HE was the first Chinese equestrian rider to compete in an Olympic Games at the age of 18. Eight years later, Hua Tian will be China’s sole representative at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro later this year.

As an eventing rider, Hua Tian, the son of a Chinese father and a British mother, will compete in three disciplines — dressage, cross-country and show jumping — in Rio from August 6 to 9. And he is realistic about his chances.

“I would like to be competitive,” the 26-year-old said. “I don’t think a gold medal is realistic this time, because that’s what riders over the age of 35 or 45 would look at. They have built themselves up to that level. But I certainly don’t expect to be the last. I expect myself to be up there competing against the best.”

Hua spoke to Shanghai Daily during a media event organized by his sponsor Hurun Report in Shanghai.

Hua said preparation for the Olympics was going well with his three candidate horses — 17-year-old Harbour Pilot, 9-year-old Don Geniro and 10-year-old Diamond Sundance — in top form. He will train with them over the next few months before picking one to go to Rio.

Born in London, Hua Tian shot to fame when he qualified through the International Equestrian Federation Olympic Athlete Ranking system as the youngest ever Olympic event rider to compete at the Beijing Games in 2008. A year later, he was presented the inaugural Rising Star Award — the Oscar of Equestrian — by FEI President Princess Haya in Copenhagen.

Hua insisted that the early fame and honors have actually helped him grow rather than hinder his development.

“I grew up very much in the spotlight,” Hua said. “I took a different route and it has been a bit unusual in the sport, as it normally takes riders a long time to be able to compete in the top level events, say in the late 30s and 40s, to be able to compete in the Olympics.

“There has not been that much pressure. I don’t think many people in China understand the sport at the moment or have high expectations. Everybody is just thrilled knowing that I’ve qualified and will be representing China.”

Hua gave up his UK nationality eight years ago to compete as a Chinese rider in the Olympics.

“It was an obvious choice I grew up in China,” said Hua. “Also, I’m lucky to be based in UK. I belong to both countries.”

As China’s pilot equestrian rider, Hua also feels it is his responsibility to promote equestrian in the country both as a competitive sport and as a lifestyle.

“The sport as an industry is still small in China, but it is growing very quickly. In the UK and the West, equestrian took a century to develop into what it is now. It evolved into something that is part of the fabric and culture of the society.

In China, it has not yet gone that far. It’s growing in pockets. There are private clubs and individuals who are investing huge amounts into it. However, there is a need for more regulation and standard within the equestrian industry in China, and that is what I’m interested in working on.”

Hua said in UK there are big “safety nets” for the sport.

“For example, if a horse owner can no longer afford to keep the horse, there are charities or other structures that can support him. In China, it doesn’t exist yet. I want to raise this issue in China in the next few years.”

Hard work, family background, talent and luck are probably the four key words that helped Eton College graduate Hua reach his current position. His father, Hua Shan, works in the aviation industry. His mother, Sarah E. R. Noble, was born in a British military family, and worked as an enterprise director and senior consultant at the British Horseracing Authority. Both of them are equestrian lovers, which made it natural for Hua Tian to get involved in the sport at an early age.

Equestrian is considered an elite sport in China that may hinder support among the masses. But Hua has a different take on it.

“All top level sports cost a lot of money. But it doesn’t mean that the sport is not accessible at the grassroots or lower level. More riding schools and facilities are coming up in China and around the world. If a person is interested enough in the sport, he or she can easily find a way to learn.

“Equestrian is a very gentle and friendly sport while having a huge amount of depth and culture,” Hua added. “Everyone is encouraging and welcoming when competing with young rivals and those who want to achieve higher in the sport. For example, if I’m about to walk onto the cross-country course, I can always ask a top rider what he thinks of a certain jump or how to do it right. He will always give me the answer though we are competitors from different countries. We are very lucky to have a phenomenon like that.”

Equestrian riders have a long career, and Hua’s best years are yet to come.

“Eight years ago, a private individual supported me financially to take on competitions while my parents took up the PR works. Now, I have to learn everything, take responsibility and make decisions myself. Horse riding teaches a kid a huge amount about life. One has to be determined, and understand teamwork when riding, but become the boss of the horse and take control too.”

Apart from taking part in competitions and working toward his goal of participating in 10 Olympic Games, Hua Tian has also started his equestrian related business that includes involving horse owners, sponsors and fund raisers for competitions.

Hua said he has been following the Global Champions Tour even though it is a show jumping event and different from his discipline.

GCT set up a stop in Shanghai for the first time in 2014. Despite the introduction of world class international competition in China’s mainland, Hua pointed out that quarantine remains a problem for equestrian’s development in China.

“In the Global Champions Tour competition, the European riders can not compete against the Chinese riders because the horses from Europe can not be mixed the Chinese horses. It is a problem that has to be solved before the sport can really grow (in China).”

“But the event is exciting to watch. It’s great that GCT managed to push through part of the quarantine problem to be able to hold the competition here.”

Two years ago, to secure approval for the event to be held in Shanghai, the city government reached an agreement with the agriculture committee of the European Union to name Shanghai a temporary non-epidemic area for a month during the competition. Shanghai is not a member of the FEI, which means the horses would not have been allowed back to Europe if the agreement had not been reached.