Our Farrier Blogs

 

 

   Farriery is one of America's last free professions. As such, there are many avenues to learning the trade. A multitude of schools with different course lengths and curricula. Apprenticeships formal and casual. Clinics, workshops, and symposiums. And individual study. Lots of it. All in all, education in the art and science is a unique experience for each farrier.

 

   So there are always gaps in our knowledge to be filled, whether we're rookies or grizzled veterans. Always something new to learn.

...

Hello,
My name is Bex. David Millwater suggested I post a blog here about my project.

Due to several changes in the industry I have decided to start a Farrier Magazine, Crúdóir. I believe there is a need and want for more information in a user friendly manor. The objective is to provide farriers with a resource to build our knowledge base and improving products for the farrier and horse for a long and productive career. It will be a Free subscription magazine in the USA and a free subscription PDF email in and out side the USA . Signing up is on the web site. http://crudoir.com/subscription.html

The goal with Articles will be to have a variate of farriers from all over the wold with different views and opinions. We will be open to suggestions for articles, with a tell us what you want attitude so that you the farrier will be able to get the most out of the magazine.

Want to add your opinion or article? It's easy! We give you all the options available in this new technology world. After all what farrier has time to sit down and write an article! There are several options available to help with the article. You don't have to write it, we can transcribe it for you. You can do an audio recording (ie recorder on your phone), record a video or call us and we can record the phone call. We also can do an interview as some Farriers have an easier time talking than writing.


Currently the goal for our release date is the end of spring 2012. There are plans to have a few Pilot issues at various events to test the water. Those are still to be announced.

More information will be posted as it comes. Feel free to contact me with any questions and/or concerns.

www.crudoir.com

...

 

   When I was trying to make the transition from being a guy who shod horses to a serious farrier, I started subscribing to the magazines and attending clinics.  Remember when ANVIL Magazine was still oversized with a rough cover?  I noticed that a lot of articles used terms I'd never heard before, that weren't to be found in Websters.  I tell ya', I looked all over the bottom of horses' feet trying to see something that Duckett fellah would've called a "dot".

 

   Then there was a time at a horseshoe making contest where one old guy was getting into it with the judge.  Seems the shoe assignment included "heel calks", but the judge said what the contestant turned-in was "blocked heels".  "Corks is corks!"

 

...

 

Hey folks!

   It's been a while since I was active here on The Farrier & Hoofcare Resource Center.  I was a regular back when it first started-out.  But, back then, I was one of maybe a half-dozen farriers in the country who had a computer and modem, so it was kinda' by default.  Now there are so many top hands online that I rarely find my input is needed.

One's perspective changes dramatically when they issue you one of these!

...

      This is the end of the 4th day of the Farrier Blacksmith Course at Heartland Horseshoeing School.  It has been a great time, made more so by my good friend Dr. Mike Miller, MD, CJF, FWCF, coming for the week.  We have had a great class with folks from Ireland, Australia, Canada, and all over the US.

      Today was made even better by the arrival of Dr. Miller's book.  He wrote a book titled, The Mirage of the Natural Foot. Science and Snake Oil in the Barefoot Trimming Debate.  This book is Mike's FWCF Thesis, and talk about giving you some good defense from having to do 4-point trimming when you don't believe in it.  This is a great book, and I think that the majority of great farriers out there will do well to have a copy to help their favorite vet see the light.  If you want one, you can find Mike Miller on facebook, or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  He is selling this fantastic book, full color photos, and extremely professionally done by D&B Printing in Olathe, KS. for $10.  It is more about getting the word out than it about money for Mike, as those that know him can attest.  Anyway, I thought there would be a bunch of good farriers on this site that would be thrilled to hear about this.

     Tomorrow is Friday, and Jacquelyn gets back from her 6 weeks riding horses in Oklahoma.  We can't wait to have her home.  The folks in class continue to impress me as they get better by leaps and bounds, and I think that we are going to have a great year.  I hope that all of you who read this aren't suffering from the weather too bad.  Keep on keepin' on.

      Our whole family is in the land down under doing some clinics, visiting some farrier friends, and having a vacation.  Yesterday afternoon I did the FHRC Online Conference.  What a great thing that is.  Pretty neat that there is technology to do things like that.  If I do it again, I will have to get some photos up.  Last time I did it, putting up photos and video was well beyond me.  Unfortunately I do not think that I will be at my destination in time to join in tonight.  If I get there, I will try to get online.

     As we travel and see all of these great farriers, I am often humbled to think that all of this is from the bottom of a horse's hoof.  Around the world, be assured, there are farriers who are trying to make life better for the equine.  It is a great fellowship that we are all a part of, and I am ever grateful that I found this vocation as a young man.

      When we got to Australia, Cody and I got a private tour of the O'Dwyer Horseshoe factory.  Carl O'Dwyer, the creator of O'Dwyer Horseshoes gave us the tour personally.  It was an unprecedented honor to spend time with this great man and farrier.  His son, Dan, is running the business for Mustad in Asia, and they have a very dynamic team here.  Liam Ryan is the salesman, and he did a great job of playing host to a bunch of "yanks".  There is also a man named Andy Emeris who is an engineer and designer.  He has developed a forge that is hotter, quieter, and more efficient than any other I have ever seen.  It is called a Damascus forge, and I am going to get one.  You will have to see it to believe it.

     These folks not only hosted and ran a brilliant contest, they also saw to our every need.  They did not spare any cost to make my family comfortable, and I appreciate it more than they will ever know.

         I judged my first contest on Wednesday that included a class of judging "live" shoeing on a morbid specimen.  When the idea was presented, I was a bit skeptical.  However, Colin Smith, AWCF, has developed the most ingenious holder for cadaver legs that I have ever seen.  Colin is the farrier instructor at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE.  (NMIT)  TAFE stands for Tertiary and Further Education.  That is what the trade schools in Australia are known as.  NMIT is the first acronym I have ever seen with one letter standing for another acronym.  Anyway, the contest with the dead leg was amazing.  It was a part of the qualifier for the live shoeing on horses on the last day of the contest.  My scribe was Jo Smith, Colin's wife and a worker at the O'Dwyer factory.  Jo is a really fun and charismatic woman that makes you want to spend time with her.  If you have the chance to meet her, you will instantly like her.  O'Dwyer Horseshoes and Mustad gave over $6000 in prizes.  It was a fantastic contest, and I got to judge some really good work.

...

    If you have not read part one, you should do that first.  I had to quit on part one because when a blog gets too long, the computer has trouble.  Thus, part two came into existence.

     Sunday Morning.  The final day is one of talking and thinking.  When I got to the school, Frank, Chip and I went out and caught 3 horses.  Dr. Sutton picked one, and Sand and Simon took another.  One horse was stationed in the shop, while the other was outside on the road for gait analysis with Sandy and Simon.  Frank and Matt were the holders, and they exchanged places half way through so that they could watch the other half do their portion of the exam.

      Each candidate would go to a horse individually and answer questions about movement, anatomy, conformation, and radiographs with Dr. Sutton.  This can be a very intimidating part of the exam.

      On Sunday afternoon the candidates finished this 3 day testing process by going through the oral exam.  For this part, the candidates took their shoe displays into the office and defended their shoes and answered questions.  Any question about farriery that the examiners wanted to ask.  An intimidating situation to say the least.

     At the end of this process, the US can boast an unbelievable amount of passes.  There are 3 men that are now American Associates of the Worshipful Company of Farriers.  Two of these are Brian Barrett, CJF, AWCF, and Mark Thorkildson, CJF, AWCF.  I can not disclose the other one because he did not want to be told until he received his letter in the mail.  We also had 4 individuals who passed either the theory or practical portion.  This means that 50% of the AWCF exam was passed in the first try at this exam.  When you throw Dr. Miller into the mix, 11 of the 21 sections were passed.  That is incredible.

...