeship, that is, apprentices follow the master to learn technology, but also have to undertake some daily work.
In fact, pinch is a non-profit stable, and Huatian does not focus on the operation.
"Is it common in Europe for stables like yours to operate?"
"Of course not, most of them are not as fortunate as I am to get sponsorship." Hua Tian said with a smile.
Huatian's commercial value need not be repeated. At the age of 19, he appeared in the Beijing Olympic Games as the "first person in Chinese Olympic equestrianism", which made many people know this "gentleman knight" of mixed Chinese and British race and noble temperament. He then won silver and bronze medals in the equestrian triathlon at the Incheon Asian Games and the Jakarta Asian Games, and finished 8th in the Rio Olympics equestrian triathlon in 2016.
In 2018, Huatian signed a contract with sports marketing company Akplus, after which Huatian signed skin care brand La Mer, car brand Aston Martin and sports brand fila. In August 2020, Huatian launched the lifestyle brand urban stables in China, and also supported some domestic events and activities through urban stables.
However, "Huatian Stable" has another meaning, that is, the name of the WeChat public account, "Huatian Stable" is his export to spread equestrian culture. Huatian will share his own stories and experiences, publish teaching articles and videos, and use this platform to communicate with fans; the public account also publishes a series of comics to share interesting things in his life.
Many readers have used "Huatian's Stable" as one of the main channels for obtaining information about international equestrian events.
"Before Rio [the Olympics], I put all my energy into the competition." Huatian told Lazy Bear Sports, "After Rio, I think it is time for me to make a little contribution to the promotion of domestic equestrian sports and the development of the equestrian industry." At this time, I noticed that the development of the domestic equestrian industry is very fast. ”
According to the "2019 China Equestrian Market Development Report" released by the Beijing Equestrian Association in January 2020, as of August 31, 2019, there were a total of 2272 equestrian clubs in China. In 2008, there were fewer than 100 in the country.
Yi Qianru, the owner of Huatian Horse Racing "Chocolate", opened an equestrian center in Shanghai's Xuhui District last June, with the original intention of "both children like to ride horses", and Yi Qianru is also optimistic about the prospects of equestrian education.
According to the "National Horse Industry Development Plan (2020-2025)" jointly issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the State General Administration of Sports, in 2019, the output value of the entire industrial chain of the domestic horse industry is about 70 billion yuan.
The Olympic Games are a natural period for the promotion of equestrian sports. During the warm-up period, Huatian club cooperated with the International Equestrian Federation (fei) to launch a 16-episode equestrianunlock series of promotional videos, telling the knowledge of equestrian competitions, "The goal is to make every audience understand the game." ”
What Huatian wants to do is to "pull the equestrian movement off the altar" of the gods. Nowadays, when people mention equestrianism, most of them still have the impression of "aristocratic movement" and "game of the rich", and Huatian is committed to the promotion of civilians. Judging from the current carrying capacity of the equestrian industry, this work has a long way to go, but to let more and more people understand the equestrian culture, Huatian is working hard.
Wisdom on horseback
Privately, Hua Tian is an easy-going and informal person. "He has a big grin and is sloppy in his daily life." Huatian's family friend Eddy told Sloth Bear Sports, "He often wears socks that are not the same pair, and when I asked him why, he said, 'I can hardly find the same socks.'" ’”
Huatian's mobile phone was given a horse-like name "Nian Ping Wang", often smashed the screen for various reasons, and once was thrown into the garbage bin with the garbage, Huatian had to lie down to the garbage bin to rummage through.
"I always thought he was better to the horse than to himself." eddy reviews.
Yi Qianru remembered once going to the scene to watch the cross-country race, the weather was very hot, and Huatian, who was covered in mud at the end of the race, immediately led the horses to brush and cool them down. Before contacting Huatian, Yi Qianru always thought that Huatian had a "horse breeding team", he was mainly responsible for the race, and the horses were taken care of by others. But that didn't turn out to be the case, "he did it all himself." ”
This is actually the education that Huatian has received since he was a child. "No matter how thirsty and dirty and tired after training, I must first make sure that the horse drinks water and bathes first, and after settling down, I will drink water and take a bath, even if there is a major mistake in the game, I can't ignore the horse because of the chagrin." Peng Mingshan, president of Aston Martin La gongda Asia Pacific and China, relayed a small talk with Huatian, which was an agreement made by Huatian and his mother when he first touched equestrianism.
Huatian brushed the horse's bristles when he was a child (provided by Huatian).
Yao Weixiong, president of fila Greater China, also mentioned that Huatian impressed him, Huatian is very sensitive to the health of sports horses, and on several occasions gave up the pursuit and impact of better rankings because of concerns about the health of sports horses.
In Hua Tian's eyes, the horse is the primary and the knight is the secondary. "I know far more about horses than I know about people." Huatian laughed at himself.
Agent Amy Yang (Yang Jia), one of the founders and CEOs of sports marketing company Akplus, believes that a certain percentage of equestrian training institutions do not capture the essence of equestrian education.
"Equestrian education is not just about how to ride a horse, but about working in a stable." Amy mentioned that knights generally go to riding school early to prepare their horses, and after saddle time is over, they are led back to the stable, unloaded, fed, and massaged. This is a whole process that cultivates not only love, but also patience, understanding, independence and a series of skills. "Now most of the parents send their children in, ride for an hour, pick them up, and miss what may be the most valuable part." Amy observed.
As the perception of young parents gradually changes, the status of physical education in the education system of children, especially children, is gradually rising. Everyone is no longer talking about the acquisition of skills and the improvement of physical fitness, but the impact on the child's life.
In her opinion, Huatian is a very real case. The two sides began to formally cooperate in 2018, and Amy described Huatian as a person who "Virgos feel that it is very pleasant to work with him", always thinking about things in front, very meticulous, "especially able to carry things." ”
In fact, Lazy Bear Sports has collected a circle of keywords for acquaintances to evaluate Huatian, and the bottom revolves around humor, making people comfortable, caring about other people's feelings, rationality is supreme, good at controlling emotions, and so on.
Hua Tian attributed these positive comments to the horse: "What the horse taught me was to remain humble at all times. Knights of any level in this group have had similar experience in adjusting their mindset, and the more successful you are, the more thoroughly your mindset is adjusted. ”
In 2008, the 19-year-old Huatian represented China in the Olympic Games, which gave him unprecedented support and attention; but the game ended with a horse crash, which Huatian described as "a devastating storm that has never been experienced" and once wanted to quit equestrian sports.
As he learned more about equestrianism, Huatian understood that "it is normal for a knight to experience a rollercoaster-like psychological fluctuation", tenacity is a necessary quality, "blind optimism will only make you fall into disappointment without defense, disappointment is hidden in every corner of success, and if you want to use negative results as known variables, you can have control over solving problems." ”
The past ten years of contact with horses seem to have broadened Huatian's life dimension, and he seems to know how to dissolve negative emotions, manage expectations, and laugh better than most adults.
"The goal is the 10th Olympic Games"
In addition to things related to sports equestrianism, Huatian mentioned that his other pastime is to get together with friends (Amy added: "The conversation is also related to horses. "), or watch the drama. In 2019, Huatian once expressed in a comic way that his "favorite night" was "sitting on the couch with the dog bodger, its head resting on my lap, watching Game of Thrones together." He also warned fans not to spoilers.
But it is difficult for Huatian to have a rest time during this period, and preparing for the Olympics keeps him busy and excited.
Affected by the epidemic, the Olympics were postponed for a year, which also gave him plenty of rest and adjustment time. The previous self was like a "hamster on the wheel", constantly running forward, but also due to the epidemic, Huatian has not returned to China for 18 months.
"I love everything about the Olympics – competing, surpassing, discovering and developing new equestrian talents." Hua Tian said he never thought about retirement, nor did he think about what an equestrian athlete would do himself.
One of the stories that touched Huatian was the British equestrian nicholas david Skelton, the equestrian individual steeplechase champion at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was Skelton's first Olympic gold medal when he was 56 years old.
Nick Skelton won the Olympic gold medal.
Skelton was born in 1957. In 2000, at the age of 43, he fell off a horse and broke his neck, which could have ended his career, but Skelton made a comeback in 2001 and later underwent hip replacement surgery. These may end the equestrian career of a professional athlete, but Skelton still persevered and eventually won the championship, and his dedication to the Olympics deeply touched Huatian.
Huatian is 31 years old in 2021, and for most Olympic sports, 31 years old is the end of their careers, but for equestrianism, many people are just starting to enter the Olympic arena at the age of 30. The participants in this sport have a wide range of ages, such as Huatian who has been on the field since he was 19 years old, but there are already athletes in their 60s who are competing in the same field.
Huatian's personal goal is the 10th Olympic Games, and it has completed 2 so far, and is about to usher in the third one, which is the year of the fight.
Huatian has always maintained a good physical condition, according to Eddy, Huatian's body fat has basically remained in single digits without deliberate fitness. But in addition to horseback riding, he is not so enthusiastic about other sports, "Huatian said that he can ride a horse all day long, running may be 100 meters tired. It's also called ' the muscles in my body are used for horseback riding, not for running.' ’”
Hua Tian also hoped that he could run with the sports horse until he could not run.
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