NEWS

Archived Articles Now Available. Click on the link to the right to take a look.

28 June 2010 - LANTRA - Calling all farriers - your expertise is needed

Lantra, the skills council supporting farriers, needs your help to identify the issues facing you and your business so that solutions to your problems can be sought.
Lisa Jarvis, Lantra’s manager for farriery, said, “Inserted in the June 2010 issue of Forge Magazine is a short, 12-question survey asking for your feedback. It is really important that Lantra’s research is fleshed out with first-hand industry examples, so we need to hear back from as many farriers as possible.
“What problems are you and your business facing? What concerns do you have for the future? Through this survey we hope to know what support individual farriers, as well as the entire industry needs to grow and thrive. It only takes a few minutes to complete, so please help us help you.”
Do you want to know more and take part? You can fill in the survey online at lantra.co.uk/farrier-survey.
For more information on Lantra, visit Lantra.co.uk, call 0845 707 8007 or email connect@lantra.co.uk.

 

24 June 2010 - New Occupational Standards for Equine Barefoot Care

Following an extensive review of the jobs, skills and activities people carry out within equine barefoot care, Lantra Sector Skills Council announced today (24 June) that newly developed National Occupational Standards are now approved and available for employers to help support their workforce.
Lantra Sector Skills Council led the UK wide project, which gave individuals and organisations representing equine welfare, veterinary, farriery and equine barefoot care the opportunity to play their part in ensuring their ways of working were accurately reflected. National Occupational Standards (NOS for short) accurately describe what a person needs to do, know and understand in their job to carry out their role in a consistent and competent way.
Lisa Jarvis, Lantra’s Industry Partnership Manager, said: “We’re really pleased that so many industry representatives got involved in developing the NOS. NOS have numerous uses which help ensure that industry has the skills it needs and so it is critical to make sure they are relevant and up-to-date.”
A cross-sector working group helped with the development of the standards and agreed that the title of the NOS should be ‘equine barefoot care’, rather than the previous term ‘equine barefoot trimming’. The group felt it was important to change the title to reflect a wider role than just trimming.
Chris House, an equine veterinary surgeon from House and Jackson Veterinary Surgeons, was involved with the development of the Standards and said: "Developing NOS for equine barefoot care was a worthwhile step towards recognised standards for training and examination."
Anyone involved in the equine barefoot care industry can get a free copy of the revised National Occupational Standards, which are available to download from the Lantra website, www.lantra.co.uk.
Lisa continued: “The standards are an essential tool for any individual or organisation who are driven by the welfare of horses. NOS will help identify skills gaps and find the most relevant training for not only larger business, but smaller business too. This will certainly help the continuous professional development of both managers and the workforce and so are a great help for individual personal development too. Now the Standards are available to use, I strongly recommend all interested parties download their free copy and start using them today.”
Lantra represents 17 environmental and land-based industries which will benefit by ensuring that their own National Occupational Standards are fit for purpose. The standards help businesses improve performance and productivity as they can be used to identify the skills needed for their workforce, highlight best practice, develop training and recruitment plans and also develop job descriptions.
For your free copy of the Equine Barefoot Care National Occupational Standards, please visit www.lantra.co.uk/approved-nos or call Lantra on 02476 858 424.

 

23 June 2010 - FREE Donkey Foot Care Film for Farriers

Farriers must trim donkeys' feet every six to ten weeks. Picture courtesy of the Donkey Sanctuary.

The Sidmouth based Donkey Sanctuary has recently launched a new short film that provides visual and technical support to farriers about donkey foot care.

An introduction to Donkey Foot Care is free to all farriers and industry apprentices and has been produced by the donkey-welfare charity to pass on the latest advice based on their own experiences in the care and management of donkeys. The film also identifies key differences between horses’ and donkeys’ feet.

There are four main chapters in the 15 minute film, including:

· the normal donkey foot

· how to correctly trim a normal donkey foot

· how to deal with seedy toe

· how to deal with trimming long feet

Colin Goldsworthy, who is one of the Sanctuary’s most experienced farriers and who demonstrates all farriery within the film, says: “If you are just starting out as a farrier or even if you’ve been in the trade for years, please do get in touch for a free copy of this DVD. The film has been produced for you and the advice within it has been derived from The Donkey Sanctuary’s vast experience, having cared for almost 14,500 donkeys over the past 40 years.”

The DVD is free on request from the Sanctuary’s Veterinary Department by calling 01395 578222 or emailing vets@thedonkeysanctuary.com. The Donkey Sanctuary also provides free information sheets and training to farriers.

 

7 June 2010 - 'Triple Action' Laminitis support from Blue Chip

However you look at it, laminitis prevention is definitely better than cure and a ‘triple action’ approach to the management of susceptible ponies and horses can help make all the difference confirms Blue Chip Technical Advisor Vicky Ridgeway.
Throughout the grazing season, Vicky offers almost daily advice to owners of ponies and horses prone to laminitis, with a tendency to be overweight or suffering from poor hoof quality and she explains in an easy-to-understand way how a ‘triple action’ approach can really work and why Blue Chip Lami-Light is an ideal addition to a high fibre diet underpinned by correct management.
“Action on digestion - Nutritionally triggered laminitis can be due to excessive starch in the diet, or a high intake of fructan from grass. Broken down by the digestive system, the resulting simple sugars are highly fermentable and if not absorbed before reaching the hind gut of the horse, they can cause high acid levels. The probiotic and prebiotic in Lami-light are a simple, yet very effective way of maintaining good gut health and aiding the digestion of starch and fructan.
“Action on hooves – Recognising that healthy, strong hooves are the foundation of the horse, Lami-light incorporates SoundHoof™. This complete hoof supplement is a potent blend of biotin, methionine, lysine, organic zinc and organic copper to support the formation of strong, pliable, good quality hooves, help maintain the laminae and facilitate the formation of keratin – an essential building block of the hoof wall. SoundHoof also includes MSM, a source of sulphur, essential for the formation of hoof wall material.
“Action on weight – There is thankfully now widespread understanding that overweight horses and ponies are more susceptible to laminitis, so attention to diet is fundamental. Lami-light has been specially developed as a unique, low calorie, low protein, low starch, wholecereal-free, high fibre feed balancer. It includes magnesium for insulin activity and a comprehensive package of vitamins, organic minerals, nutrients, neutraceuticals, herbs, garlic and a powerful combination of antioxidants. It is the ideal way to provide what a horse needs when on a restricted diet.
Vicky concludes, “Laminitis is the second biggest killer of horses and ponies in the UK after colic and thinking about this simple ‘triple action’ approach to the feeding and management of at-risk ponies and horses should help owners to understand the some of the important issues they need to consider at this time of year.”
You can also contact Blue Chip on 0114 266 6200 or visit www.bluechipfeed.com

22 and 23 May 2010 - NAFBAE Pre-Diploma Event

Apprentices who attended NAFBAE's pre-diploma day in December clearly benefited from the experience.
Of those who made the effort to take this 'mock exam', in the most recent Diploma 92 per cent passed the practical and 100 per cent passed their written paper.
Apprentices heading for the Diploma this Summer should take note.
The next NAFBAE Pre-Diploma event will be on 22 and 23 May 2010.
There will be limited places, so get your booking in early to avoid disappointment.

4 May 2010 - LANTRA - Guidance for Farriers

Following on from LANTRA - Funding for Female Farriers -
The Women and Work programme was set up four years ago in response to the report by the Women and Work Commission called 'Shaping a Fairer Future.'
The government is therefore investing £10 million, matched by contributions from employers, to provide skills training, development and support for women in sectors where they are currently under-represented. This money was given to 25 Sector Skills Councils including Lantra. Lantra identified that there are 10 industries, including farriery, within Lantra’s footprint where the amount of women working in the sector is clearly less than 50%.
This is the first time that farriery has been able to access these funds and although we understand that it is restrictive this is common with any funding as projects are often ring-fenced e.g. by region, age, and industry. But Lantra does see this as a positive move forward for some to receive funding rather than no-one.
Women and Work CAN fund:
· L11
· The ATF course
· ICT
· Health and safety
· Marketing
· Accounting
· Book keeping
· Using the Internet / developing a website
· Apprentices wishing to access additional training including CPD.
Women and Work CANNOT fund:
· Farriery apprenticeships - however apprentices can access funding for other training which may not be included in the apprenticeship
· Accommodation.
Women and Work funding is available to:
· Registered female farriers who have completed their apprenticeship and looking for additional training
· Apprentices who want to go on additional training including CPD
· Female farriers looking at becoming an ATF
· Key partners or employee(s) who deal with any part of your business.
For more information on this topic contact LANTRA.

28 April 2010 - NBCC Judging seminar 2010

Hosted by courtesy of Hereford College, a varied audience enjoyed and actively participated in a lively debate and presentation on the ins and outs of judging and stewarding at the shows on the circuit for selecting the National Champion Blacksmith and the National Live Champion Blacksmith.

Ranging from students to the highest regarded medal winners from the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, the seminar was designed to explain what the National Blacksmiths Competition is about, how it operates, how the National Champions are established, how the judging of work is managed, and to source new judges for the NBCC and WCB’s approved judges list.

The morning session covered “What to expect from shows” and how they are an excellent marketing tool for the participants, the roles and responsibilities of the show stewards and judges, followed by a presentation on the “Judging Cards” which outline the criteria for evaluating forged work, and how the card was interpreted.

After the obligatory coffee break, The NBCC website www.blacksmithscompetition.com was then explained by its webmaster Simon Grant-Jones who then went on to explain the information it contained and that could be extracted from it.

The afternoon session turned into a “Hands On” practical demonstration of judging. Four separate classes, each with three items in were placed under the responsibility of an accredited judge and the participants were invited to judge them on marking cards and they could discuss any problems with the supervising judge concerned.

There then followed a lively debate with the judging and the reasons for the decisions made. This then was analysed and found that by concensus, the marking scheme seemed to work reasonably well, and agreement on the placings of the pieces was fairly consistent. It was felt that some of the component parts of the marking cards could be revised to assist the judges in coming to a decision.

The meeting was then summarised, and due to the questions raised, and comments received, the students felt more encouraged to enter into the competitions, and the judging card will be analysed and updated by a working party in the near future.

All in all it was felt to be a useful informative session, and all enjoyed the day feeling it was a worthwhile experience.

Thanks to Adrian Legge, Hereford College and Dave Waight for the presentation and organisation for it.

20 April 2010 - Edward Martin MBE Cultural Exchange

The Association has confirmed that Mark Innes will be jetting off to the States in April on the next cultural exchange.
Mark will spend around three months working with a variety of farriers across the water.
Applications are invited for the second exchange in the Autumn of this year.
Contact Head Office for info. tel: 024 7669 6595 email nafbaehq@nafbae.org

19 April 2010 - Common challenges unite England's industry leaders

At last week’s inaugural meeting of Lantra’s National Council for England, prominent industry leaders on the new Council united behind the need to work together to meet the challenges facing the environmental and land-based sector.
With representatives from ten of the sector’s industries including Professor Ron Jones, from the University of Liverpool and Farriers Registration Council, Landex and Unite the Union, the strong employer-led group met at Lantra’s head office at Stoneleigh on 12 April to begin shaping the future work of the sector skills council to influence policy and skills development.
Top of the agenda were issues affecting all industries, including continuous professional development, recruitment, retention, career progression and ensuring the sector attracts adequate funding for training and development.
Professor Ron Jones said: “It’s extremely important that the sector works together and the impression from meeting was that we were all there for a common purpose - to ensure that skills are developed in a professional manner.”
Council Chair and Yorkshire farmer Richard Longthorp, added: “This first meeting provided an excellent platform for the Council to prioritise the needs of the environmental and land-based sector and identify key areas for action. The members bring a wealth of experience and knowledge from their various fields so it won’t be long before the Council starts to make a real difference that helps the sector thrive.”
Working together with Lantra’s National Director, Madge Moore, the next step for the Council will be to ensure industry requirements are incorporated into the Lantra business plan for 2011 so the work of Lantra is entirely employer driven.
Madge Moore commented: “The new Council will certainly challenge where Lantra focuses its future work in England. Equally the group will support Lantra by getting greater industry involvement in our work so as a Sector Skills Council we make a real difference to the skills agenda for the benefit of our industries.”
To find out more about Lantra in England visit www.lantra.co.uk/England.

 

7 April 2010 - Funding for Female Farriers

Female farriers from across England can now benefit from a £450 training grant it was announced today (7 April) by Lantra Sector Skills Council.
The training grant is available through Lantra’s Women and Work programme, which is entering its fourth year after successfully securing funding to help another 670 women working in male dominated industries. The grant will enable all women working within the farriery industry including registered and apprentice farriers to develop their skills, careers and businesses until February 2011.
Women and Work Programme Manager, Lyndsay Bird, said: “The programme has been a huge success over the last 3 years and we have seen some wonderful examples of women using the programme to achieve more. The grants can be used to fund a range of training activities to develop technical, leadership, management and supervisory skills. This year, we are now able to offer this opportunity to women in farriery and look forward to seeing how it benefits women in the industry.”
Since the programme began in March 2007 Lantra has helped 2,400 women working in male dominated environmental and land-based industries to progress. Lantra recently held its first Women and Work Awards to celebrate some of the sectors most inspirational and driven women who have accessed funding to change their lives, careers and businesses.
According to The National Farrier Training Agency there are 53 registered female farriers and 33 female farriery apprentices aged between 16 and 69 who could benefit from the programme.
Lyndsay continued: “The success of the programme over the last three years means that we can now open the funding up to even more women working in industries where they are significantly under-represented.”
For more information or to register your interest call 0845 707 8007, email connect@lantra.co.uk or visit www.lantra.co.uk/WomenandWork.

 

7 April 2010 - Latest News on Farriery Focus 2010

With just over a month to go before Farriery Focus 2010, the anticipated visitor numbers and demand for exhibition space has outstripped the capacity of the Forge.

The organisers have made the decision to book two marquees to house the trade exhibition and presentations on 08 May 2010.

With a tightly packed programme the organisers, farriery trade association NAFBAE, needed to be sure that everyone would be able to see the speakers they wanted. The marquee option allows for more than double the size of the audience in the Forge's seminar room.

Similarly, with all the trade exhibition spaces inside the building booked up, marquee space was needed to accommodate the additional exhibitors.

It made clear sense to move both presentations and exhibition into the same space to make it easier for everyone.

If you were still thinking of exhibiting at the Farriery Focus trade exhibition, space in the marquee is £150 + VAT per unit (3x2m) or van sized outside pitches are £250 + VAT. Also don't forget, as a thank you from the Association for supporting the event, these prices also include two tickets for the dinner at no additional cost!

To secure one of the limited number of spaces please call 01332 843 107 or send an email.

For more info go to www.farrieryfocus.co.uk

7 April 2010 - Profit from your passion

Figures reveal that the equine industry has galloped through the dreaded recession, as horse owners continued to invest in their horses’ well-being despite the recession, according to research from the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA, Jan 2010).
During the last 12 months, the UK spend on equestrian-related products has remained high with 91 per cent of horse owners continuing to purchase horse supplements.
The average annual expenditure per privately owned horse is £2,166 and with 1.3 million horses in Britain (BETA) today it would appear that the equine industry is trotting its way through the recession very nicely.
With this in mind Equivet Animal Care Products Ltd has made a significant impact on the horse scene with its quality equestrian health products and supplements.
From garlic and apple cider vinegar to aloe vera, salt licks, probiotics and green lipped mussel joint supplements, horse riders and owners have provided positive feedback on the diverse range of Equivet products. They provide a solution to many typical issues and conditions that the horse owner has to deal with, as well as helping to maintain optimum health and condition.
In 2010, Equivet has witnessed a surge in demand for its products and is now looking to extend its network of self-employed, local representatives and distributors. Equivet is looking for people with a passion for horse health and a good network of equestrian fans to help promote its rapidly expanding range.
For farriers, this means that as well as offering customers hoof care services, you can also recommend products to keep horses in good condition all year round.
There is no initial cost outlay to become a reseller and full training and marketing material is provided, so those wishing to profit from their passion for horses can literally hit the ground running.
Celia Gadd offered: “The Equivet team is planning some exciting new product launches this year, so it’s a great time for distributors to join us. Our existing sales team is doing a fantastic job and give us lots of positive feedback from happy Equivet customers who love the products and keep coming back for more. As the range grows, and our team expands, Equivet will be every horse-lover’s first choice for health products and supplements.”
Equivet offers a great commission structure and is ideal for those looking for extra income on a self-employed basis. This could be developed into a full time role, or works very well alongside another job within the industry.
For more information on becoming an Equivet distributor, visit www.equivetanimalcare.com, phone 07779 716826 or freephone 0808 108 4995. Alternatively email your details and CV to Celia Gadd, Equivet Brand Manager, on
celia@celiagadd.co.uk.

7 April 2010 - What's on the Country Channel TV

From left to right: Paul Aitken; Country Channel TV Player; Bill Turnbull - BBC and Country Channel Presenter

In June 2006 the first countryside television channel was launched by former top-40 hit rock star, Paul Aitken (Country Channel CEO). An enthusiastic David Cameron MP switched on Country Channel TV, a free-to-view internet TV channel entirely dedicated to sharing its passion for the countryside with like-minded viewers from around the world.
Paul’s inspiration for the channel sprang from his passion for country matters and his desire to give a voice to the countryside: “The Country Channel is the ultimate internet television channel for everyone who has an interest or affinity for the countryside. We want to air the real issues. The countryside is full of dichotomies, things are not black and white, and we want to take a proper look at the issues and air all the arguments while giving TV coverage to all the amazing things going on in the countryside.”
With six channels to choose from there is plenty to watch including a dedicated equestrian channel including a programme with John Chilman who introduces ‘The Hot Shoe Shuffle’ the farriers’ competition at The Three Counties Show. You can also watch the farrier competition at The Royal Show in 2008 and watch up and coming farriers demonstrate their trade.
Viewers can watch many different aspects of equestrianism from endurance, polo, polocrosse, eventing and so on, to educational material where you can learn how to load your horse safely and watch Pat Parelli spend a day with four young UK riders - Louise Skelton, Daniel Griffiths, Ginny Howe and Charlie Hutton - helping them to look at their horses and riding in a different way.
The programming on the channel is extremely diverse, featuring over 200 hours of free-to-view and engaging high-quality productions about the countryside. This archive of programming, spanning 48 different topic areas, is sub-divided into six major strands (farming, lifestyle, wildlife and animals, recreation, equestrian and country pursuits) making browsing the video-on-demand archive a straightforward and rewarding experience. By visiting the channel you will discover a raft of programmes on topics including country pursuits (such as fishing and hunting), equestrian, wildlife and animals, farming, homes and gardens, heritage, arts and crafts, shows and festivals, countryside politics and much more.
Despite the economic downturn, The Country Channel is continuing to expand, due in part to major government backed advances in rural broadband access, and in August 2009 moved to new offices. The new site offers more space and improved facilities, with room for a new TV studio, which will enable the production of live broadcasts and a wider range of programming.
How to tune in to the Country Channel
Country Channel TV streams scheduled programmes and video-on-demand over the internet 24/7 and is free to view at
www.countrychannel.tv. Selected country channel programming is also broadcast during peak viewing times on Sky Channel 171 (My Channel) at the following times: Sky Channel 171 Mon-Fri: 7-8am, 12-1pm and 6-8pm. Sat-Sun: 7-8am and 12-2pm.

6 April 2010 - Royal Festival of the Horse - A Celebration of the Horse and a Great Day Out This Summer

Royal Festival of the Horse is an exciting new equestrian event at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, 9th, 10th & 11th July. Top riders from all the Olympic equine sports will compete and hold demonstrations, with a different discipline headlining in the main stadium each day.

Dressage

World-class riders will demonstrate schooling and training methods in the main arena on Friday, culminating in England’s top riders competing in a spectacular freestyle dressage to music. Friday 9 July is a must for all dressage enthusiasts.

Top Class Show Jumping

On Saturday, Britain’s elite show jumpers will compete in a testing 1.60m and speed class – sure to thrill the crowd. Be a part of it on 10 July.

One Seat Sees All Eventing

Sunday’s main arena highlight will be Express Eventing, the compact stadium format of 3-day eventing. Young stars of the future will compete in dressage to music and show jumping, with a timed pit-stop change, before the exciting cross country phase.

Your Horse and You

Throughout the Festival, Pat and Linda Parelli, in their only European visit of 2010, will perform demonstrations and hold seminars.

Lots More to See & Do

Over the three days, the main arena programme will be complemented by Royal Show showing classes, dedicated heavy horse area, farriery demonstrations and Horse Box World. Across the showground, over 200 top quality stands will provide a shopping heaven.

If you love your horses, horse sport or simply enjoy a country day out, the Royal Festival of the Horse is for you!

To book tickets visit: www.royalfestivalofthehorse.co.uk or call 0844 581 1400.

 

25 March 2010 -
New study suggests that soaking hay for laminitics is more effective in summer than winter temperature tap water

New research, to be presented at BEVA congress this September, conducted by the WALTHAM–initiated Laminitis Consortium, indicates that soaking hay in summer temperature tap water may allow water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) to be leached more effectively, than from winter temperature tap water, making it safer to feed to horses and ponies prone to laminitis. The study supports research carried out last year that suggested hay soaking in winter tap water may be an unreliable method.
The Laminitis Consortium comprises world-leading equine veterinary, nutrition and research experts interested in collaborating on the important topic of laminitis. It includes the authors of this work: Dr Annette Longland of Equine Livestock and Nutrition Services (ELNS), Dr Pat Harris of the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group and Clare Barfoot of SPILLERS® .
It is now well known that feeding forage containing high levels of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) may lead to laminitis. Many owners of laminitis-prone horses and ponies soak their hay in an attempt to reduce its WSC content, which ideally, it has been recommended, should be below 10% to make it safe to feed. However, using cold water can result in a high variability of leaching among different hays, rendering the method unreliable in terms of making hay safer for laminitics.
This work examined several different hay soaking regimens using four different types of hay. The hay was soaked at varying initial temperatures (8,16 or 49°C), over different timescales (1, 3, or 16 hours) and using a variety of soaking methods. The conclusion was that soaking hay in water at a temperature of around 16°C for a period of 16 hours resulted in the greatest and most consistent loss of WSC. However, even then the average loss was generally less than 50% of the original WSC. Some hays in the UK contain more than 200g of WSC per kg of hay, so as pointed out by Clare Barfoot:
“Despite this exciting new research soaking hay should always be seen as an additional safeguard when it comes to feeding laminitis-prone horses and ponies. It’s crucial to have your hay analysed before feeding it to an animal at high risk of laminitis and you should always choose hay with the lowest WSC content you can find. If in doubt use a forage replacer to ensure you know exactly what you are providing.”
The Laminitis Consortium is continuing its work in this area and hopes to be able to identify further practices that will be of greater benefit to the horse owner faced with hay of unknown WSC content.

 

8 February 2010 - Insight for Apprentices from Pre Diploma day

After spending over four years in training, the farriery apprentice’s worst nightmare is failing the Diploma exam.
There are two exams each year and unfortunately there are some who just don’t get through first time.
Recognising that exam nerves can play a big part, in early December 2009 NAFBAE decided to help its apprentices by holding a Pre Diploma day at the Forge, the Association’s HQ on Stoneleigh Park.
Effectively a ‘mock’ exam, the idea was to make it as realistic as possible. Actual WCF examiners adorned in their signature white coats took the apprentices through the various aspects of the Diploma, with particular emphasis on the oral assessments.
Farrier examiners Stephen Newman DipWCF and Kevin Willard DipWCF were joined by veterinarian Richard Stevenson BVMS, Cert VR, Cert EP, MRCVS form Pool House Equine Clinic and were supported by NAFBAE officers.
Despite the short lead time to the event, it was oversubscribed. Of the 35 who took part, 11 apprentices attended primarily as observers as there was insufficient time in the programme to allow them to participate in all the tests. However, additional forges were pressed into action to enable them to get some hands-on shoeing practice, which they weren’t expecting.
NAFBAE President, Craig D’Arcy, told Forge Magazine that he was delighted with the response to the event.
He said, “There are five Approved Training Farriers on the Executive Committee of the Association and we recognise that the Diploma Exam can be a nerve wracking experience. We wanted to help our apprentice members reach their goal of qualification by giving them a real life dry run of the exam.
“This is arguably the most difficult point in their career. Education is a core value of NAFBAE so providing this very practical support made absolute sense.”
Stephen Newman, farrier and WCF examiner, explained that exam nerves always have to be taken in to account. Nonetheless, the standard still has to be maintained, so getting the candidates used to the examination process will help reduce the nerves.
“The exam structure is designed to include testing in three different ways - written, oral and practical. This allows us to see a true representation of each candidate’s abilities. For them to practice like this give them a chance to better appreciate the standard that we are examining to,” he said.
“What this also does is give the apprentices the chance to identify any particular areas of weakness. This will mean they can narrow down what they need to work on in the final months and weeks before the real exam.”
In their four years and two months apprenticeship, trainee farriers attend college on day release whilst working as an apprentice to an Approved Training Farrier. Responsibility for overseeing this process and managing the Government funded elements falls the the National Farriery Training Agency (NFTA), a sub-division of the Farriers Registration Council.
Peter Ablett, NFTA Chief Executive, was particularly enthusiastic about this event.
“I think this is an invaluable final step before the Diploma takes place. The key driver behind this event at NAFBAE springs from the fact that we had 18 failures out of 66 candidates on the last Diploma examination in July 2009,” he explained.
“So discussions took place with NAFBAE colleagues to see what better preparation could be given to apprentices as they approach the Diploma exam. Clearly an event like this does provide the apprentice with a realistic experience of what the Diploma exam will be like.
“I would like to say that whilst I very much appreciate all of the work that the colleges do, in terms of the training that they give, it is a very different experience for an apprentice coming to Stoneleigh and experiencing this.
“That’s not to say the colleges can’t prepare and condition apprentices for the Diploma, which in a sense is their purpose, but psychologically it is very different for the apprentices coming here and actually experiencing the Diploma examination with examiners from WCF.
“The feedback I have received from the apprentices has been very positive. They are clearly engaging in today; their behaviour is such that they see this as a realistic and beneficial opportunity.
“The timing of today is particularly crucial because an apprentice finds areas of weakness or an examiner gives advice on any weaknesses they have, they have around about a month to take action, to improve.
“So an absolutely fantastic event and NAFBAE must be sincerely and gratefully thanked for the efforts they have put in.”
Feedback from the apprentices confirmed that the day had ticked all the right boxes for them.
Darren Beckerleg, Dominic Blades and Adam Farrerly were agreed that they didn’t hesitate in booking a place just to get the experience and to learn a bit more about what the exam entailed.
They all conceded that they had areas in which they knew they weren’t as strong.
Adam Farrerly said talking to the vet was an area he needed to work on. “You’ve got the knowledge, it’s just trying to get it all out in that 10 minutes,” he said.
The aural tests seemed to generally hold the most concern. “In the written test you’ve got time to think about it before you write it down, but in the aural you are on the spot,” said Kathryn Dawe.
Charlie Dyson, Richard Burrough and Kathryn Dawe agreed that the event had given them really useful practice and had helped to allay fears. Kathryn said that she had made a mistake making the shoe for the foot, which was a great lesson learnt. “At least now I know that if I get a big warm blood straight foot like I got today then I will know to add a lot more steel than I did!” And so much better for it to be during the mock rather than the actual exam.
They all also agreed that the ‘mock’ exam approach and the use of actual examiners was highly valuable and not an experience they can get in college. “It isn’t as bad as you think. You realise that the examiners are there to help you,” commented Richard Burrough. “This has definitely been a worthwhile day.”
As well as debriefing each candidate after the aural and practical elements, the examiners also held feedback session at the end for the whole group. The messages for the apprentices were clear: the examiners’ job was to protect the public and the horse. That was why the standards were set so high.
However, it wasn’t enough that they ‘knew the stuff’, said Richard Stevenson, but that they were able to communicate it to the examiners. That wasn’t just an exam technique, he said, but a life skill that would be crucial in their professional careers. Some many problems can be avoided by effective communication with clients.
Also time management, Richard said, imparting some essential advice for the written exam.
Overall, the conclusion of the examiners was that everyone’s results will be better ‘on the day’. If the apprentices act on what they learnt from this mock Diploma and that proves to be the case, then it will be time well spent.

 

8 February 2010 - Laminitis research group receives grant to study effects of exercise

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in collaboration with the Laminitis Consortium, has been awarded a grant of £134,425 by the Laminitis Trust, to investigate the effects of exercise on horses and ponies that are predisposed to pasture-associated laminitis.
The Waltham–initiated International Laminitis Research Consortium comprises world-leading equine veterinary, nutrition and research experts interested in collaborating on the important topic of laminitis. It includes Dr Nicola Menzies-Gow and Professor Jonathan Elliott of the RVC, Dr Pat Harris of the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group, and Clare Barfoot of Mars Horsecare UK.
Perhaps the most important issues in laminitis clinical research, especially for those who own or look after affected animals, is why some individuals seem to be predisposed to recurrent bouts of this potentially devastating condition and how can their susceptibility to future episodes be reduced. This project aims to evaluate both aspects with the aim of identifying potentially beneficial management procedures.
The grant commences in January 2010 and will run over two years. The Laminitis Consortium will be providing regular updates on progress. The Trustees of the Laminitis Trust are Professor Ian Silver, Robert Eustace, Simon Thomas and William Bougourd.

 

8 February 2010 - WARS - Working Time Regulations

Working time limits (the 48 hour week)
You should not have to work more than 48 hours a week on average (over a 17-week period), unless you choose to, or work in a sector with its own rules. Your normal working hours should be set out in your contract of employment.
What counts as work?
As well as carrying out your normal duties, your working week includes:
◗ Job related training
◗ Job related travelling time
◗ Paid and some unpaid overtime
◗ Time spent ‘on call’ at the workplace
Working two different jobs
If you work two jobs you could either:
◗ Consider signing an opt out agreement with your employers if your total time worked is over 48 hours or
◗ Reduce your hours to meet the 48 hour limit
What does not count as work?
Your working week does not include:
◗ Breaks when no work is done, such as lunch breaks
◗ Normal travel to and from work
◗ Time when you are ‘on call’ away from the workplace
◗ Evening and day release classes not related to work
◗ Travelling outside of normal working hours
◗ Unpaid overtime that you have volunteered for, so for example, staying late to finish something off
◗ Paid or unpaid holiday
Opting out of the 48 hour week
If you are 18 or over and wish to work more than 48 hours a week, you can choose to opt out of the 48-hour limit. This must be voluntary and in writing. You shouldn’t be sacked or unfairly treated for refusing to sign an opt-out.
If you sign an opt-out, you have the right to cancel this agreement at any time by giving between one week and three months notice. You can agree this notice period with your employer when you sign the opt-out. If no notice period is agreed then you only need to give one weeks notice of cancellation. You can cancel an opt-out even if its part of a contract you have signed.
Young workers
If you are under 18 and over school leaving age you are classed as a young worker. You are under school leaving age until the end of the summer term of the school year in which you turn 16. Young workers have different working time limits than adult workers.
Working time limits for Young workers
A young worker cannot usually be made to work more than eight hours per day or 40 hours per week. These hours cannot be averaged over a longer period and you’re not allowed to ignore these restrictions.
You’ll only be able to work longer hours if you either need to:
◗ Keep the continuity of service or production
◗ Respond to a surge in demand for a service or product
And provided that:
◗ There is no adult available to do the work
◗ Your training needs are not negatively affected
If you need to work longer than 48 hours a week, or you think your employer is unfairly asking you to work over this limit, then contact us on the WARS helpline on 01822 870270.

 

8 February 2010 - EFFA - European Update

Gary Burton, DipWCF, CE-F, describes events that took place during EFFA’s meeting, which was held in Stockholm in November 2009.
The Annual General Meeting of the European Federation of Farriers Associations (EFFA) is a two-day event chaired by the President, currently, British farrier David Gulley FWCF, CE-F. I am the other UK delegate and also a member of NAFBAE’s Executive Committee. Miles Williamson-Noble is Registrar of EFFA and represented Howard Cooper (Chairman of the Accreditation Board) as he was not able to attend.
Day 1 is informal, and allows all involved to become acquainted or re-acquainted, and to catch up with the happenings and events both professional and personal from the previous year.
The Swedish Farriers Association arranged for delegates and partners to visit the Royal Mews in Stockholm, this included a comprehensive tour of the ceremonial carriage collection, which is housed on site. We also visited the military stables for the Royal Guards and the police, where we learned about Swedish farriery training as well as other aspects of horsemanship taught in the Swedish forces.
EFFA’s annual general meeting was held on the second day. During 2009, it was reported that the Accreditation Board had visited the Czech Republic, which was recommended for accreditation as a result, and Sweden, which was not yet considered to be up to standard and will require a further visit. Other visits planned include Holland and UK (both being reaccredited after six years) and Germany, which has asked for an initial visit. Spain has also asked for a revisit following its earlier failure to reach the standard.
We British farriers, although I am ashamed to say that few of us will admit it, are privileged to have Certified Euro-Farrier (CE-F) status by virtue of our training and registration system; other countries are desperate to improve their education to allow them to gain CE-F status, their enthusiasm and desire is commendable.
The Czech Republic recently became accredited but had to lobby its Government to change the law to allow it to do so, and Swedish Farriers are so keen to be accredited they are working really hard to make the improvements required to meet the standard.
The annual fee for registration as a CE-F is being held at €10 and the Certified Euro-Farrier logo has now been registered as an EU Trademark, and as a result is protected in all EU countries.
The German Metalworkers Union had requested that it become a member of EFFA, and this was agreed. The EFFA Handbook, which covers training up to the level of the EFFA basic standard, was discussed following its presentation to the AGM the year before. It is available in French and English, and will soon be available on EFFA’s website, and will be translated into German too. A comprehensive computer-based manual known as e-hoof was demonstrated to the members. It is currently only available in German, but plans to translate it into English are well advanced.
The European Championships will take place in France in February and the 2010 AGM will take place in Newmarket from 18 to 21 November.

About EFFA
In November 2008, the European Federation of Farriers Associations* announced the launch of the Europe-wide qualification Certified Euro-Farrier. Working farriers who have been nominated by their national associations as having completed a course of formal training and having passed an examination recognised as meeting EFFA’s Standards of Competence are awarded a certificate, receive an annual vehicle window sticker and are entitled to put CE-F after their names. Countries currently registered as being eligible are Switzerland, Holland, Austria, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark and Finland. Other countries will be accredited as they reach the necessary standard.

The aims of the Certified Euro-Farrier scheme are to:
Provide recognition for those who have achieved the necessary standards of competence 
Provide a means of identifying properly trained and qualified farriers from other countries. This is particularly important for horse owners in view of recent EU legislation  allowing farriers to practise in other countries purely on the basis of  experience 
Encourage countries without  qualifications or with lower level qualifications to raise standards of  farriery to meet the EFFA Standards of Competence

* Currently the countries that belong to EFFA include Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, France, Austria, Norway, Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland, Holland, Spain, Hungary and the Czech Republic, only seven of these are accredited to CE-F status

 

8 February 2010 - Audrey's Owl

Audrey’s Owl as a project began with discussion in May 2008. The customer wanted a Tawny Owl sitting at rest on a tree stump – all of which to be achieved in copper. Research, planning, model making, etc followed until a pleasing design was agreed. The owl consists of a backbone from which ribs were fixed using 3mm copper sheet. This was then covered with a copper skin moulded from 2 mm thick copper. The legs and feet are forged from 1in diameter copper rod. Next came the making of the feathers – all 700+. It seemed a never ending task. All were individually, hand made to a size and shape appropriate to its position.
The tree stump was made from 3mm copper sheet and incorporates texturing, knots, splits, woodworm holes and toadstools. It has even been given growth rings on the top.
From head to tail, the owl measures about 16in. The overall height of the tree stump and owl is approximately 44in.
Details supplied by Mike Dunbill, (AWCB), Marsh Forge Blacksmith, Staffordshire

1 February 2010 - Obituary - Sidney Smith, Farrier and Blacksmith

Sidney (Sid) Smith sadly passed away on 14 January 2010. He was the Official Farrier at many of the horse racing courses in the South of England including Goodwood, Ascot, Epsom, Lingfield and Fontwell. A well known and respected member of racing’s backroom team, he supported racing for over fifty years.

As the eighth generation of the Smith family to become a blacksmith and farrier he had a varied working life, which included National Service in the 1950s as a farrier to the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

Sidney retired two years ago at the age of 75. He enjoyed his retirement in the company of his four children, six grandchildren, four great grandchildren and his many friends and acquaintances.

In his memory donations in aid of Let the Children Live! Can be sent to
c/o W Bryder & Sons, The Gables,Tillington, Petworth W Sussex GU28 9AB.

A full obituary will be published in the April 2010 edition of Forge Magazine.

26 January 2010 - LANTRA - Revised Farriery Standards Now Available

A major review of the standards required for farriery took place throughout 2009, which gave farriers the opportunity to play their part in ensuring their skills of the profession are accurately reflected. These standards are now available online, so now is the time to take advantage of them.
Lantra Sector Skills Council led the UK wide project, which define the skills needed by farriers to be able to do their job properly. Many farriers and industry representatives from across the UK worked with Lantra on the extensive review
Lisa Jarvis, Partnership Manager at Lantra, said: “The revised standards form the basis of farriery qualifications. The review was a critical process for the sector as it determines what qualifications will look like for the next three years. They are also a great tool to use in the workplace as they can be used to identify the skills needed, highlight best practice.”
Peter Ablett, Chief Executive of the National Farrier Training Agency, was one of those who got involved with the review and commented: “National Occupational Standards (NOS) are the bedrock of modern professional practice and most importantly they give direction and focus to training and development. I was therefore delighted to contribute to the recent review of the farriery NOS, which will ensure that our professional standards are not just being maintained but advancing the knowledge and skills of our apprentice farriers.”
Lisa concluded: “The standards will be of great help to farriers. The standards support small business and can be used for individual personal development too. I strongly recommend all farriers to download their free copy and start using today.”
For your free copy of the Farriery National Occupational Standards, please visit www.lantra.co.uk/nos or call Lantra for more information on 02476 858 424.

 

21 January 2010 - A leading horse charity calls for stricter disease control measures

Following the detection of Equine Infectious Anaemia in two horses in Wiltshire, leading international horse charity World Horse Welfare is urgently calling for the European Commission to review its policies surrounding the disease.

Romania, where EIA is endemic, is one of the largest exporters of horses for slaughter in Europe. World Horse Welfare has raised concerns with the authorities in the UK, Brussels, Romania and other Member States many times over the last 6 to 7 years. There is a legal requirement for health certification before export from Romania, which includes blood testing for EIA.

The charity is asking the Commission to review the export procedures for horses leaving Romania to ensure that they cannot carry the disease and to put in place an EIA eradication programme to get rid of this disease once and for all.

World Horse Welfare Chief Executive Roly Owers said: “It is incredibly encouraging that post import checks have worked in this instance as it clearly underpins the procedures to safeguard horse health and welfare in the UK. Targeted post import checks are essential to maintain our freedom from disease and we trust that Defra will maintain a high level of checks on horses from Romania whilst the disease continues to be a problem there. 

“This incident clearly demonstrates the urgent need to review the Tripartite Agreement (which allows free unregulated movement between the UK, Ireland and France of all except slaughter horses) to ensure that this derogation is not abused to permit the free movement of low value and diseased horses into the UK.”

World Horse Welfare is also issuing advice to horse owners in the UK who may be worried about the disease. The charity is advising owners to undertake rigorous checks when buying a horse from abroad and is discouraging anyone from importing Romanian horses. Owners should also ensure that any horse they buy or that comes on to their yard has a passport, is checked for a microchip and that isolation and biosecurity measures are strictly followed for any new entry onto the yard.

World Horse Welfare has been working in Romania since 2004. For more information visit www.worldhorsewelfare.org

 

20 January 2010 - Equine Infectious Anaemia, a notifiable disease, has been detected in two horses

Last night Defra announced that Equine Infectious Anaemia, a notifiable disease, has been detected in two horses in Wiltshire.

Please find below a response from World Horse Welfare Chief Executive, Roly Owers:
“It is incredibly encouraging that post import checks appear to have worked in this instance. However this incident raises serious questions. We are gravely concerned that these horses were ever able to leave Romania and to travel across Europe so easily. There is a legal requirement for health certification before export from Romania, which includes blood testing for EIA.
“Romania, where EIA is endemic, is one of the largest exporters of horses for slaughter in Europe. World Horse Welfare has raised concerns with the authorities in the UK, Brussels, Romania and other Member States many times over the last 6 to 7 years. If this disease spreads across the UK it could have catastrophic effects on our horse population. Disease does not discriminate, whether it’s a child’s pony or Cheltenham Gold Cup winner.
“We were lucky with this case but we must heed the very real warning it signifies. Action must be taken to safe guard horses in Britain and the rest of Europe from this very real threat.”

 

19 January 2010 - National Apprenticeship Week encourages everyone to get involved

Warwickshire College are supporting National Apprenticeship Week, running from1st - 5th February. The College will be holding a series of events, as well as recruiting apprentices to work for BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson.

Key initiatives that support the week include a 'Job Swap Day' on Tuesday 2nd February, that invites existing apprentices to swap places with their employers for the morning. The apprentice will take the reins, whilst the employer will come into College for the morning and experience some practical learning. It is envisaged that this activity will inspire the apprentice to progress further in
the company, whilst the employer will be able to re-fresh on any key training and learn something beneficial.

The second initiative is a media day. All press are being invited to shadow an apprentice on Thursday 4th February, at the apprentice's place of work. Opportunities include shadowing apprentices across all land-based disciplines from farming and estate management to equine livery yards and riding schools, as well as production horticulture. Any journalists wishing to get involved, find out more about the apprenticeship scheme, discover how the scheme works for employers and apprentices, and go back on the land and get their hands dirty, should contact the marketing department on 01926 318267 or email jjack@warkscol.ac.uk

The National Apprenticeship Service has recently announced that they will offer an additional grant of £2,500 to every employer that takes on an apprentice aged 16 or 17. This offer is only available for ten weeks and is on top of the funding that employers already receive for apprentices. Warwickshire College have a number of apprentices looking for work, so any employer that is
interested in seeing their business improve in productivity and are looking for a cost-effective method to employ someone, should get in touch today.

Warwickshire College already work with numerous employers who receive training from the College, in and out of the workplace. Many of these employers have already taken on a Warwickshire College apprentice. However, one of the College's current employers, looking for an apprentice, is BBC Countryfile presenter, Adam Henson. The role on offer will involve working at the Cotswold Farm Park, the home of the Rare Breeds Conservation, affectionately known on BBC Countryfile as 'Adam's Farm' and spending time at College studying and learning new skills.* Adam Henson is actively involved in several projects taking place
at Warwickshire College, namely, pioneering the recent Fresh Start Academy Launch, which aims to give farmers and people working in the agricultural industry business advice.
*This role has no direct relation to working for the BBC.

For more information about taking on an apprentice, interested parties should contact Laura on 01926 318261 or emailing lstewart@warkscol.ac.uk

15 January 2010 - STOP PRESS - Mustad Champion of Champions Competition - 8 May 2010 - Hosted by NAFBAE

As part of the Farriery Focus NAFBAE Annual Conference event - Mustad have kindly sponsored a Champion of Champions Competition.

An invitation only event open to current and former World Champions.

Winner's Prize - Trophy & £5000 Charitable Donation in his name to his nominated Charity.
All other competitors - £250.00 Charitable Donation in their name to their nominated Charity.

One class - shoe on foot plus a specimen shoe in 70 minutes.

Send an email to NAFBAE or call them on 024 7669 6595.

Farriery Focus is organised by NAFBAE and is a hands-on day for farriers, designed to appeal to the working farrier and apprentice. With a mixture of presentations, live demonstrations and workshops.
Featuring, amongst others, Grant Moon, Steven Beane, Huw Dyer and Professor John Reilly.
Full details and registration facilities will be available shortly on this website. All information will be in the diary section and updated when information becomes available.
For sponsorship opportunities contact Forge Magazine on 01332 843107 or email quoting ref FF10: sales@forgemagazine.co.uk

 

 

11 January 2010 - Last chance to strengthen Farriery Apprenticeships

Time is running out for farriers to join forces with Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries, and help shape the future direction of apprenticeships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The major online consultation will close on Monday 18 January 2010 and farriers and other representatives are encouraged to take control over their qualifications and establish what they need from the farriery apprenticeship.
Chris Catchpole, Sector Entry and Careers Manager, said: “Apprenticeships help ensure the sector’s workforce has the skills it needs to remain competitive. The aim of this consultation is to review the qualification structure that makes up the farriery apprenticeship and there is still time for those with a keen interest or involvement in farriery, to take part in the review online.”
Chris adds: “This consultation will be followed up by a final consultation to look at the whole apprenticeship framework due to be held during April and May this year. We want as many industry representatives as possible to respond to this online consultation as we must meet industry needs.”
To take part in the review visit www.lantra.co.uk/apprenticeships or email apprenticeships@lantra.co.uk.

 

23 December 2009 - Forging Courses

Tuition price is £125 per day per person for 5 hours tuition for forging courses.
We offer:
Forging Certificate training for pre-farriery apprenticeship
Forging Test training for potential ATF's
Farriery tool and shoemaking tuition
Power Hammer Training
Preparation to resit DipWCF
We can also offer B&B and evening meal at £35 per night
All details available on request Tel 01420 473963 or by e-mail

 

14 December 2009 - Farriers needed to review new units of learning

Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries, is calling for farriers to take part in a review in the New Year to help ensure new bite-sized units of learning meet the modern needs of industry.

Designed to make the entire qualification system simpler to understand and use, the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) will change the way the skills of individuals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are recognised and accredited. Qualifications are broken down into small individual units of learning that can be fitted together to create complete qualifications that are more relevant to the needs of farriers. Lantra is asking for feedback from industry professionals to make sure these units encompass the skills required by farriers.

Nanette Lane, Project Manager for the Qualifications and Credit Framework at Lantra, said: “The review is a great opportunity for farriers to let us know what they need from qualifications. The process is starting with an online review, open Monday 18 January until Friday 26 February 2010, where the units of learning that make up qualifications will be reviewed.”

The new framework will acknowledge levels of achievements in terms that everyone can understand and will encourage learners to gain recognition of their skills through the achievement of accessible qualifications.

Kevin Willard, FWCF, Chairman of Training Advisory Committee (TAC) and External Verifier for British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust (BHEST) said: “Working closely with Lantra, we can insure the high standard of training remains at its optimum. As we have done in the past we need to pioneer the way forward with both our practical and theory skills. The opportunity to be involved with the future development of the trade should not be missed by the working everyday Farrier.”

Nanette concluded: “Our research shows that training not only boosts staff motivation but confidence and loyalty too. The new qualifications will prove to be a really positive step for the farriery industry, helping them fulfil their training needs, resulting in recognition of the highly skilled professional workforce. It’s really important the new units of learning meet the modern needs of farriers so by getting involved in the development process, farriers can influence the future of the qualification system.”

For more details on the Qualifications and Credit Framework farriery review, please visit www.lantra.co.uk/QCF, call 0845 707 8007 or email standardsandquals@lantra.co.uk.

 

11 December 2009 - Resounding success for NAFBAE's Pre-Diploma day

Apprentice farriers were clearly shown what they had left to do for their exams at a Pre-Diploma day run by NAFBAE in early December 2009.

Apprentice farrier Ben Senders answers vet Richard Stevenson's questions about equine anatomy during the NAFBAE Pre-Diploma day at the Forge

With their Diploma exams coming up fast in January 2010, the day was just what was needed, many of the apprentices said.
Run like a mock exam, farriery apprentices were put through their paces by actual Worshipful Company of Farriers examiners who, unlike in the actual exam, were able to debrief the candidates on their performance.
In the UK to practice as a farrier you need to be registered and that means a four years two months apprenticeship, college work and the Diploma at the end.
Concerns about exam failures early in the year triggered NAFBAE to organise the day.
NAFBAE President, Craig D’Arcy, told Forge Magazine, “There are five Approved Training Farriers on the Executive Committee of the Association and we recognise that the Diploma Exam can a nerve wracking experience. We wanted to help our apprentice members reach their goal of qualification by giving them a real life dry run of the exam.
“This is arguably the most difficult point in their career. Education is a core value of NAFBAE so providing this very practical support made absolute sense.”
The first of its kind, the success of this event means that plans are already underway for another in June 2010 in advance of the next exam.
A full report will be published in February 2010 Forge Magazine.

 

11 December 2009 - Lantra wins Government green light over relicensing

Peter Mandelson, the UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, has today (11 December) announced that Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based industries, has been relicensed. 
Lord Mandelson made the announcement on behalf of the UK Government and in conjunction with the Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  It was based on the recommendation of the Sector Skills Councils’ regulatory body, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).
The report also referred to the high levels achieved with standards and qualifications development, apprenticeship work and its specialist labour market research which underpins government decisions on funding of education and training.  
Business, Innovation and Skills Secretary Lord Mandelson said, “Employers can be confident that the Sector Skills Councils relicensed today have come through a rigorous assessment and will offer employers the highest quality service in meeting their skills needs.”
Commenting on this clear message of support, Lantra’s Chairman Gordon McGlone said, “The Government’s endorsement through relicensing is excellent news for everybody here at Lantra. It sends a strong signal that we are delivering a vital service to our sector’s 230,000 small businesses, in what must be seen, without doubt, as a priority sector for UK industry.
“We are particularly pleased the report is so positive about us being employer-led. We plan to further develop our work with farriery employers, trade associations and other key bodies in 2010.” 
Lantra’s Chief Executive, Peter Martin, led the Sector Skills Council’s successful relicensing submission. He added “Today’s relicensing success is not just excellent news for Lantra but also for the farriery industry and all the 17 industries we work with. We still have much to do and will take today’s announcement as a clear mandate to work even harder with our sector colleagues and partners to take skills provision to the next level.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody at Lantra for all their hard work and commitment and thank the farriery industry for working with us for the same goals. We have a real opportunity now to ensure the future needs of our employers are met.”
Peter Martin added, “We must never forget that ours is very much a 21st century sector that has a leading role to play in helping to meet today’s challenges of climate change and food security. We are involved with all these vital issues that affect us all.”
Lantra’s work in the devolved nations was a striking feature in the relicensing report, highlighting national teams’ understanding of the needs of the sector and strong level of engagement with industry.
Peter Ablett, Chief Executive of the Farriery Training Agency, said, “We are very proud to a part of the land-based sector with Lantra as our Sector Skills Council.  It is a key partner acting as the “guardian” of our National Occupational Standards and of our Apprenticeship Framework.    In the interests of upholding, developing and promoting professional standards in equine welfare we very much appreciate and celebrate the role of Lantra.”
Steve Hewitt of Thick Penny Forge in Yorkshire said, “Last year I worked with Lantra at an event in Leeds.  We took rural trades into the city so people could see what the countryside does, and got an amazing response from the public.  By giving a wider audience the chance to see a rural trade, it showed what an exciting career farriery is.  Lantra’s role is important because without proper skills, trade will not continue.” 
Three other Sector Skills Councils were also relicensed today. They are Skillsmart Retail, Proskills UK and Creative & Cultural.  A full copy of the National Audit Office report can be found atwww.lantra.co.uk/relicensing.

 

1 December 2009 - Laminitis research group receives grant to study effects of exercise

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in collaboration with the Laminitis Consortium has been awarded a grant of £134,425 by the Laminitis Trust, to investigate the effects of exercise on horses and ponies that are predisposed to pasture-associated laminitis.

The WALTHAM–initiated International Laminitis Research Consortium comprises world-leading equine veterinary, nutrition and research experts interested in collaborating on the important topic of laminitis. It includes Dr Nicola Menzies-Gow and Professor Jonathan Elliott of the RVC, Dr Pat Harris of the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group, and Clare Barfoot of Mars Horsecare UK Ltd.

Perhaps the most important issues in laminitis clinical research, especially for those who own or look after affected animals, is why some individuals seem to be predisposed to recurrent bouts of this potentially devastating condition and how can their susceptibility to future episodes be reduced. This project aims to evaluate both aspects with the aim of identifying potentially beneficial management procedures.

Dr Menzies-Gow, lead investigator for the recently awarded grant explains: “This project will in part investigate whether exercise can reduce the level of chronic inflammation in laminitis-prone animals, which may then prove to be a simple and practical way of reducing the risk of future bouts of disease in susceptible animals.”

The grant commences in January 2010 and will run over two years. The Laminitis Consortium will be providing regular updates on progress.

Robert Eustace, founder of the Laminitis Trust said: “We are very grateful to all who have made legacies and donations to the Laminitis Trust.  Additionally we recognise the efforts of the feed companies. Their responsible attitude to horse nutrition has enabled the Laminitis Trust Feed Approval Mark to become the "gold standard". Lastly, without the support of their customers who buy Approved Feeds for their animals, the Trust would not have been able to provide this substantial research grant to the RVC."

30 November 2009 - CPD Completed Records Cards to be returned

ALL farriers to return their 2009 CPD Record cards to the CPD Office at Sefton House or alternatively enter details of their CPD activity on the CPD Website www.farrierycpd.org by the end of December 2009.

 

20 November 2009 - Lantra calls for Farriers to comment on Apprenticeships

Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries, is calling for farriers to take part in a consultation this winter and help ensure their apprenticeships meet the modern needs of the industry.

Available to all ages, apprenticeships provide the only route into the farriery industry. One of the most successful in the UK, with an overall achievement rate of 85%, the farriery apprenticeship is completed by on-the-job training, delivered by approved training farriers in the workplace and through approved college or training providers during block release programmes.

The apprenticeship is not a qualification in itself but a package of learning and qualifications combined with practical work experience gained through employment in the farriery industry. Over 130,000 environmental and land-based businesses offer apprentice places because they understand the benefits that apprentices bring – increased productivity, improved competitiveness and a committed and competent work-force.

Jo-Anne Bryan, Project Manager for Apprenticeship Frameworks, said: “Apprenticeships are essential to the farriery industry as having well-trained employees is more important than ever as they aim to meet today’s many challenges.”

Jo-Anne continued: “Lantra is responsible for developing the content of apprenticeships in farriery and ensuring that farriers continue to benefit from this type of training scheme. We work jointly with the regulatory bodies FRA and FTA and are now inviting farriers to take part in a consultation to comment on the apprenticeship frameworks to ensure the content is up-to-date and relevant.”

The consultation process is starting with an online questionnaire, open now until Thursday 31 December 2009, where the qualification aspect of the apprenticeship will be reviewed. The qualifications test the apprentice’s knowledge and practical competence and Lantra wants feedback from industry professionals to make sure the framework encompasses the skills required by today’s employers.

Jo-Anne added: “These questionnaires will be a great opportunity for farriers to let us know what they need from an apprenticeship. But if you can’t take part online, there are other ways to get involved as further consultation meetings will take place later this year in various locations across the UK.”

For more details on Lantra’s apprenticeship reviews visit www.lantra.co.uk/apprenticeships, call 0845 707 8007 or email apprenticeships@lantra.co.uk.

 

20 November 2009 - Draft National Occupational Standards for Equine Barefoot Care

Individuals and organisations representing equine welfare, veterinary, farriery and equine barefoot care have been given the chance to comment on the draft National Occupational Standards (NOS) to ensure they accurately reflect today’s working practices.
Following agreement reached at an open forum earlier this year, Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries, has been working with industry to develop recognised standards for equine barefoot care. As part of this process, Lantra opened an online consultation on the issue.
The cross-sector working group leading on the development of the standards have also agreed that the title of the NOS should be ‘equine barefoot care’, rather than the previous term ‘equine barefoot trimming’.

 

20 November 2009 - Why you need First Aid Training

In October 2009 the requirements for first aid in the workplace changed
UK employers have an obligation under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 to make adequate and appropriate first aid provision for their workforce. The Health and Safety Executive recommends that someone is able to undertake first aid duties at all times when people are at work. Mid Wales First Aid can help you to make sure that your first aiders feel confident and competent in their life saving skills, as well as helping employers to meet their legal obligations.
A First Aid At Work Course will qualify you to act as a First Aider (as defined in the Health and Safety (first aid) regulations 1981). And, for those already qualified in first aid, a two-day re-qualification course can update and re-qualify existing first aiders.
A one-day emergency first aid at work course provides training in life-threatening conditions for those fulfilling the role of an appointed person.
Based on practical, easy to remember, jargon free procedures, the aim is to train confident and competent first aiders.
Benefits of in-company training include:
The group is flexible and caters for small numbers, to suit shift patterns including nights and weekends!!
Our trainers can deliver any one of our courses - on your own premises.
You can choose the training dates that suit you.
There is less ‘lost’ travel time and employees benefit from a familiar learning environment.
For more information contact Carole Marshall, Mid Wales First Aid, 9 Corner Lane, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury, SY3 5BZ
Tel: 07807034831 E-mail: carolmarshallbroom@yahoo.co.uk
H.S.E. Approval Number 1430/94

 

20 November 2009 -
Horse riders take action online as new cost sharing campaign website and e-petition to the Prime Minister go live

Horse riders across the UK have joined together to urge the Government to think again about imposing an unfair ‘tax in all but name’ on every horse owner in the UK.
The ‘Rethink the Horse Tax’ campaign, launched today by a coalition of organisations representing a broad cross section of the UK horse industry, is calling on riders, breeders and veterinarians to make their voices heard by visiting a new campaign website – www.RethinktheHorseTax.org – and take action by writing to their constituency MPs and by signing an online petition to the Prime Minister.
Campaigners are further concerned that plans to create a new agency will place mounting costs on horse owners at a time when Government support is needed to help boost rural economies and encourage wider participation in outdoor sport.
Under the plans, horse owners would be charged on the same basis as keepers of livestock farm animals such as sheep and pigs – despite the fact that a significant proportion of horses are kept for leisure and sporting, rather than commercial activities, paid for from income that is already taxed.
Veterinary surgeons have also made it clear that plans to create a new agency responsible for animal health could needlessly complicate the process of managing outbreaks of animal disease animal health, putting at risk the clear single line of command essential in the event of a major disease outbreak. A lack of clarity over the roles of the four Chief Veterinary Officers in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in the proposals has also been highlighted as a major concern by the campaign.
And campaigners have further highlighted the fact that the new body would spend much of its time collecting charges from people who own just one horse (65 per cent of horse owners), meaning that the cost of physically collecting the charge will almost outweigh the charge itself – an estimated £2.3 m would be needed to collect just £4.5 m from horse owners under the plans.
With costs of £14.3 m to set up and millions more to maintain the new body in the coming years, campaigners have made it clear that the proposals do not represent value for money for either the equine community or the taxpayer.

 

20 November 2009 - Get wise to worming

Whether you keep several horses at home or have a single horse at livery, the basic message remains the same: every horse should follow a carefully planned worming programme, coordinated with the other horses and ponies on the yard, to help him stay good health all year round
‘The introduction of diagnostic techniques such as faecal egg counts (FECs), has led to a change in worming protocols’, says Ben Gaskell BVSc MRCVS, veterinary adviser at Pfizer Animal Health. ‘We now have the flexibility to be much more targeted with our worming regimes, rather than using the old ‘catch all’ approach, which was leading to over-use of wormers and the appearance of wormer resistance.’
The new protocol can still be confusing for some horse owners to get to grips with so Ben has put together ten top tips to help make it easy for you to get your worming right all year round.
● Understand your enemies – familiarise yourself with the main types of worms affecting horses.
● Understand your weapons – understand the different ingredients in each type of wormer and the worms they can treat.
● Worm only when required – use faecal egg counts (FECs) to avoid over-worming.
● Use these diagnostics on a regular basis to build a picture of your horse’s worm burden and devise a worming programme.
● Routinely (eg, annually) change the class of wormer that you use to help slow resistance developing to the active ingredients.
● Worm every horse on the yard at the same time to help prevent any cross-infection and reduce overall pasture contamination.
● ‘Quarantine’ worm new horses before they mix with your existing animals – don’t introduce high worm numbers or resistant worms.
● Don’t overstock paddocks and rest them wherever possible to allow the parasites numbers to decrease.
● Grazing with sheep or cattle on the same pasture is an excellent way to reduce the worm population as they will ‘hoover up’ horse worm larvae but remain unaffected.
● Collect and dispose of dung from the field promptly, preferably every day, but at least every week, as this will significantly reduce the number of worm larvae on the pasture.
Strongid-P’s Love Your Horse leaflets are available free of charge from tack shops, saddlers and feed merchants and can help to keep your horse in peak condition.
For further information call 01737 331333 Option 2 or email Strongid-P@pfizer.com

 

26 October 2009 - Myerscough School of Farrier Science, Myerscough College Lecture Theatre

Lecture by Blane Chapman CJF (son of the late Bernie Chapman) on "Catastrophic Hoof Failure and Farriery Management of Chronic Laminitis".
6pm (Buffet in main Restaurant) - Cost £30 pay at the door.
To reserve a place please email K Kissick, Mark Caldwell or M Caldwell

 

24-25 October 2009 - Farriery demonstrations at Countryside Live

Georgina Miller and Debbie Connell getting some practice in for the farriery classes at Countryside Live

With only days to go until Countryside Live, the number of tickets sold in advance for the event has broken all records. Ticket sales number 1,902 compared with the previous best – last year’s figure of 1,876, the organisers have announced.
Countryside Live, is held at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate this weekend (Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October.) Now in its seventh year, it is a traditional country show with a mix of the best of rural life alongside fun attractions. It is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, best known for staging the annual Great Yorkshire Show.
Honorary Show Director, Bill Cowling said: “We’re well on track for a super weekend at Countryside Live. Earlier this month we were able to announce record entries across the competitive classes and to add to that, our advance ticket sales are at an all time high. Countryside Live has established itself as a great day out and appeals to both the general visitor, farmers and particularly to families.”
This year, as well as classes for cattle, sheep and equine, a new feature has been added - competitive classes for farriery. Amongst the competitors are two apprentices - Georgina Miller and Debbie Connell. They are bidding to take the honours in the first-ever British Team Farriery Championships which will be held at the event.
The farriery classes have been arranged by Steve Hewitt of Thick Penny Forge, Moor Monkton. Apprentice and experienced farriers alike will take part in a number of shoeing classes over the weekend, and it is expected that both the current and a six-time world champion will take their place in the line-up.
Mr Hewitt said: “We’ve had farriery demonstrations at Countryside Live before, but realised that there is currently no British Team Championship – so we decided to arrange one ourselves. You don’t get that many female farriers so to be able to field two from my own base at Moor Monkton is quite unusual. And we’re hoping to have Steve Bean, the current world champion, and Grant Moon, a six-time world champion, in the line-up on the Saturday.
The team events will be held on the Sunday, with classes for both four-and two-person mixed teams. Competitors have to make and fit a set of four shoes to a horse in Round 1, and make a set of four shoes to the judges’ specification in Round 2.
Elsewhere around Countryside Live, visitors will find mouth-watering demonstrations in the Yorkshire Life Cookery Theatre, showjumping, dog agility shows, sheep dog displays and hundreds of animals in the livestock classes, including equine, cattle, sheep, poultry and pigeons. There’ll also be the opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping at the fantastic range of trade and food stands.

 

25 October 2009 - New paths open for Farriers

Experienced farriers are needed to help prevent these and other traditional countryside skills and knowledge dying out. With 42.6% of all land-based workers over 45[1], the need is so great that Further Education colleges across the country have teamed up with Protocol National, the leading provider of Further Education staff in the UK, to target people with relevant experience and encourage them to pass their skills on to future generations.
It is estimated that 21,500 new workers need to enter the sector in the next 10 years[2] and this level of demand means that generous rates of pay are being offered to those willing to work as lecturers or assessors.
Philip Harrison, Chief Executive of Protocol National said: “The land-based sector is an aging industry. In order to ensure the next generation understands the countryside and how to look after it, we desperately need more people to teach them.
“Full training is provided and formal qualifications are not always needed initially to teach these vocational courses. What will prove invaluable for students is learning from someone with the wealth of experience that has been gained through working in the sector.”
Working within a Further Education college is extremely flexible and ideal for fitting around an existing role or family commitments while also providing an extra boost to your income.
Philip added, “It is ideal for those who are looking for a new and exciting career direction or challenge in addition to their current job and since most courses combine class-room style teaching with practical elements there is plenty of stimulation and variety.”
In addition to the financial benefits it also provides chance to invest in the future of a vital sector, by ensuring that skills and knowledge aren’t lost.
For further information please call 0115 911 1200 or log onto www.protocol-national.co.uk.

 

14 October 2009 - Arthur Cottam - 1940-2009

We regret to report that Arthur Cottam passed away at the weekend.

The officers of NAFBAE and the staff at Forge Magazine extend their sympathies to the family.

Arthur was the third in a line of Arthur Cottams who established and ran Arthur Cottam & Co Ltd in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The business continues in the family with son, Paul Cottam, and daughter, Jane Fox, at the helm.

An obituary will be published in the December issue of Forge Magazine.

The funeral is to be held on Wednesday 21st October.
The Cortege will be leaving Arthur Cottam & Co (Horseshoes) Limited factory
at 2 pm to be at Chesterfield Crematorium for 2.30 pm.

The wake afterwards will be at the Sandpiper Hotel, Sheffield Road, Sheepbridge, Chesterfield S41 9EH. All are welcome.

Family flowers only, please, but donations may be made to Macmillan Nurses and the Brooke Hospital for Retired Horses. Please send donations to the funeral directors: B. Hattersleys, Funeral Directors, 211 Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield S40 2BA.

 

11 October 2009 - Alex Nicol - 1932-2009

It is with deep regret that we report the death of Alex Nicol, who died on 11th October, 2009.
Alex was born in 1932 and on leaving school at 14, joined his father in the Smiddy. He had already been competing in farriery competitions and won his first one at only 12 years of age!
In 1952, the family moved to Westside of Skene to farm, as the horse population was drastically reduced and tractors taking over. Alex then competed in ploughing matches, a sport in which his grandson Kristopher now participates.
In 1983 he started horseshoeing full time again and built up his business, becoming an Approved Training Farrier the same year, with his son Donald being his first apprentice of many. His final apprentice was his son Alick and both Donald and Alick are still farriers working in the Aberdeen area.
Alex enjoyed his Farriery Competitions and judged throughout Scotland. He was also a Steward for many years at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston and a stalwart member of the East Fife & Kirkcaldy Branch of the N.A.F.B.&A.E.
As testimony to the man he was, Skene Parish Church was full to overflowing at the funeral service and sincere sympathy is expressed to his wife Kathleen, daughter Alison and sons Alick and Donald.

 

14 October 2009 - Couple banned for allowing pony to become obese

A married couple from Cleveleys in Lancashire have been banned from keeping horses for five years after leading international horse charity World Horse Welfare and the RSPCA removed two Shetland ponies from their care.

Keith Hall (60) and Lynn Hall (56) of 228 Anchorsholme Lane East, appeared before Blackpool Magistrates Court on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th October where they pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a 21 year old mare called April and failing to meet the needs of a 12 year old stallion called Dale. They were also given costs of ￡500 each and a three month curfew was imposed, enforcing them to be resident at their home between the hours of 10pm and 6am. They indicated their immediate intention to appeal their five year ban.

When World Horse Welfare Field Officer Chris Williamson and RSPCA Inspector Jones visited the Hall’s rented field on Fleetwood Road in Blackpool on 4th November 2008, they found that April’s feet had not been trimmed for a very long time and she was lame and in terrible pain. Her companion Dale had been allowed to become grossly overweight.

Both ponies were seized and taken to World Horse Welfare Penny Farm in Blackpool where they immediately received the care they needed. Dale was put on a strict diet and exercise programme and has recovered well but sadly April did not respond to treatment and the difficult decision was made to put her to sleep and end her suffering.

World Horse Welfare Field Officer Chris Williamson says:

This is one of the first cases under the new Animal Welfare Act involving an obese horse and I am pleased that the serious welfare implications of allowing a horse to get into this condition were taken into account in the sentence.”

Please visit www.worldhorsewelfare.org for more information and to find out how you can become a member, make a donation or rehome a horse.

 

1 October 2009 - Call for the equine world to comment on the draft nos for Equine Barefoot CareIndividuals and organisations representing equine welfare, veterinary, farriery and equine barefoot care are being invited to comment on the draft National Occupational Standards (NOS) to ensure they accurately reflect today’s working practices.
Following agreement reached at an open forum earlier this year, Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries, has been working with industry to develop recognised standards for equine barefoot care. As part of this process, Lantra is now opening an online consultation for those who want to take part.
Lisa Jarvis, Lantra’s Partnership Manager, said: “We were really pleased that industry reached an agreement to develop NOS, which identify the detailed knowledge, understanding, ability and experiences somebody needs to carry out their job effectively. In this next positive step to move their development forward, we are calling for all interested parties to take part in our consultation and ensure that they are driven by the welfare of horses.”
The cross-sector working group leading on the development of the standards have also agreed that the title of the NOS should be ‘equine barefoot care’, rather than the previous term ‘equine barefoot trimming’.
Lisa Jarvis continued: “The group felt it was important to change the title to reflect a wider role than just trimming. We want as many people to get involved as possible and it is really easy to do – you simply need to visit Lantra’s website by Monday 16 November or give us a call for more information.”
Lantra represents 17 environmental and land-based industries which will benefit by ensuring that their own National Occupational Standards are fit for purpose. The standards help businesses improve performance and productivity as they can be used to identify the skills needed for their workforce, highlight best practice, develop training and recruitment plans and develop job descriptions.
If you would like to take part in the consultation to help industry get the most out of the skills system please visit www.lantra.co.uk/nos or call Lantra on 0845 707 8007.
The consultation runs from Monday 5 October to Monday 16 November 2009.

 

1 October 2009 - Hoof supplement takes on mammoth challenge

For visitors to Cottbus Zoo in eastern Germany, watching the elephants bathing in the river is a big attraction. But when 42-year-old Karla developed foot trouble, it looked as if elephant bath time could soon be a thing of the past. The zoo’s director and vet turned to Life Data Labs to help solve the problem.
Elephants have been hugely popular with visitors ever since 1969, when Karla’s companion Sundali moved into her new home, set in beautiful parkland between the River Spree and Cottbus’s Branitzer Park, about 140 km south-east of Berlin. So Karla’s health was a big worry for Dr Jens Kämmerling, Cottbus’s zoo director.
“Older elephants in particular often suffer from various toe nail problems,” he says. “Karla showed plenty of toe horn growth, but because the horn was of poor quality her toes kept developing cracks and holes in the toe wall.”
The zoo’s vet recommended adding the equine hoof supplement Farrier’s Formula to Karla’s feed. Since the product worked well in horses, maybe it could help elephants too, he thought.
After about a year on the hoof supplement the elephant’s feet are in much better shape and Dr Kämmerling is happy with the results. “You can see and feel the improvement in the horn quality and Karla no longer needs veterinary treatment for her feet. “On the basis of our experience, I can recommend Farrier’s Formula without reservation.”
Farrier’s Formula was created 30 years ago by Dr Frank Gravlee, founder of Alabama-based Life Data Labs, to promote healthy dermal tissue in horses. He tested blood collected from hundreds of horses to determine which nutrients were lacking in horses with poor-quality hooves. The supplement has been the number one recommended product by US farriers for 12 consecutive years.

 

26 September 2009 - Clinic with Paul Robinson and Steven Beane

26 farriers and apprentices were amongst the privileged few to attend a clinic hosted by Paul Robinson and Steven Beane at The Forge, Stoneleigh. The clinic had been presented as an auction prize at the Handmade Shoes (UK) Ltd Competition Presentation Dinner and raised a tremendous £3000.00 for Cancer Research.

The two clinicians, Paul and Steven, hardly need any introduction. Paul Robinson, World Champion Blacksmith in 2008 is the current National Champion following a tremendous week at the Royal Show. A prominent member of the Irish International Farrier Team Paul lives and works in Scotland where he is partner in business with 2008 Reserve World Champion David Varini.

Steven Beane is the current World Champion Blacksmith and European Champion. A formidable presence on the competition circuit Steven has been a member of the England International Farriery Team for the last 7 years, this year helping to secure the International Team Horseshoeing Championship title back from Wales once more! Steven lives and works in North Yorkshire and has just begun to conduct clinics for small groups of people at his forge.

Paul Robinson

The morning began with a practical demonstration provided by Paul which was peppered with questions aimed at getting him to give away his best kept secrets! Paul shod a front foot with a three quarter fullered toe-clipped shoe, made a hind preventer with a twist on the inside and a 25 minute deep-seated bar shoe from 1 ½” stock.

Shoemaking practise includes taking old shoes off the stock pile, measuring the width and length and making shoes to match. When shoeing a foot Paul measures the widest part of the foot to where you would like to shoe to finish, normally erring on the slightly generous side. In our demonstration the foot measured 6 ¼” by 6 ¼” and using 1” by 3/8” bar stock Paul added an additional 2 ½” to give a length of 15” to allow for a ‘bump in the toe’. With the heels of the foot fairly balanced a true centre mark was given.

Throughout the demonstration a close eye was kept by spectators on the tools Paul used. Stamps are made by Paul prior to competitions for specific classes – at The Royal this year Paul had a pritchel and two stamps for each class entered. It was noted that the fullering created a quick and clean cut reiterating Paul’s belief that many fullers are too fat. A piece of cardboard in the shape of a ring is kept at home to assist with re-shafting – ensuring every shaft is the same diameter. The shoe was rasped first – prior to fitting! Demonstrating confidence in his method, Paul generally knows at this stage whether or not the fit is accurate! Just prior to nailing-on the sharp edge around the foot is taken off as it has a tendency to ‘splay out’ when placed on the ground – Mustad nails from home are generally brought to competitions.

As an apprentice with Jim and Allan Ferrie, Paul practised shoemaking frequently often copying shoes Jim and Allan were practising for competitions, making something different maintains your interest and keeps pushing the goals. Today even when Paul is not competing he makes stock shoes on a daily basis with the apprentices. For every single shoe he makes, for stock or for competition, a system is in place. The importance of ‘working a fire’ and keeping it running was noted helping to maintain efficiency whilst working – Paul rarely uses a striker.

Steven Beane

Following a short break for lunch it was Steven’s turn. Steven shod a front foot with a three-quarter fullered shoe, a hind foot with a quarter clipped three-quarter fullered shoe and made the hind preventer shoe that was part of ‘class 60/70’ in Calgary this year.

Citing that the key to practise is preparation Steven works in the same way at home every day as he does in competition. Similar to Paul the assessment of the foot prior to shoeing was highlighted – a “flat foot is a flat foot” however the opinion of ‘balance’ varies between individuals. Steven always asks a judge to look at a foot prior to trimming often telling the judge what he intends to do with it - reiterating the need to know “where the goal is”. It doesn’t matter who the judge is; “a good job is always a good job”. You shouldn’t try to shoe for a judge, you should always shoe for the what the foot needs.

As soon as Steven meets a horse, in competition or at home, he begins to consider what to put on the foot. Measuring the front foot in the demonstration to 7” at the widest part, an additional 2” was given to allow to allow for a “big toe” resulting in bar stock of 16”. (For hind feet he typically allows an additional 1 ¾”.) In one heat the toe of the front shoe was ‘jumped’ to increase the width, thus resulted in the steel becoming ¾” shorter overall. Once the branch is turned, prior to fullering and nail holes, Steven advised checking the length of the section. Fullering should be a series of lines, with all lines being parallel to produce symmetry within the shoe. Throughout the shoemaking you should always try to be remembering the shape of the foot. Good nail holes are a must with back pritchelling to tidy them up and there should not be any movement at the back.

Similar to Paul, Steven also always takes his own nails to competitions. Steven rings clenches off slightly longer than wide to make sure a bit is left to avoid twisting the nails and leaving them with a horrible end. A personal preference for square clenches is mentioned and whilst judges opinions will differ, all like to see them “safe and the same”. A nail line can be improved with good clenching.

The hind preventer shoe from Calgary was the final demonstration of the day. This particular example reinforced Steven’s belief for a systematic approach to making shoes – reinforced with a clip chart detailing exactly what was to be achieved in each heat. This process was the consequence of examining the shoe to note all points and features, making the shoe and, as it initially took too long to make, re-evaluating the method to decide where heats could be taken out to save time and increase efficiency. To check size of the shoes for the classes at Calgary Steven had a ‘box’ similar to those used to the judges made – all competitors know how hard it can be to measure accurately with a ruler when your hand is shaking in a class!

The day provided a useful insight into the working of two farriers at the utmost top of their game. Whilst similarities exist, each had their own individual method and approach to working. This was a rare opportunity enjoyed by those who attended and perhaps made all the better by knowing that it was for charity! Sincere thanks from all who attended the day to both Steven and Paul for giving up their time, and of course just a few secrets!

More information available in the next issue of Forge Magazine

 

26 August 2009 - Business awareness at Myersough College

Ambrit software is pleased to announce a new working partnership with Myerscough College to provide Block 5 apprentices with a lecture on business awareness twice a year. The first lecture is due to take place at the beginning of December 2009.

Utilising its flagship product, Farriers Manager, the lectures will focus on how the financial aspect of running a farrier business can be made easy for the farrier to ensure that they retain full control of their business and satisfy all recognised practices.

Besides supporting the apprentice course, Myerscough College will also incorporate the software into the business module of the Foundation Degree.

Peter Ablett, the Chief Executive of the Farrier Training Agency quotes “I am very pleased that such a worthwhile partnership has come about that will clearly benefit the long term business skills of Apprentice Farriers.”

This partnership now provides a unique teaching and learning tool as both apprentices and established farriers can now be shown the practical aspect to business management using information they would be used to on a daily basis.

Ambrit Software offers an educational role besides its commercial interest and is both proud and privileged to be working alongside the college. Information Technology is now a firmly established requirement of the farrier qualification and we are delighted to have been chosen to fulfil this requirement.

As part of this working relationship, Ambrit Software has agreed that the college can run free copies of Farriers Manager so that the apprentices can use the software in their course work. The Company will work closely with the college in the future to ensure that the software becomes an increasingly integrated part of the course.

Although computers and Farriery have not been seen as natural partners in the past, this working relationship is vindication that information technology is now considered an important and integral part of the modern farrier practice. By the use of the software, the often “unwelcome chore” of keeping financial control of the business, can be directly related to the day to day running of a farrier practice and by use of practical and entertaining examples the learning process should be made much easier for the apprentice.

 

12 August 2009 - See the latest updates from Josh Ramsey and Chuck Jones from the USA

Farriers flying to the UK from the USA within the Edward Martin MBE Cultural Exchange are always amazed that whoever is collecting them from the airport can spot them. But, as NAFBAE President, Craig D’Arcy (whose turn it was to meet them this year) explained, ‘when you consider that they are carrying their tools, three months’ luggage and often wear a stetson or baseball cap with a horseshoe logo – it’s not difficult to pick them out’! This year’s Certified Journeyman Farriers – who will spend three months with the UK’s top farriers – are Chuck Jones (Kentucky) and Josh Ramsey from Dallas, Texas.

Take a look at how Josh and Chuck are getting on in the UK - their page will be updated regularly with comments and pictures from their adventures.

The link is via 'USA Exchange' or click here.

 

12 August 2009 - Help needed in Forge Restoration

Jim Hussey from Ireland contacted Forge Magazine with an appeal for help.

He explained that his late father, a well respected farrier, had built his own forge in 1938 when he was just 19 years old.

Jim is now undertaking some restoration work to keep it operating in its original condition.

He is looking to find someone to make some new bellows to replace the original, shown here in the pictures. They are about 6 ft long by about 3 ft at the widest point and were previously fixed on a frame and operated by hand working a handle about 8 ft long to blow air to the fire hearth.

"It was a full time job to blow the bellows when the forge was busy," he explained. "Young lads from the village used to love lend a hand to blow the fire."

The photos show the bellows from several angles. The construction is predominantly wood. The outside is studded leather.

If anyone can help, please contact Jim via admin@forgemagazine.co.uk.

 

4 August 2009 - Situations Vacant - MASTER FARRIER - Hong Kong

For more information on this position please go to our web page - Situations Vacant

 

11 August 2009 - Laminitis - obese horses and ponies in greater danger

A BVA Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF) and Merial Animal Health- sponsored study has examined the factors that affect the likelihood of recovery from laminitis, and found obese animals were more likely to die.
In the study, members of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) documented cases over four years, and found that overweight animals that develop laminitis tend to have more severe signs than those of optimal weight.
Reporting on the study conclusions the principal investigator and veterinary surgeon, Celia Marr, said, ‘When laminitis does occur, overweight animals are more likely to die of the disease than their thinner counterparts. The animals with the best outcome tended to be those that had received acepromazine. Horse owners and vets are encouraged to ensure that horses and ponies are not allowed to become excessively fat as this can have a significant effect on their health, as we have seen in this study.’
Speaking on behalf of the BVA AWF, the Chairman Carl Padgett said, “As the veterinary profession’s own animal welfare charity a key part of our activities is to fund academic research which will have a positive and practical impact on animal welfare. We were therefore delighted to support this study in recognition of the devastating effects that laminitis has on horse welfare.”

 

11 August 2009 - Horse industry says 'no' to proposed levy

A consultation response on behalf of the horse industry and horse owners has been submitted to Defra, turning down their proposals to impose a levy on horse ownership, which would mean a £10.50 levy per horse on all horse owners.
The proposal for a new Independent Body for Animal Health has been widely consulted upon in the last few months, both within the equine and other livestock sectors.
In the case of the horse sector, there is insufficient accurate information in the consultation document and no visible benefits for horse owners, to enable anything other than a firm ‘no’ response to a proposed levy.
Mark Weston, the British Horse Society Director of Access Safety and Welfare said: ‘The equine sector cannot be compared to the livestock sector; it is primarily a leisure activity. Two thirds of owners have just one horse, most do not keep horses to make money, and the horse sector does not receive the subsidy, which we estimate at £1 billion annual, that the livestock sector receives.’
The consultation response was prepared jointly by the British Horse Industry Confederation (BHIC), British Horse Society (BHS) and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF).

 

11 August 2009 - Setting standards for equine bare foot trimming

A united front from farriers helped to provide constructive debate during a Lantra-initiated meeting on developing National Occupational Standards for equine bare foot trimmers on February 4. At the meeting, chaired by BEVA president Chris House, representatives of the major trimming groups described how they wished to set their own standards.
Peter Ablett, training director of the Farriers Training Agency, described how the training undergone by farriers applied to bare foot trimmers. Currently, regulation of bare foot trimmers is provided only through the Animal Welfare Act. It was felt that Lantra, as custodian of National Occupational Standards, was being pushed by Defra to develop appropriate standards.

 

11 August 2009 - Merger creates regional specialist equine centre

The recent merger of Bushy Equine Vets and the Willesley Equine Clinic, means that the South West, Midlands and Wales now has access to a wider range of specialist equine referral services. The two companies merged to become B&W Equine Group on March 1.
The merged group now has 20 specialists and clinicians covering areas such as orthopaedics, internal medicine, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, stud medicine, soft tissue and colic surgery. In addition to the merger, the new company has been granted planning permission for a new state of the art hospital to be built adjacent to the Breadstone clinic.
The new hospital, which is due for completion in 2010, will offer MRI, CT, scintigraphy, orthopaedic and colic theatres, adult and neonatal ICU suites, full onsite laboratory and separate isolation facilities. The hospital will also have first class intensive care facilities. The partners believe that with ongoing advances in equine veterinary science there is a continual need to provide even better facilities and equipment.
The new company will retain all four existing sites covering Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and South Wales.

 

11 August 2009 - Feed code to cut dope-test failure risk

A code of practice designed to reduce the risk of naturally-occurring prohibited substances (NOPS) contaminating horse feed and subsequent dope-test failures has been developed by the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA).
The BETA UFAS NOPS Code was launched in May when feed and supplement manufacturers were invited to register an interest in participating. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has indicated that it is prepared to endorse the BETA UFAS NOPS Code. The system will also be made available to non-racing equestrian sports.
The code’s launch follows 18-months’ work by the BETA Feed Committee in conjunction with the BHA and National Trainers’ Federation (NTF), initially in response to a heightened incidence of positive dope-tests for the NOPS morphine in racehorses. These ‘positives’ coincided with increased cultivation of poppies in the UK, especially the papiver somniferum variety grown for the pharmaceutical industry.
Feeds and supplements conforming to the Code will be appropriately labelled to reassure trainers and owners who can face disqualification and the forfeiture of prize-money on return of positive dope-tests.
Companies participating in the code will also become part of an early warning system for potentially contaminated ingredients. Meanwhile investigations are ongoing into the possibility of obtaining industry-wide insurance against ‘positives’ occurring following Listed races.
For more information, contact BETA on 01937 587062 email or visit their website

 

11 August 2009 - French rescue warning

French equine welfare group, Equine Rescue France, is warning UK horse-lovers of the pitfalls of ‘rescuing’ French horses through so-called ‘French rescue’ websites. Purchasers are sought through emotional pleas made on these sites, claiming that the horses are in imminent danger of being transported on a horrendous journey to the Italian slaughterhouses and can only be saved by substantial donations by members of the public.
In fact, only a small proportion of these horses are destined for Italy – France has a huge number of abattoirs so most horses will slaughtered locally. In addition, many French low-end dealers have cottoned onto the ‘rescue’ trend and are using the situation to achieve inflated prices for horses that were never destined for slaughter in the first place.
Many ‘rescuers’ have discovered that when their horse arrives in the UK it has unforeseen health problems, from relatively minor conditions such as lice and heavy worm burdens, to badly deformed legs, serious melanomas and blown tendons. Some animals also have behavioural problems, making them difficult to handle or ride and aggressive to people and other horses.
Following the recent diagnosis of a case of Equine Infectious Anaemia in France, ERF are also concerned that dangerous equine diseases could be introduced to the UK via imported horses as adequate veterinary checks are rarely undertaken before importation.
ERF have witnessed very poor standards of care once the French horses have been purchased and are awaiting transport to the UK – with some animals left with inadequate water, hay and feed, and without bedding. There are also concerns about the welfare of these animals on the long journeys to the UK as ERF feel that transporting elderly, sick and deformed horses for long periods, without unloading them and allowing them to rest overnight is compromising their welfare.
ERF believes that the welfare of rescued horses is best served by rehoming them in their country of origin, so will continue rehoming the French horses they rescue in stringently checked French homes.
In the current financial climate many UK charities are keen to find good homes for their rescued horses, with World Horse Welfare, for example, reporting a rise in the number of rescued animals but a decrease in rehoming applications. ERF suggests that UK horselovers are best to rescue via a reputable UK charity as this is a more satisfactory option for the rescuer (as the animal will be properly assessed and treated before rehoming) and also ensures the best welfare for the animals concerned.
For further information, contact Kathryn Dobson (President), Equine Rescue France, La Chaux, 86400 Linazay France

 

11 August 2009 - Points from Mustad clinics

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points can be acquired in a wide variety of ways and it doesn’t always have to cost you money to do so.
In March of this year, Mustad Hoofcare launched a new series of half-day clinics, which by attending, farriers will earn three CPD points.
Louise Pehrsson of Mustad explained to Forge that she runs the clinics aided by a clinicians Steve Lloyd and Chris Powell. Steve is employed by Herefordshire Farrier College and Chris works at Warwickshire Farrier College.
The idea behind the events is to keep farriers up to date with the skills and knowledge associated with their profession.
The clinics travel around the country and are run from local equestrian centres. They are aimed at farriers and vets and groups sizes are kept small at around 15.
The clinics emphasise good shoeing techniques and care for the hoof. Don’t be surprised to find them a little Mustad-centric, but they are free and complimentary refreshments are served.
As well as educational presentations, there are also demonstrations on trimming, hoof care, advice on shoe selection, shoeing and evaluation of the completed job.
For further information, contact Louise at louise.pehrsson@mustad.se or telephone +44 779292-9877.

 

11 August 2009 - Increase in wheel thefts force fleet operators to step up security of farm vehicles

Increasing numbers of fleet managers are now trying to safeguard their vehicles against crime – including the theft of their wheels. The loss of a lorry’s wheels can cost an operator dear when time off the road is factored in, along with the knock-on delays for other deliveries. Russell Fowler, Chief Executive of TruckProtect, which manufactures the Wheel Stop-It! Anti-Theft Wheel Nut, has noticed an upsurge in enquiries for the innovative security device in the first quarter of 2009. The coded nut cannot be removed by anything other than the fastener socket, which bears the matching encrypted Wheel Stop-It! code.
No two orders are ever the same. Wheel Stop-It! is suitable for bolts or wheel studs, and for steel or aluminium rims. It can be used on a wide range of vehicles, including trucks, trailers, farm implements, forklift trucks and mining industry vehicles.
TruckProtect is already spear-heading the fight against vehicle crime with its cutting-edge device to prevent thieves stealing fuel from trucks. Sales of its InstantFit NECK-IT anti-fuel theft units have passed 100,000 and are rising. Additionally the company has national distribution agreements with DAF-TRP, MAN, Scania, Unipart-TTC and Isuzu along with many other dealers and distributors across the UK.

 

11 August 2009 - The Farrierspages.com

‘Farriers Pages’ is a new website that provides an online database of farriers in the UK. The second part of the website, which is currently under construction, will be a platform on which farriery can be promoted to horse owners and equine professionals.
Endorsed by the Worshipful Company of Farriers and the NAFBAE, the website will enable potential clients to search for a farrier by name, qualification or location. Farriers may register on a two-tiered basis –
• A ‘basic’ database entry, which is free of charge, will display your name, highest qualification, telephone number and location or,
• A webpage entry, costing £100, plus VAT, for 12 months, which will include your own webpage to promote yourself and your business, and may include experience, specialism’s such as therapeutic and remedial work, farriery achievements and of course an image!
In addition to the database, farrierspages.com will also include –
• Farriery qualifications, what they mean and the training undertaken to achieve them;
• An explanation of continuing professional development and what it entails;
• Links to the industry governing bodies;
• A hoofcare resource, which will feature articles on hoof care and relevant topics such as bare foot trimming;
• A register of farriers who may be willing to work on a ‘freelance’ basis for other farriers to cover busy times, such as holidays and illness
As the anticipated launch date for this is mid-September, farrierspage are now keen to recruit as many farriers as possible prior to this date for maximum impact at launch.
To register, call Claire Brown on 07747 602978 or text BASIC or PAGE with your name, location and postcode, or email
claire@forgeandfarrier.co.uk

 

3 August 2009 - Call for farriers to define the standards for their industry

Farriers and their representatives from across the UK are being invited to define the standards for the modern day farrier.
Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based industries, is working to develop and update what are known as National Occupational Standards and is now calling for farriers to take part in an online consultation to ensure the standards accurately reflect current working practices within the industry.
Lantra’s Development Manager for Standards and Qualifications, Liz Pridgeon, said: “National Occupational Standards identify the essential building blocks – the detailed knowledge, understanding, ability and experiences somebody needs to carry out their job effectively. These standards form the basis of vocational qualifications, so they need to be completely up-to-date to best reflect how the industry currently operates and to ensure they can be easily understood by everyone.”
Lantra represents 17 environmental and land-based industries which will benefit by ensuring that their own National Occupational Standards are fit for purpose. The standards help businesses improve performance and productivity as they can be used to identify the skills needed for their workforce, highlight best practice, develop training and recruitment plans and develop job descriptions.
If you are a farrier or work in the farriery industry and would like to take part in the consultation to help the industry get the most out of the skills system please visit www.lantra.co.uk/nos or call Lantra on 0845 707 8007.
The consultation runs from Friday 10 July until Friday 21 August 2009.

 

10 July 2009 - Great British Adventure for farriers

Sales of hair-gel shot up during the apprentice classes at the Royal when TV cameras appeared to film part of a new series of Channel 5’s ‘Rory and Paddy’s Great British Adventure’. The programme features comedians Rory McGrath and Paddy McGuinness who travel around the country trying their hand at a curious variety of ‘strange but quintessentially British sporting events’, ranging from lawn mower racing to sheep shearing. This time it was their chance to try their hand at competition shoemaking.
In the morning, farrier Ian Allison put the pair through a crash course in shoemaking, which proved as entertaining as it was informative. After lunch, they attempted an apprentice shoemaking class, in which they had 30 minutes to make a plain stamped front shoe with six nail holes, jumped-up toe with a clip, out of coke. Ably assisted by apprentices Jack Casserley and Ashley Norris, the outcome was a worthy effort for both novices, with Rory being declared the winner, despite much protest from Paddy.
Speaking to Forge, having first secured a welcome ‘pint’, Rory said, “It’s the first time I’ve done this and it is amazing when you see an expert do it – we have some of the top farriers in the world here today – they make it look so simple. You watch it from the outside thinking ‘that is so easy’, then you try and do it yourself . . . It took me about two hours this morning to make a really crap horseshoe!”
Ian said that they were very competitive. “It might just look like they’re here having a laugh, but underneath it all they asked some really serious questions.”
So how were they as students?
“It’s very difficult to teach someone the skills of shoemaking in half an hour, but they did very well. Paddy had a lot more hammer control than Rory, who was always a bit nervous about everything breaking,” said Ian.
Based on this experience, Rory and Paddy were asked if they had any advice to young people coming into the craft. “Big nail holes and a big clip!” was the joint reply.
Rory went on, “Practice, practice, practice. I’m not saying there isn’t a knack to it or an in-built instinct, but the way Ian Alison held a red-hot horseshoe in the tongs like he was using his own fingers with a piece of wood – the lightness of touch was amazing to watch. That is just years and years of dedication, I suppose.”
So might he consider a change of career?
“At my age? Comedy writing to farriery? It’s a big change. If a photograph of my shoe ever got into Forge, I would probably be barred from every farriery competition in the land!
Ian was more complimentary – he would take Rory and Paddy on as apprentices, if only for the novelty value!

The new series is expected to be broadcast on Channel 5 in the Autumn of this year.

5 July 2009 - England's Beane fires up first world blacksmith title

Calgary –- Steven Beane is forging a new resume. And it includes the phrase “world champion.”
Steven Beane is forging a new resume, and it includes the phrase ‘world champion’. Steven beat fellow Englishman Darren Bazin in the final of the Calgary Stampede’s 30th anniversary World Championship Blacksmiths’ Competition, earning his first career global title in the process after two previous close calls.
‘It’s unbelievable’, said Steven, of Northallerton, North Yorkshire. ‘It’s a dream I’ve had for years. It’s a great feeling. Quite honestly, the guys you compete against (in the final), there’s nothing between us. Any of the top five could be a world champion.’
Steven, who had been the WCBC runner-up, or reserve champion, in 2005 and 2006, took home first prize of $10,000, a limited-edition bronze trophy, and a handcrafted gold-and-silver stampede championship buckle.
Steven had trailed Darren, a two-time WCBC winner, by seven points entering Sunday’s five-man final, and stoked up a fantastic finish, finishing with 153 points to Darren’s 141. Darren took home $2,000 as reserve champion. Derek Gardner was third with 118 points, collecting $1,500; Welshman, Grant Moon, was fourth with 109 points, earning $1,000; and Canada’s Iain Ritchie finished fifth at 88, picking up $500.
Point totals for all competitors reflected three days’ work in front of the forge.
‘The first time I came, I made reserve (champ); I put everything into it, but I wasn’t quite ready’, Steven said. ‘The next year, I probably didn’t put the same amount in. But this time, I really got stuck into it, to the point where I kind of overpractised . . . it was good that I had a week to freshen up a bit.’
Sunday yielded one of the closest top-five finals in event history, according to organisers.
‘Because this was the 30th anniversary of this event, a lot of former winners and finalists circled this one on their calendar’, remarked Blaine Virostek, chair of the Stampede’s Blacksmiths committee.
‘At the other end, we’ve got a lot of first-timers – roughly 25 rookies to Calgary. They’ve won their national competition, and they’re striving to be the world champion’, added Virostek.
Steven was named the 2009 WCBC Forging Champion, Mike Chisham of Petaluma, California, took Artistic Champion honours, Darren was hailed as Shoeing Champion and Ben Casserly of England won Rookie of the Year.
Grant Moon, a six-time champion and a four-time runner-up, was named this year’s inductee into the WCBC Hall of Fame.
Sunday’s morning semi-final narrowed the Top 10 to the Top 5, as contestants shod both front feet of a light draft horse in 60 minutes. Americans Craig Trnka, Gene Leiser and Jake Engler, along with England’s Andrew Reader-Smith and Ben Casserly, were eliminated following semi-finals.
The five finalists finished the job, with another 60 minutes to shoe both hind feet. A blind judging process, delivered by renowned farriers Billy Crothers and Jim Quick of the US, was based on preparation and balance of the horses’ feet, as well as forging, nail placement and finish of the shoe.
Sunday’s Top 10 qualified for the semi-final by accumulating points through a series of shoeing and forging classes on Friday and Saturday.
In all, 73 competitors, including four former WCBC champions, congregated in Calgary for the 30th anniversary edition of what is popularly known as the ‘Olympics of blacksmithing’. Thirteen countries were represented: Germany, England, France, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Wales, Scotland, Switzerland, the United States and Canada.
‘You can be very good in this industry, but when you make a sport out of it, it’s a whole different dynamic’, said Virostek. ‘Psychology is a big part of competing. You may have the skills and talent, but here, the emotion and the competitive edge enter the picture.’
Forge managed to catch up with Steven at the Royal where he said he was delighted to have won it on his fifth attempt.

 

19 June 2009 - It's official - the art of farriery is a recognised science

Myerscough College is delighted to announce the successful completion of the Foundation Degree Science in Farriery by its first group of students. Nine students, from an original intake of 15, completed 12 modules over three years, culminating in three practical examinations, 10 hours of written examinations and some 10,000 words of course assignments, in addition to a major piece of investigative research.
The WCF has accepted the practices of the university and has taken the unique and pioneering opportunity to offer motivated candidates the chance to gain AWCF and FWCF qualifications through a university system that does not attempt to exactly replicate the AWCF and FWCF exams because this would not meet the criteria for the award of a university degree.
For a foundation degree to be awarded, candidates must take courses and satisfactorily complete course-work and exams over a three-year period. For a full BSc (Hons) degree to be awarded the successful candidate must take courses for a further two years including the completion of a double dissertation module. While the university system does not replicate the WCF examinations system, it does educate and test the candidates for appropriate competency in the requirements of the AWCF and FWCF, albeit through a different and highly educational delivery system, and it covers the AWCF and FWCF examination components at different stages of the course including the university final examinations.  The course is delivered by experienced and professional FWCF farriers, educators, veterinarians and veterinary nurses who have teaching and practical experience and quality control experience, for example in the delivery of Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons programmes also delivered at Myerscough College.
The second part of the achievement inherent in this process is that the university and the WCF have created the opportunity for the farriery profession to be given a vehicle for continuing professional development that has already been recognised in the CPD points award system. It shows both institutions to be moving with the times in terms of providing access to educational awards. It offers new and exciting educational options that give farriers the added opportunity to gain a university degree that then gives them the currency – that can be traded in an increasingly technical and education-based world – to go on to contribute to the furtherment of education, research and development of the profession and the industry.
This is an exciting and appropriate development but at the same time does not, at any stage, diminish the traditions and practices of the WCF. As a result of the WCF input, successful candidates who achieve a merit pass are eligible to receive the WCF Associate Award.
Qualified personnel from the two different channels can be identified by the following post nominals: 'AWCF' and 'FWCF' in the case of awards made through the traditional WCF route, and 'FDSc AWCF' and ‘BSc (Hons) FWCF', in the case of the university route.
Our warmest congratulations are extended to this first group of pioneering students, seven of whom passed with distinction, and two with merit, all of whom should be commended for their dedication and commitment of time, money and effort that it has taken to complete this difficult yet rewarding route to the AWCF award.

P. Balchin, FDSc AWCF,  J. Mather FDSc AWCF, D. Beardsmore FDSc AWCF,  D. Mitchell FDSc AWCF, P. Conroy FDSc AWCF, M. Oliver FDSc AWCF, C. D’Arcy FDSc AWCF, A. Shuttleworth FDSc AWCF and M. Jones FDSc AWCF.

The official award ceremony is scheduled to take place at Myerscough on July 16 2009 where awards will be presented by a senior member of the court of the WCF. In addition to foundation degree and Associate certificates there are additional awards for outstanding achievement and we extend our warmest congratulations to the following;
Top student - M. Jones FDSc AWCF
Best original research  - J. Mather FDSc AWCF
Highest practical - A. Shuttleworth FDSc AWCF

 

11 June 2009 - Obituary - Daphne Gowing

Go to Branch Pages for more information

 

19 May 2009 - Illegal farriers prosecuted

On 19 May, Barry Magistrates Court found Mr David Thomas Grunewald, and Mr Paul Anton Grunewald (Jnr), guilty of having carried out unlawful farriery.
Under the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975 (as amended) it is a criminal offence for anyone other than a Registered Farrier, approved farriery apprentice or veterinary surgeon to shoe a horse, or otherwise carry out farriery. The Register of Farriers is administered by the Farriers Registration Council and it is Council policy to pursue a private prosecution when sufficient evidence is available.
Mr D. T. Grunewald and Mr P. A. Grunewald are neither registered farriers nor are they approved apprentices under the Farriers Registration Act. The allegation against these defendants was that on Friday, 17 October, 2008, they undertook farriery on a horse at stables in St Andrews Major, Dinas Powys.
Mr D. T. Grunewald and Mr P. A. Grunewald pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, but after hearing the evidence the magistrates convicted the defendants.
This was the second time that they had been convicted and they were each fined £250; and both were ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15 and make a contribution towards prosecution costs of £750.

 

10 May 2009 - ATFs: Core to the future of farriery and horse welfare

Around 50 ATFs gave up a Sunday to attend the first ATF conference on May 10 at Stoneleigh Park. This new event on the farrier’s calendar was organised at relatively short notice. The meeting was a great success, and a tribute to the FTA’s Training Direct, Peter Ablett, and the FTA staff, all of whom attended the event.
In his introduction, Mr Ablett, emphasised the importance of the role of ATFs to the future of farriery. The FTA, he said, is committed to supporting ATFs and their apprentices, to forge new ways of learning, improving and enhancing professional standards. He explained that of 239 qualified ATFs, 187 have apprentices, and that 447 apprentices are on the modern apprenticeship scheme. In turn, this means that 894 annual Field Officer visits are required along with 135 health and safety inspections. He wondered whether the ATFs present were aware that 32 per cent of farrier apprentices had additional learning needs and, in tribute to them (apprentices and ATFs), the overall completion rate was 90 per cent (which, he said, comparatively was very high)?
He likened the role of the FTA to the word EQUINE:
Empathy and engagement with ATFs
Quality in all we do
Undertaking needs of ATFs
Innovating our systems at procedures
Networking and communications
Efficiency, effectiveness and economy
Seeking advice from ATFs
Mr Ablett described how it was proposed that in future, apprentices should only be allowed to be back-blocked twice before being asked to leave the craft. He described the costs involved in back-blocking students as well as allowing multiple examination retakes. This subject was thoroughly discussed. He described how 31 apprentices had been back blocked in 2008 and that each one costs £1000 per extra six months in the apprenticeship scheme. On top of that, there were other additional costs borne by the FTA. Each retake of the diploma cost £500 and the knowledge that 12 out of 58 candidates had failed the examination in January 2009 left no one in any doubt of the mounting costs of education. He asked the ATFs present whether apprentices should pay their own fees for examination retakes. It was generally felt that they should.
Mr Ablett also reported that the Government would be raising the entry requirements for farriers to five GCSEs and two functional skills. He posed a number of questions for discussion. Should we have a national assessment centre for motivational skills? And how can ATFs be helped to pick the right apprentice?
Train to gain
In looking at these issues the FTA had asked Gail Dunn to look at the learners ‘journey’, that is, getting the right people onto the programme to successful conclusion. The FTA also wants to get better at managing itself and to that end it asked QDP to carry out a survey of ATFs earlier in the year. It was the results if this survey that had helped shape the first ATF conference.
Jenny Smith of Lantra is the Project Manager responsible for looking at national occupational standards for farriers. Jenny was able to run through the documentation with the ATFs present to ask them what they felt was important to be included.
Modern technology in farriery
Know Foot Know Horse is a new website devoted to farriery and horseshoemaking. The website blends traditional skills with up to the minute media technology and is the brainchild of three times world champion blacksmith Darren Bazin and fellow farrier and former Scottish team member Brian Saunders, both of whom have a passion for farriery and education within the profession.
The website aims to provide clear information in the form of short movie downloads covering everything farriery related for apprentices, newly qualified farriers, experienced farriers, veterinary surgeons and horse owners.
Brian Saunders gave the audience a tour of the site and explained how it is truly interactive so that members can not only request movies but will be able to add their own movies of the skills and techniques that they practice.
In keeping up with technology, Neville Higgins, reiterated the importance of keeping good records and using technology to do so. Such technology included mobile phones, wireless internet, digital cameras, video and storing such information on computers.
Andrew Poynton of Imprint discussed advancing farriery techniques, not entirely on plastic shoes, and described how he still uses the basic skills be learned as an apprentice. He was proud of the UK’s training system, which he felt was the most comprehensive training scheme in the world.
Having lost a finger when a horse stamped on it Tim Whittington said he felt lucky only to have lost a finger. Health and safety, he said, was an overlooked but essential part of the job. He suggested making sure that all farriers should insist that their clients carry public liability insurance cover.
Using SIPPs
Rob Ryan described how SIPPs may be used to fund pensions. SIPP stands for self invested personal pension and it is a ‘DIY’ pension. Unlike a normal pension, where the pension company limits your choice of investments, a SIPP gives you control of your pension pot. 
Like all pensions, the money is paid in before income tax is taken off. This means when a basic 20 per cent rate taxpayer invests £100, it only costs £80. With a SIPP, however, you choose your investment (with or without the help of an advisor). On retirement, you can use these assets either to provide you with an income or to buy an annuity; a fixed annual payment until you die. It should be stressed that a SIPP is for someone who understands investing, does the research and works at it. Those who make the wrong investment choices, only have themselves to blame.
In summarising the day, Simon Curtis, FWCF, HonAssoc RCVS, congratulated Craig D’Arcy on taking up the reins as President of NAFBAE and asked everyone to consider becoming a member of their trade association. ‘NAFBAE is one of those things you don’t know you need, until you do’, he said.

 

19 May 2009 - Handmade Shoes (UK) Ltd Shoemaking Competition - Saturday 25th July 2009

 

Over 100 farriers and apprentices will be taking part in the Handmade Shoes (UK) Ltd Shoemaking Contest competing for the UK’s most valuable prize fund in farriery of over £15,000.

The judges for this year’s competition will be Andrew Casserly AWCF and Rob Renirie. Andrew is a highly respected competitive farrier - Reserve World Champion in 2007 and regular member of the England Farrier Team - and will be judging the 3rd & 4th Year Apprentice and Open sections. Rob Renirie is farrier to the Dutch Olympic Team and is a leading authority throughout Europe on shoeing competition horses, specialising in dressage. Rob has kindly agreed to judge the 1st & 2nd Year Apprentice and Intermediate sections.

The competition consists of a series of shoemaking classes with apprentice and open sections in each class with points accumulating towards Advanced, Intermediate and Apprentice Championships. The third class, the ‘One Heat Shoe Fast and Furious’ entails competitors making a shoe of their choice in a highly restricted time period to the best of their ability; judged on complexity and accuracy . This is just one class designed to test competitors to their utmost limits and provides some remarkable shoes!

This year the Summer Ball including the Prize Presentations will be held in a marquee in a new location just a short drive from the competition venue. Open to farriers and their friends the evening is guaranteed to be a fantastic celebration in the usual Handmade Shoes style.

Full event details and entry forms are available at www.handmadeshoesltd.co.uk/events

 

18 May 2009 - Richard hammers out a second educational grant

Richard receives his educational grant cheque from Show President Mr John Peace – credit Mike Palin

Richard Hawkins, a 27 year-old apprentice farrier from Bathley, Nottinghamshire, has been presented with a second educational grant in two years. The presentation took place at the recent Newark & Nottinghamshire County Show and was made by this year’s Show President, Mr John Peace DL.
Already in receipt of £450 in 2008, Richard so impressed the Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society’s Board members that he was invited to apply for a second grant, allowing him to receive the maximum total of £1,500.
The £1,050 grant has been earmarked to purchase a portable forge so that Richard can travel to his customers’ horses when they need to be shod.
Richard spent the day at the show, giving shoe-making demonstrations to members of the public, stopping only long enough to receive his cheque from Mr Peace. As part of the award’s criteria, Richard will set up his business within the county once he is a fully fledged farrier.

 

12 May 2009 - Access your slice of funding and make your business grow - Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

says Verity Biddick, Business Forward Specialist Skills Broker

Business Forward is a new European Social Fund Project with 100% funding available to business owners who work to improve their businesses performance whilst also becoming better qualified.

The project is exclusively available to a variety of rural businesses based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which are working in farriery.

...more

 

April 2009 - Farriers in front of the lens

Lizzie Bougourd recently took a series of photographs of her father (a farrier) and his apprentice (her brother). Lizzie started an Art and Design foundation course in September following her A-levels as a step closer to University. Being unsure as to what element of art and design she wanted to move into, she opted for photomedia as a taster and  the first photography project given was based around a piece of artwork of our choice.
Lizzie explains: ‘I selected a painting “An Iron Forge” by Joseph Wright of Derby as my starting point. What I loved about this painting was the strong light source from the hot metal, which I thought I could develop further. This inspired me to start my project based around the farriers in my family and that's how this set of images was produced. I started a series of photographs of my brother in the forge and then moved onto shooting them both in the locations at the horse yards. I really enjoyed using a camera to capture moments in time otherwise lost.  I had never used a SLR camera before and am know constantly developing new skills as I shoot. My main aim and passion through photography is about capturing true-to-life images in an interesting way. I finish my course in June and plan to start university in September to study documentary photography.

 

28 April 2009 - Former Chairman of the British Artist Blacksmiths' Association (BABA) dies in road traffic accident

NAFBAE would like to pass their condolences on to the family and friends of David Capes, former Chairman of BABA who passed away recently, aged 60, after being involved in a road traffic accident near his home.

For his full obituary please visit EDP website

 

 

20 April 2009 - BREAKING NEWS - Bold decision for International Farriery Competition.

With ongoing concerns about the current economic climate, the organisers of the International Team Horseshoeing Competition today took the bold step of delaying the event’s expansion.
The National Association of Farriers, Blacksmiths and Agricultural Engineers (NAFBAE) this year had planned to take the event, to be held on 27-30 August 2009, to Aintree Equestrian Centre near Liverpool. However, the uncertainty presented by the current economic environment has caused the Association to take a more cautious approach. It will now be held at its existing venue, the Association’s Headquarters, The Forge, at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.
Commenting on the change of plan, President of the Association, Richard Hurcomb, said, “Whilst I am disappointed that we have had to postpone our plans to develop the ‘International’, I believe that to continue to try and do so in the present economic climate will put unnecessary pressure on our supporters and the organising team.
“The move to Aintree was intended to give us world class facilities and room to grow a complimentary equine foot health event with the competition at the core. It is now absolutely clear that this is just not the right time to do it.”
This year’s event will be held at Stoneleigh Park during the Stoneleigh Park Country Festival. The decision on the venue for next year’s event has yet to be made.
Now in its 30th year, the three day competition attracts the top farriers from around the world. Working in teams of four, each farrier has to make series of different horse shoes from straight bar stock.
As well as making these ‘specimen shoes’, the competitors are also required to prepare and shoe horses’ feet as part of the competition, which is also judged. As with the shoemaking, this is all against the clock.
Specimen Shoes are now available.

 

Group 32L from Hereford College

Following her tremendous success at Aintree, Venetia Williams, trainer of Mon Mome invited group 32L from Hereford College to meet the Grand National winner.

The apprentice group also had a visit to the donkey sanctuary for experience of another area of the equine world.

 

2009 - Knowfootknowhorse.com

Know foot know horse brings farrier education in to the twenty first century using innovative filming and editing techniques to produce quality movies demonstrated by top farriers. These movies are downloable via the website knowfootknowhorse.com and are also on sale in DVD form. The movie library is constantly developing, and the site is interactive to allow members to request movies on subjects that are farrier related. This website is a great teaching aid to pre-farriers, apprentice farriers, farriers, veterinary surgeons and horse owners. All NAFBAE members qualify for 20% discount on the premium membership. To obtain your discount quote code (nafb09) when registering. Visit knowfootknowhorse.com and begin to expand your knowledge!

 

 

7 April 2009 - Young farrier back at his anvil after cutting edge cancer treatment

Farrier Tom Eastwood is back at work at his anvil after receiving cutting edge cancer treatment at Sheffield’s Weston Park Hospital. The young farrier from Ackworth near Wakefield was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2006 aged just 20, after finding a lump on his neck.
The future is now looking bright for Tom after specialist treatment he received meant he could finish his work placement and complete his four-year apprenticeship at Myerscough College near Preston at the same time as others.
He is now looking forward to setting up his own business.
Tom said: “When I found the lump on my neck I visited the local hospital in Peterborough while I was working for my brother, but they couldn’t diagnose it. My auntie had been working at Weston Park Hospital, so she arranged for me to see a specialist there.
“I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma there and then, and was told that I would have to start treatment immediately.”
When Tom, now 23, told doctors of his apprenticeship course, experts at Weston Park Cancer Research Centre were able to access the very latest treatments and put Tom forward for a clinical trial. Two days later, he discovered he had been accepted.
He began the new regime called Stanford V, which involves delivering a 12-week intensive drug schedule, followed by 20 days of radiation therapy.
Tom, who has been riding horses since he was four years old, added: “The 12-week chemotherapy trial meant that I was able to finish my apprenticeship on time and gain my qualification. If I wasn’t able to go on the trial, I would probably still be an apprentice as I wouldn’t have been able to finish. I am now looking forward to my future as a farrier, and hope to start my own business as soon as I can.
“I am very thankful for the fantastic treatment I received. My future would look very different if others before me hadn’t donated funds Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity for research to help put the hospital at the forefront of cancer care in the UK. I am looking forward to taking part in fundraising events for the charity in the future as I have now experienced for myself that it is an extremely worthwhile cause.
“I also owe a lot to the farriery staff at college for their support. They did all they could to keep me on track to finish as scheduled. My friends and family were also fantastic during that time, as kept things as normal as possible.”
Tom has now been given the all clear from cancer, but he still has to return to the hospital every four months for check ups.
He added: “It might sound strange, but I actually look forward to going for my check ups, as everyone at the hospital is so fantastic and it’s always great to see their faces again. I guess you could say I owe my life to them, so they will always mean a lot to me.”
Tom’s mum, Deborah, has written a diary to document what the family went through, which she hopes one day may help other families in similar situations.
Deborah, an outpatients nurse in Wakefield, said: “When Tom was diagnosed with cancer, it really shook us all at first. But when he was going through his treatment he was so upbeat and was always smiling and really inspired the rest of the family to remain positive.
“Since his treatment, I have started a diary of our experiences which I hope one day will be read by others going through what we went through. It has proved to be somewhat of a remedy and helped me gather my thoughts about the whole experience.
“Thanks to the treatment he received by the incredible staff at Weston Park, Tom’s future is looking bright. He is building up his local client base as a farrier and has a lovely girlfriend, so I have no doubt that he will life his life to the full.”
Weston Park Hospital is the only dedicated cancer hospital in the region and one of only three in the UK, and has the only radiotherapy department in South Yorkshire. It provides cancer treatment services for patients across the region which means that patients from Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Worksop andChesterfield as well as Sheffield and beyond benefit from donations made to the charity.
The Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity provides the hospital with vital funding to help pay for world class treatment and care for people living with cancer.
For further details and fundraising opportunities visit the cancer charity website.

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April 2009 - Poem - A farrier's week of "Can you just...?"

by Shan Walker in memory of her father - Raymond Walker (RSS, AFCL)

A familiar horse trots down the street
Mmm, I thought I recognised those feet!
“Ah, Blackie’s out for a ride,” she said
“Can you just… do the new horse instead?”

“Oops, I forgot you were coming today
They’re still in the field; it’s not far away.
I’ll get some head-collers quick as I can.
Can we just… cross the mud in your van?”

Max stands proud with shiny new shoes.
His owner’s gone quiet; she can’t pay her dues!
“I’ll be paid next week - I’m not quite sure when.
Can you just come next time? We’ll settle up then.”

“Sammy’s got Pony Club on Sunday morning.”
The point of this call was suddenly dawning!
“He lost his front shoe in the sheep wire today.
Can you just put one on? We’ll call by on the way.”

She brings out the mare.. “Not been done for a while.
Ignore all those teeth - that’s just her smile.”
It kicks and it gnashes and strews all my tools
“Perhaps you could just… give a cuddle to Jules?”

I’ve removed all the shoes and the owner now speaks
We’re going eventing in the coming few weeks
“He’ll need extra grip on his feet, will Gem!
Can you just… put some stud holes in them?”

It’s 16.2 and weighing 2 ton
I looked at its feet - they’ve never been done.
“He’s ever so quiet but used to be thin
Can you just…give his feet a quick trim?”

“For my friend’s lame horse there’s a great new idea
They’d be fab for my horse (well that’s what I hear.)
They’re all the fashion and cost her a bomb
Can you just… put heart-bar shoes on?”

To those with their horses, take time to think
The reason I look tired - I’ve not slept a wink!
Just cherish your farrier. Don’t make him mad!
Can you just imagine... the week that I’ve had!

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Great Yorkshire Show: Tuesday 14 - Thursday 16 July 2009

Prize Winning Award for the Great Yorkshire Show

Photo shows Amanda West, the show’s Entries Co-ordinator and Bill Cowling, Honorary Show Director holding the BSJA Members County Show of the Year Award
Staff at the Great Yorkshire Showground are celebrating after being voted the BSJA (British Show Jumping Association) Members County Show of the Year.
At a glittering presentation ceremony, Amanda West and Mark Stoddart from the Great Yorkshire Show office were presented with the award – a bronze statue – in recognition of the event’s popularity with exhibitors. The Great Yorkshire Show is one of the most prestigious agricultural and countryside shows in the UK and last year was attended by HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
The award was made following a voting procedure by BSJA members. Comments sent by members included: “One of the best equestrian shows in the country”…. “Good jumping always guaranteed in front of an appreciative audience…”They (the staff) are so professional and even streamed it on line for those unable to go”… “Great atmosphere and a fab arena to view.”
Bill Cowling, Honorary Show Director: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this wonderful Award, and thank all those who took the trouble to vote for us. Show jumping has always been a major part of the Great Yorkshire Show and we pride ourselves on the care we take in preparing the ground and in the tremendous support we receive from exhibitors. Our crowds are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and the Cock o’the North Championship on the final day has to be one of the best competitions you could see at any show.”
Dates for this year’s event are Tuesday 14 – Thursday 16 July and, as ever, the show jumping takes place over all three days with two classes in the Main Ring each day. Last year saw the Cock o’the North title go to Laura Stephenson of Keighley, West Yorkshire on Harvey Smith’s Sultano. The closing date for show jumping entries is Friday 5 June.
For more information see the website www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk or ring 01423 541000.

The Star is Named
The photo shows farmer Mark Elliott with Atlas Mabel
The star of “A Lamb’s Tale” – the video diary of a Wensleydale lamb destined for the show ring at the 2009 Great Yorkshire Show – now has a name.
The female lamb owned by Mark Elliott of Providence Farm, Ferrensby, has been named “Atlas Mabel” following a competition to find the young lady a name. The suggestion came from Mrs Heidi Gleave of Middleton in Teesdale, Barnard Castle – and is an anagram of Lamb’s Tale. “Also Mabel means ‘loveable’ and I thought of Atlas because the footage can be seen via the web, around the world,” said Mrs Gleave.
Deborah Goodall, Marketing Manager explained: “The rationale behind the filming is to follow the progress of a lamb virtually from birth, through to its appearance in the show ring at the Great Yorkshire. It brings to life all that’s involved in preparing an animal to come before the judges.”
Lamb’s Tale can be seen through the Great Yorkshire Show website – www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk
Mrs Gleave received a hamper kindly provided by Bettys by Post and a Family Ticket for the Great Yorkshire Show. Runners up in the competition were Jill Johnson of Harrogate and Betty Bates of Thornton le Dale, Pickering.
Dates for the Great Yorkshire Show are Tuesday 14 – Thursday 16 July and it takes place at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate.

Great Yorkshire Show
Shoeing & Shoemaking Competitions.
Classes 1 - 5 & 8 £10.00, Classes 6 & 7 £5.00
ALL STEEL WILL BE PROVIDED
Shoes will be plain - Stamped, Fullered, Swaged and Fullered, or from Fullered Concave,
as directed by the Judge. Punches and Drifts may be required by competitors in Class 4.
CLASSES 1 - 4 AND 8 ARE OPEN TO REGISTERED FARRIERS ONLY
Entries close 1 June 2009 . Shoeing Schedule available for download.

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31 March 2009 - NEF - the networking opportunity of the year

On 31 March nearly 200 movers and shakers in the equestrian and racing worlds, including the Minister for the Horse and associated government officials, got together to enjoy the annual National Equine Forum (NEF) at the Royal Society in London.
The day was packed with topical, educational and veterinary presentations, providing an opportunity of real value to the trade, who also attend. This year’s papers included feed additives and herbs, biofuels, naturally occurring prohibited substances, developments in work-based learning, a report on the Olympics 2008 and 2012, a report on vaccines and the BEVA laminitis study.
The National Equine Forum is chaired by Professor Sir Colin Spedding and convened by Miles Williamson-Noble. It is supported by the Association of British Riding Schools, the British Equine Trade Association, the British Equestrian Federation, The British Horse Society, the British Horseracing Authority, The Blue Cross, Dodson and Horrell, The Donkey Sanctuary, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Jeffress Scholarship Trust, NFU Mutual, South Essex Insurance Brokers, The Horse Trust and World Horse Welfare.

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Equine barefoot trimming. Developing national occupational standards.

National Occupational Standards describe the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to do a particular task or job. Such standards can be used as building blocks for qualifications, so ensuring that they meet businesses' needs, which are vital to the industry's future as well as equine welfare.
Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based industries, held an initial consultation meeting in February to develop National Occupational Standards for the barefoot trimming of horses.
Currently there are no National Occupational Standards for this area of work, and their development was a key recommendation from Lantra's Paraprofessionals research report, entitled 'An investigative study of Barefoot Trimmers and Equine Dental Technicians'.

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Learning from the best - 14 February 2009

Fifteen farriers (including two from Germany) and a number of apprentices, took the opportunity to improve and hone their shoemaking skills on February 14 at the Forge Stoneleigh, when NAFBAE’s Reading Branch held a hands-on day with the World Champions, the Welsh team. The day started with the team asking everyone to make a front and a hind shoe in 70 minutes. The team spent this time assessing and giving helpful pointers.
Once some idea of standards had been assessed the participants were split into groups. A demonstration from Grant Moon, with commentary by Billy Crothers, saw Grant make and complete a pair of three-quarter fullered shoes in 18 minutes giving an idea of where time could be saved in competition work.
Then the groups were given the opportunity to start on similar shoes with tighter time limits being applied to see how they got on. This was repeated several times, and the advances by all were amazing under the direct tuition from the team members
After a break for lunch, several shoes were brought up by the trainees as areas they would like to improve on. By the end of the day, and several more demos from all members everyone had made massive advances.
The Reading Branch thanks the Welsh team, Grant Moon, Billy Crothers, Andy Martin and Nigel Brown, for a fantastic day. We would also like to thank their wives for allowing them to come along on Valentines day, though we are not sure they would have had it any better with the rugby on the same day!

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Europe News - Register of Certified Euro-Farriers

The Register of Certified Euro-Farriers has got off to a good start, with initial registrations of: Austria 57, Denmark 102, Finland 60, Great Britain 493, Holland 263 and Switzerland 214.
All UK farriers who applied and were eligible should now have received their certificates and vehicle window stickers.
Applications for national accreditation in 2009 have been received from the Czech Republic and Sweden, with Germany seeking accreditation in 2010. Two countries which did not reach the necessary standard for accreditation on their first attempt may also be revisited in 2010 or 2011.
Work is now under way registering the certificate as an EU trademark, and getting national associations and regulatory bodies to recognise the qualification formally. The Registration Committee of the FRC will be debating whether to recommend to Council the acceptance of the CE-F as a qualification recognised for the purposes of registration of farriers who have trained in another European Economic Area country at its next meeting.
It must be stressed that the CE-F is not and never has been intended to be a replacement for the NVQ and DipWCF for those training in Great Britain. Those who achieve the NVQ and DipWCF will be entitled to become CE-Fs, but it is not an alternative training and qualification system for British citizens who must still complete the Advanced Apprenticeship in order to qualify for entry to the Register.

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Equine barefoot trimming.
Development of national occupational standards for the UK National Occupational Standards describe the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to do a particular task or job. Such standards can be used as building blocks for qualifications, so ensuring that they meet businesses' needs, which are vital to the industry's future as well as equine welfare.
Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based industries, held an initial consultation meeting in February to develop National Occupational Standards for the barefoot trimming of horses.
Currently there are no National Occupational Standards for this area of work, and their development was a key recommendation from Lantra's Paraprofessionals research report, entitled 'An investigative study of Barefoot Trimmers and Equine Dental Technicians'.
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Honours shared for Jim Blurtons trio!

All three of Jim Blurton’s apprentices successfully passed their final exams in February. Ricky Hilton, William Grattan and Simen Krog all qualified as fully-fledged farriers at Myerscough College. For all three it was a superb culmination of dedication, hard work, long hours in the forge and constant scrutiny from their ATF, the world-renowned Jim Blurton. The results were even more pleasing with Ricky and Simen both graduating with honours.
Jim is understandably delighted with the results. ‘Ricky and Will have been with me for over four years and I have seen them not only develop into superb farriers, but also men of pride and honour in their professional and personal approach to life. Simen came to me as a good farrier and a thoroughly decent man. He now leaves us an excellent farrier and, I am glad to say, still a decent man! I am sure all three will go on and become some of the best farriers to qualify through the Farrier Training Agency, and I am sure it won’t be long before they are winning national honours. I would not bet against one of them following in my footsteps and being crowned World champion before too long!’
William came to Jim Blurton’s farrier practice in 2004 and instantly became an invaluable member of the team. With a background in engineering there seemed little Will could not turn his hand too, including some landscape gardening! He not only developed his skills as a farrier with Jim, but also taught many of the team the best ways to weld, carry out tool maintenance and solve any mechanical or technical problems within the forge. Will has represented Ireland as an apprentice and has been successful in many competitions while at Forden Farriers.
Simen came over from Norway in 2008 as an established farrier in his home country. He had spent some time on an exchange visit in America before seeking an apprenticeship with Jim to improve his skills. While with Jim, Simen has improved significantly in all aspects of farriery. This was recognised by his fellow countrymen when he was included in the Norway National team for the World Team Shoeing Championships last year. He is set to return to home to establish his own practice and cement his reputation as the best farrier in Norway.
Ricky came to Jim in 2004 with only one thing on his mind, to learn from and be the best! He has toiled relentlessly and under Jim’s careful watch has established himself as the best apprentice in the country. He has won every competition on the circuit, which culminated with him taking gold in the European Championships last year. Ricky's unique talent has been nurtured by Jim and his confidence in his own ability is such that he will showcase his skills on the world stage at Calgary later this year.
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Coping with the Credit CrunchIn the current financial climate many people have concerns about their jobs and homes. There may be worries about mortgage or rent repayments and other bills. There will also be the emotional strain that worry brings. There is information about mortgage arrears, repossession, debt, redundancy and so on, at BBC News. If you don’t have access to the Internet, there may be facilities at your local library.
If you are concerned about your mortgage or financial situation the important thing is to take steps to seek help and not to just hope that the problem will go away.
If you want to talk to someone, in confidence, about anything that may be troubling you or to explore help options if you are worried about debt or redundancy, contact the Rural Stress Helpline on 0845 094 8286. The helpline is available from Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm or via email to ruralstresshelpline@rase.org.uk The Rural Stress Helpline is based in The Arthur Rank Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2LZ Rural Stress Web.
Rural Stress Helpline is a confidential listening and signposting service for anyone in a rural area who may be feeling anxious, troubled, stressed or needing information. It is not able to give financial advice but it will listen to your concerns and offer to put you in contact with an organisation that can offer support and/or advice.
Sources of help
Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, providing confidential and emotional support for anyone in distress. Telephone 08457 90 90 90 Send Email
ACAS Whether you're an employer or an employee you can get free advice at Web Link or by calling the telephone helpline 08457 47 47 47.
Shelterline is a 24-hour housing advice line offering independent information and advice in confidence to anyone with a housing problem, telephone 0808 800 444.
Citizens Advice Bureau (your local office number will be in your telephone directory).
Consumer Credit Counselling Service telephone 0800 138 111. If you need a budget planner see http://www.cccs.co.uk
Community Legal Advice Information and advice about repossessions and evictions 0845 345 4345.
Age Concern Information Line Telephone service for older people, their families, carers and other people working with them, telephone 0800 00 99 66.
Council of Mortgage Lenders is not able to answer consumer enquiries but list useful organisations in the consumer section of their Website.
Money Advice Trust See section on debt and mental health resources. There is a downloadable leaflet about fixed rate mortgages aimed at those coming off a fixed rate mortgage in the near future. See also information hub on their Website.
National Debtline, telephone 0808 808 4000 Web Link
Business Debtline, telephone 0800 197 6026 Web Link
Business Link is a free business advice and support service, available online and through local advisers. Business Link Helpline 0845 600 9 006 Web Link
Gas and electricity bills
Government Helpline. Home energy saving programme, telephone 0800 512 012.
Homeheat helpline, telephone 0800 33 66 99.
Energy Watch Helpline, telephone 08459 06 07 08.
E.ON Caring Energy Fund, telephone 0800 051 1480 benefit checks; energy efficiency advice.
EDF Energy Trust Fund 01733 421060 To apply for help from the Trust Fund you must be a domestic customer of EDF Energy Brand. EDF Energy has recently merged its old brands, which you might be more familiar with: London Energy, Seeboard Energy or SWEB Energy.
British Gas Energy Trust, telephone 01733 421060 for British Gas or Scottish Gas customers.
Scottish Power Energy People Trust, telephon 0141 568 2000 Crisis funding and benefit checks.
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CPD for Vets and NursesAll practising veterinary surgeons and registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) have received new continuing professional development record cards from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) for recording their CPD this year.
With the cards, came a reminder from the College that undertaking and recording CPD is a mandatory requirement for vets and RVNs. Vets are required to undertake at least 105 hours of CPD over a three-year period; RVNs must complete 45 hours over the same period.
Vets and nurses must keep their CPD records up to date as the RCVS can ask to see CPD records, and they may be checked during inspection as part of the Practice Standards Scheme.
CPD is not mandatory for farriers but the Worshipful Company of Farriers suggests that every farrier should aim to achieve a minimum of 10 points per year averaged over a 3-year period. The system started in 2008; the target for 2009 is 8 points, and from 2010 onwards farriers should aim to achieve 10 points per year. Farriers are provided with a certificate annually showing the CPD completed in the past year, and the points awarded over the past three years.
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NED makes swift changes to protect horse owners
The recent emergence of news that several incidents of horses being re-passported when out on loan, has prompted the National Equine Database (NED) team to introduce measures to reduce the opportunity for this to happen.
Cases coming to light recently have involved freezemarked horses being put on loan and subsequently sold for slaughter with new passports, causing great distress to their owners.
Under European Union legislation it is not mandatory for Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) to collect freezemark information and supply it to the NED, although many of them do. Recent cases of re-passported horses have revolved around freezemarks associated with horses’ original passports either not being marked on those passports, or the freezemark details not being supplied to NED. When the PIO being approached to issue the new (second) passport checked NED to see if there was already a passport for a horse with that freezemark, they did not find a passport linked to the freezemark supplied.
To minimise the possibility of this situation recurring, Defra is due to suggest to all PIOs that they check the NED for existing freezemarks and microchips before issuing passports to adult horses. However, to strengthen the response, the NED will soon launch an online facility for horse owners to notify the NED directly of their horse’s freezemark and/or microchip details. This information will clearly be marked as data that has been entered by owners, rather than supplied by PIOs, but it will mean that a warning flag is raised if a second passport is applied-for, and will indicate to the PIO that further investigation might be required before a passport is issued.
From July this year it will be mandatory for all equines to be microchipped at first registration. In the meantime, the microchipping of adult horses with pre-existing passports is strongly recommended by Defra. The supplying of microchip information for such horses by PIOs to the NED is also strongly recommended.
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The High Court Appeal JudgementThe Union of Country Sports Workers welcomed the High Court ruling recently, which rejected an appeal by The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) against the judgment that acquitted UCSW Member and Exmoor Huntsman, Tony Wright of illegal hunting.
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Obituary - Edward MartinWorld-renowned farrier, blacksmith and founder member of Thornhill and District Rotary Club, Edward Martin died at his home in Closeburn, Dumfries and Galloway on Saturday, February 14. He was 83 and had been in poor health for some time.
Within his craft, no-one was more respected, and the long list of awards at home and across the world bear testimony to his skill and standing. His proudest moment was when he and his late wife Marian travelled to Buckingham Palace where he was presented with the MBE in 1991.
In 2000, he was presented with a gold medal and the title Supreme Master Blacksmith by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths in London. Only four such awards have been made by the company in its 700-year history.
Nine years earlier, he had received the Freedom of the City of London and with it an annual invitation to the Lord Mayor’s parade and banquet. In 2004, his loyalty and service was recognised in a special certificate from the National Association of Farriers, Blacksmiths and Agricultural Engineers.
He joined the then NMFB&AE Association in 1948 and was later elected to the executive committee, becoming president from 1981 to 1983. During this time he assisted in the moving of the head office from Wakefield to Stoneleigh and then again in moving to the current site.
Edward’s final visit to Stoneleigh was in 2004 when the Association celebrated its 100th year. He unveiled the plaque at the headquarters and it was at this time he was made an honorary member in appreciation of his 54 years’ service.
Edward won his first Highland Show Medal for Clydesdale shoemaking at Aberdeen when he was 25. But one honour that he possibly treasured more than any was the gold medal he won for shoeing at the Highland Show in 1970. The significance of this medal was that his great-grandfather had won the same medal 100 years earlier in 1870 and both his father and grandfather had won the medal several times in the intervening 100 years. The feat of four generations winning this medal is unlikely to ever be repeated.
His competition, judging and lecturing skills took him all over the world, including Germany, France, Holland, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Canada and the United States. In the 1990s he organised the world horseshoeing championships in his home village regularly attended by teams from all the home nations plus several from Europe and North America.
Edward was born in 1925, the second in a family of 10. He left school at the age of 14 against the advice of the headmaster but determined to ‘be a blacksmith like my father’.
He learned his craft and trade from his grandfather and his father in an era when the blacksmith’s shop was the focal point of Closeburn village and the world was put to rights many times a day as farming folk brought their horses to be shod and their ploughs and machinery to be mended.
A story he used to tell with a glint in his eye was of a time a year or two after he left school. He had been working in the smiddy without any pay and eventually he plucked up courage to ask his father if he could get paid so that he could go and be with the village boys. The answer was delivered with an authoritative tone: ‘My son, sheep flock but eagles soar alone. Why do you need a wage? You are being given a trade.’
On the death of his father, Edward became head of the family business of E. Martin and Sons and, while carrying on the traditional side of the blacksmith business, spread the portfolio into Dutch-made agricultural pipe-laying drainage machinery as well as a motor engineering business.
During his career, he perfected wrought ironwork of the most delicate nature but also made gigantic gates for stately homes in Dumfriesshire. The largest he ever made, in the twilight of his working life, was for the Thistle Brewery in Alloa. The gates were five metres high with a 10-metre opening – the largest gates to be made in Britain for 100 years.
He worked tirelessly for lots of local causes but especially for the Kirk he loved. He made many items such as wrought-iron chandeliers, the cradle for the Dalgarnock font, the cradle for the bell at the door and many other beautiful pieces for Durisdeer Kirk.
He was a founder member, past-president, stalwart, and, in 2004, made an honorary member of the Thornhill and District Rotary Club. He had the special distinction of delivering a lecture in America to Rotary One in Chicago. His subject that day was ‘the fostering of British and American relationships’. He certainly made that dream become a reality with the initiation of the young farriers exchange scheme between the two countries.
Edward had a keen understanding and knowledge of literature and verse and after one interview with a local television station he was asked for some final thoughts on his craft and life. After a pause, he quoted from Henry Longfellow:
‘Lives of all great men remind us
We too can live a life divine,
And on departing leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time’.
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Obituary - Ernest Moss Ernest Moss, or Ernie as he was better known, died on February 8. Ernie was almost certainly the last of the old ‘London’ farriers, writes Steve Tanner.
The Moss family, which has its roots in Hampshire, has been associated with the trade for about 500 years. Ernie’s cousin, Richard, and his son, Michael, are still shoeing in the county and another branch of the family are well known for making hand billhooks, and so on.
George Moss, Ernie’s father, moved to London from the forge as Tisted, to establish a business in Balham, south London. Ernie was born in the cottage attached to the forge in Pickets Street, he was the youngest of 10 children and left school at the age of 14 to train as a farrier.
Finishing school on Friday, it was straight to work on Monday with his father and his elder brother, Doug. I remember him telling me he fell asleep in his dinner that night and that the contents of the chamber pot was provided to harden up his blistered hands.
On the outbreak of the Second World Way, Doug was drafted into the cavalry, leaving Ernie and his father to run the business that consisted of shoeing dairy, coal, Co-op and totter’s horses.
Some years later, Ernie could see the day of the working horse coming to an end and moved to Surrey and established a successful business shoeing various types of pleasure horses, but his real interest was harness horses.
Not only was Ernie a highly respected farrier but also a true horseman. He loved a good driving horse or pony that could ‘step up and go’.
His tales of old London would read like a social history if only I had written them down at the time. Those of us that worked with him have plenty of humorous memories. I wonder if modern times will allow for characters like him,.
It is the end of an era, and Ernie will be sadly missed by all those that knew him. I personally have to thank him for my training, for he has allowed me to enjoy a great life as a farrier – what a legacy!
Thanks, Ern, you influenced me more than you knew. Ernie leaves a wife, Dolly, and daughter, Barbara, to whom I extend my
condolences.
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