This 17-year-old Hong Kong show jumper is making a name at home and abroad

As Hong Kong’s equestrian events scene grows – the city’s team scored a record seven medals at the 2025 FEI Asian Championships – a new generation of local riders is cantering onto the international stage. Among them is Fu Ka-ching, who, at 17, has already notched up much overseas competition experience while navigating her academic studies. Daughter of actor Alex Fong Chung-sun and former actress Hoyan Mok, Ka-ching has made a name for herself on the show jumping circuit. In the last year alone, she came first at the Jumping Horse of the Year Show Bronze Championship in April, a competition organised by the Equestrian Federation of Hong Kong. She also finished in sixth place in the 1.05m Final (3.4 feet) at the Welsh Masters, an international showjumping event held in Wales, and placed fifth in the 1.10m Final at the Grandprix Events’ Fontainebleau Classic in France. Ka-ching’s most recent competition, the 2025 Chiemsee Pferdefestival in Germany, in September, was one of the most difficult, mostly because of the time pressure. “I had to take time off school, so I could only spend two weeks there,” says the final-year student at the Canadian International School. “The horse I rode was a lease horse, and I had never ridden her in my life. It was just such a short amount of time for me to get to know that horse well enough. I could only practice with her for a week – no, four days – before we had to compete.” She ended up placing second in show jumping. Having ridden since the age of seven, she describes this period as one of the most demanding she has experienced in her career, riding six out of seven days a week for months at a time. On riding days, she is not home until 8pm, after which there is still homework and chores. Yet for all her training and discipline, the final performance depends on the horse. Each has a different temperament, and that is where riding becomes really unpredictable. The heart of the sport, for her, lies in this unique relationship, where both sides “take the time to get to know each other”. Among the horses she has partnered with, an ex-racehorse named Jumbo holds a special place in her memory. Characterising him as “expressive and spicy”, Ka-ching admits his spirited nature caused her to fall more than once during their early days together. This was not the only time she had had trouble with a horse. A more serious accident at age 13, when she broke her collarbone during a fall, forced a six-week pause in her training. This variability requires a rider to be adaptable, adjusting their style to the horse’s personality – whether it be a calm, passive school horse or a sharp, top-level competitor. “There’s a spectrum to it. It takes a lot of resilience to learn how to handle different horses. And it goes both ways: they can also be very alert and sensitive to riders’ needs,” Ka-ching says. “The longer you spend with them, the stronger that bond becomes. It’s about knowing your horse inside and out to be able to successfully compete in any discipline.” These incidents form part of a broader pattern of challenges. Equestrianism is a sport that embraces risk. Fundamentally, Ka-ching frames the rider’s role as one of empathy and responsibility, not control. She points out that horses, as sentient partners, “have bad days and good days”, just as riders do. Most importantly, she stresses that the horse is never at fault for a poor performance. “One of the most important traits of any rider is empathy. You have to understand that, at the end of the day, they’re just animals. If you do poorly, if you have a bad training round or a bad competition, you can’t blame them. “They don’t really understand anything, and they do try really hard. It’s really important to recognise that they dedicate their entire lives to serving us.” Now in her final school year, Ka-ching has no choice but to cut back her time spent at the stables as the International Baccalaureate Diploma exams draw closer. However, she hopes to continue training into her university years. It has been a lot to sacrifice, but Ka-ching would not have it any other way. “It’s just a lot of work,” she says. “It’s taken a lot of practice, but I think as I’ve grown older, I’ve learned how to balance and manage everything more effectively. It’s been a lot better. “Riding is kind of where I find my balance between academics, my social life and everything else. It helps me get my mind off things and just come back feeling refreshed. “It’s a good reset for me, and I would want to keep doing it for as long as I can.”

This 17-year-old Hong Kong show jumper is making a name at home and abroad

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Fu Ka-ching, daughter of actor Alex Fong, talks about the difficulties in balancing riding and studying and the bond between rider and horse

Fu Ka-ching, daughter of actor Alex Fong, talks about the difficulties in balancing riding and studying and the bond between rider and horse