Alex Hua Tian riding Ustinov van Elsenham at the KBIS BE Young Event Horse at Osberton 2013
Alex Hua Tian grew up in Beijing and Hong Kong and then moved to Britain but he had been wearing a top hat long before he studied at Eton, thanks to his passion for eventing. Now aged 24 and based in Cheshire, England, he has a stable of talented young horses that he is preparing for the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016
We have captured Alex through Libby Law’s lenses at various events and have always been impressed by how stylish he is on his horse, a fact which has also been recognised by one of the leading houses of style - Gieves & Hawkes
Gieves & Hawkes, founded in 1771 and one of the oldest bespoke tailoring companies in the world, is the epitome of elegant British tailoring which, according to their press release, ‘perfectly reflects the skill and heritage of three day eventing’. The pre-eminent tailors, renowned for dressing legendary figures such as the Duke of Wellington, Admiral Lord Nelson, Sir Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and Mikahail Gorbachev, have also long enjoyed the patronage of royal families both in Britain and overseas.
Alex looking somewhat different to how we usually see him - but still very gorgeous
When he was 16, Alex’s father, Hua Shan, took him to the Gieves & Hawkes’ flagship store at No.1 Savile Row, London to buy his first suit and Alex has been a devoted fan ever since. On his recent appointment as a Brand Ambassador for the house, Alex said
“My father instilled in me the understanding that it is the heritage and quality of their tailoring that makes Gieves & Hawkes so special. While wearing their clothes, one is conscious of following in the footsteps of great men and maintaining a tradition for understated British elegance. I am deeply honoured to represent such a wonderful brand”
Alex has links to Australia through Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks who were his UK based coaches during a year off from Eton as he prepared for the Beijing Olympic Games when he was just 18. He also rode the Australian horse ESB Irish Fiddle for several years but now has some interesting up and coming young horses in the striking Ustinov von Elsenham and Temujin
As well as being stylish, Alex also campaigns for a world where every horse is treated with respect, compassion and understanding as Patron of World Horse Welfare and next Thursday in London, he will be hosting a party in aid of WHW sponsored by Bentley. WHW is the leading charity involved in equestrian sports and adviser to the FEI that runs 11 international training programmes (from Haiti to Cambodia) to improve the lives of working horses and the communities that depend on them.
Alex riding Temujin above and looking very elegant below
Photo by Matthew Seed, courtesy Gieves & Hawkes
