Eva Chang's Bio
I have loved horses ever since I saw the Eight Horses stamp by Lang Shih-ning (Giuseppe Castiglione, 1688-1766) when I was seven years old. He was Italian and the royal painter of the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911). He was an expert on fine art brushwork of horses. However, I did not have any chance to try equestrian sports until 1993 in England.
I was a real tomboy when I was a child and I enjoyed all kind of sports. However, I never fell in love with a sport like this, especially with an animal that is so charming and so fascinating.
I started learning riding during the year I studied in England in 1993. I continued my riding and groom work during weekends with David Chuang as my coach in 1995. In 1996, I had a long break, because a pony ran over my right knee and my leg ligament broke.
In 2004 my love and I decided that I should work with what I always wanted to do in my life. I left a job that I liked very much at the Taipei American School and started an entirely different life style. In 2005, I was lucky to have my first horse - Lester. He was given to me by Michel Lu, our neighbor, who was then too busy to have time to ride him. He is a schooling master for novice level in both dressage and jumping. He is a smart and naughty boy and always behaves like a foal.
In late spring 2006, I bought my first dressage horse – Flaubert. He had already attended Ground Prix competitions four times in Europe. He was a super schooling master when I bought him from the lady owner. He was my mentor, my beloved; he taught me all the dressage movements; he had the power and the beautiful muscles that I love so much. He was a true gentleman; I could lie on his back when he was resting in his box. However, I had to put him to sleep in summer of 2007 because of an unknown illness that made his both front legs so weak that he could not stand up any more. The veterinary support system in Taiwan could not help us at all. In some ways, I still think that I let him down because I was not able to help him. It happened so suddenly, that I still can’t accept it.
In 2008, I asked for and got permission from my love to have one more horse - Curios. He is a Show Jumping competition horse. He has a very famous grandfather and father in the German Stud book, but with a few inborn and acquired problems, so he could not be kept in the breeding program and was gelded. However, he is a very, very sweet boy and I know that I will treasure him forever.
In 2007, I decided that I needed to be more enthusiastic about horse care and riding skills to be able to care for my horses and continue training them by myself. I became an official FEI Steward and I also joined the ISJC (International Show Jumping Official Club). In the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympics Games, I was able to steward and learn. In December 2008, I was able to finish a FEI Level 1 Coach Course and I then attended a Level 2 Coach Course in Hipodroma in Zagreb Croatia in May 2009.
I am not only continuing to compete now, but also I have been going abroad often to learn more. It is not for earning money or to become famous, but only for building up more knowledge to share with riders in Taiwan, who would like to understand the equestrian sport better and to help my horses too.
In 2007, my beloved boy Flaubert changed my life and inspired me a lot. Now I not only compete with other people, but with myself because I am a MG (Myasthenia Gravis) patient. It’s a muscle illness and in the beginning, I was very depressed and refused to accept that it had became a part of my life forever; but I learned how to live with it because my love, my horses, my dogs, my cat, my family and my friends made me feel that I can’t give up to fight for my life.
I am really a lucky lady who's got a man who loves me, cares for me and spoils me so much, even when he needs to share my love with animals. I also thank all the people and the animals who love me and care for me so much. I will enjoy my life as much as I can. As my love always told me: “ The sun will still rise up tomorrow. BE POSITIVE !”