ARCHIVE - ARTICLES 2009

December 09 - Common hoof problems and what to do about them

December 09 - British farriery - the gold standard - Part 2. Building client relations

December 09 - Hughie and his young smithies study the history books

December 09 - Jim Blurton and Grant Moon are interviews Parkinson style

December 09 - The Italian Job

 

Archive - Forge Magazine - December 2009
Common hoof problems and what to do about them

Monique Craig
Monique Craig is a hoof researcher, farrier, consultant to farriers, rider, trainer, and founder of EponaTech (www.EponaTech.com) and EponaShoe (www.EponaShoe.com). She founded a research institute dedicated to research on equine biomechanics (www.Epona-Institute.org)

In the ideal situation, our horses come with perfect conformation and great hooves. A good hoof should be well set under the ‘bony column’, have good horn quality, support length, good sole depth and arch definition (Fig 1). In reality, most horses have some conformational flaws and with less than perfect hooves. Before I dive into the most common hoof problems, I want to stress the importance of implementing a proper hoof care routine. Most common hoof problems can be helped, and sometimes completely avoided, if some simple steps are followed. For instance, horse’s weight should be kept within a reasonable range. Ensure that you discuss every horse’s history, including its situation, problems, and usage in order to do the best for your clients.
Horses should be trimmed or shod on a regular basis – a six week interval is generally fine for horses that don’t have hoof issues. However, this schedule should be adjusted to fit specific needs. Giving horses as much free exercise as possible helps to maintain hoof quality and health. Pastures and large turn-out areas offering room to roam are often the best. Whenever possible, recommend this to owners although this depends on weather conditions as sustained muddy pastures may cause hoof problems. Encourage owners to ride their horse thoughtfully: hoof problems can be generated by poor riding habits and/or bad riding equipment. Horses are masters of gait compensation, and this is normal, but favouring a leg over the long term may lead to hoof issues and eventually lameness issues. Try to keep records of horse’s hooves while they are at their best. Document the shape of horse’s hooves by taking photographs; owners may also ask their veterinarians to take yearly preventative radiographs. This way, if something starts to go wrong, you and the vet can look at the photos and radiographs to compare changes. Ideally, a series of lateral and frontal radiographs should be taken of all four hooves, but if money is an issue, lateral radiographs of the front hooves are essential in my view. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Fig 1. A hoof with good conformation. The radiograph in 1B shows a well-formed arch, which supports the pedal bone in a good internal stance.

Fig 2. The left hoof (A) is more upright hoof and tends to grow heels faster than toe. The right foot (B), which is lower, thinner soled, somewhat splayed, and grows toe faster than heel.

Why do hooves show signs of problems?
Loading and shearing forces placed upon the hoof invariably distort the hoof to some extent. A healthy hoof is well designed to withstand such forces. If proper hoof management is implemented, a good hoof will maintain near optimal functional shape for a long time. Unfortunately, poor genetics, along with inadequate foot care may turn some flaws into serious hoof problems. The hoof capsule provides protection to the soft tissue but also plays a very important part in supporting the load (much of it via the sole) and dissipating energy (much of it via the walls). The whole hoof capsule works as an entire system. Natural and/or man-made deformities in any part of the capsule affect the overall function of the hoof. The soft tissues can be displaced as a result of capsular deformities and so internal issues may be related to the external shape and loading of the hoof. Through correct trimming (Fig 1), along with the application of horseshoes, it is possible to maintain even problematic hooves in good health.

 

Fig 3. Same horse as Fig 2. The higher foot has greater sole thickness (A) and the lower foot has a thinner sole (B). By the use of packing and glue-on shoes, the lower foot can be given the same effective thickness of protection (C) as the higher foot.

Fig 4. Sheared heels are generally noted from the rear as in (A). Notice the difference in height between the heels and the deformed shape of the coronary band. In (B) we are looking from the rear at a sole with the pedal bone placed on top. The blue line shows that, for this hoof, the axis of the coffin-joint is not parallel to ground, as it probably should be.

Fig 5. Contracted heels shown from the inside and the outside. On the left (A) we have a normal hoof, and on the right (B) a hoof with contracted heels. The upper portion shows a view of the sole dermis, bar papillae and frog dermis that connects to the inner portion of the entire keratinized sole. The lower portion shows a view of the outer portion of the keratinized sole that we normally see.

Talk to owners about hoof problems
While it is impossible to cover all conditions in detail, here I will attempt to highlight common hoof problems. Your goal is to train owners’ eyes to recognize capsular deformities. For the sake of simplicity, I will address these problems in a segmented manner. In reality, many of these problems may be related and so it is difficult – and somewhat irresponsible – to come up with a specific solution for each problem. I will restrict myself to presenting general guidelines that may help alleviate some of these issues.

‘High Low’ hoof syndrome
Generally, the ‘high low syndrome’ refers to the shape and height differences between two front hooves, but the problem can also occur in hind feet. If we exclude poor trimming techniques, a true ‘high low syndrome’ describes hooves that have very different shapes. One hoof has the tendency to be more upright and to grow more heels than toe. The other hoof is flatter looking with low heels and has a tendency to grow more toe than heels (Fig 2).
In essence, the two hooves have inherently different morphologies. The low hoof may tend to have weaker bars, a flat sole and a flatter pedal bone while the high hoof would tend to have stronger bars, more curvature to the sole and a more upright and ‘cupped’ pedal bone. In the case of the high hoof, I am not talking about a more serious condition known as ‘club foot’. The way to stabilize such problems is to trim these hooves more often. This is one way to diminish the heel unevenness between the two hooves. The high hoof should have adequate amount of heels removed. Note that for both hooves, the heels should be backed to provide support to the bulbs. There will be more heels to remove for the high hoof and less for the low hoof. Generally, I am conservative with removing sole. The sole provides support to the entire limb; therefore it is not very wise to be aggressive with trimming soles. This is especially true for a weak soled hoof. In extreme cases, I use glue-on shoes and rebuild the low hoof with extra glue (as in the radiograph of Fig 3C.

Sheared heels
Although some people dispute it, hooves are inherently asymmetric, and there is no reason to try to ‘correct’ asymmetries that are natural. The medial (inside) hoof wall is generally more upright than the lateral (outside) hoof wall. Pedal bones are slightly wider to the lateral side than to the medial side. The hoof has a natural tendency to grow slightly tilted to the lateral side. These natural asymmetries and asymmetric growth patterns make it tricky to trim for proper medial-lateral balance, and errors in trimming can be the start of the ‘sheared heel’ problem. Excluding serious hoof pathologies, most sheared heels are probably the result of trimming issues (Fig 4). This problem often starts with a medial to lateral imbalance, and is often compounded by metal shoes fitted too tight to the hoof or fitted too wide at the toe compared to the heels. It may take some time to restore a hoof with seriously sheared heels since this problem generally will have also affected soft tissues. Try to catch this problem before it degenerates into a real issue.

 

Fig 6. Before (A) and after several months of corrective trimming and shoeing (B). Note the difference in the shape of the capsule and the frog. Note the frog sulcus in figure 6B.

Fig 7. The top images (A) show a pedal bone that has sunk or crushed down into the sole. In contrast, note how in the lower images (B) you can see the edge of the pedal bone as it rides fairly high on the sole. (Images: courtesy of Mike Savoldi)

Fig 8. In image (A) the horse is standing on its sole, which has dropped down below the length of the hoof walls. In (B) a radiograph is used to assess the sole thickness, and a parameter called ‘P3 Descent’ which measures how far down the pedal bone is relative to the coronary band.

Contracted heels
Contracted heels are generally defined by the ‘shrunk look’ of the back of the hoof (Fig 5B). In the case of contracted heels, the heels and bulbs are spatially close to each other, and the frog has lost some of its width. Some hooves have a natural tendency to contract in the summer, especially upright walled hooves. This is in general not a big issue. These hooves need to be trimmed more often by lowering the heels and by allowing the frog sulcus to stay open. This is achieved by removing excess dried out frog in the caudal part of the frog. The frog sulcus is the little dip in the back area of the frog (Fig 5). Some hooves have not only contracted heels but a completely contracted hoof capsule. In extreme cases, the circumference of the coronary band (the junction between the hoof capsule and hairline) is wider than the circumference of the sole. In cases such as these it is crucial to allow the hoof to expand naturally. Contracted capsules may be the result of metal shoes fitted too small to the hoof. Over time, this situation can be helped (Fig 6). To make matters worse, you can have a combination of contracted heels and sheared heels!

Dropped sole
A dropped sole is a sole that has been crushed and pushed down past the walls. Most mature horses have some areas of their sole that are slightly crushed. Blame this on gravity! As usual, there are many ways in which a sole can be crushed. When soles drop seriously it is a sign of mechanical damage at the sole, wall, and soft tissue. In serious cases, the pedal bone is actually pushing down to a point that it sinks quite far into the sole (Fig 7).
Radiographs are good means to assess sole thickness and give valuable information about the shape and stance of the pedal bone inside the hoof capsule. A horse with a dropped sole may display a poor arch definition, and sometimes a large distance between the extensor process and the coronary band (Fig 8). Providing sole support is helpful. Applying sole support to a dropped sole must be done carefully. A dropped sole may cause the sole dermis to be tender, hence abnormally sensitive. The sole dermis is the soft tissue between the keratinized sole and the pedal bone. If the proper support material is applied correctly this should not be an issue. ‘Hoof test’ the sole prior to packing – this will help greatly in locating the sore spot on the sole. It is easier then to decide which support material to use, and where to place it.

Wall detachment and white line disease
The white line is the yellowish-white region between the sole and the walls (Fig 9). This region binds the sole to the walls. Note that the phrase ‘white line’ is sometimes erroneously used in reference to the white pigmentation of the inner walls.
Damage occurs to the keratinized walls and the sensitive laminae when the attachment (also known as the white line) between the sole and the walls becomes compromised. Some of the reasons why the white line junction fails may be factors such as thin sole, poor load distribution, and excessive stress at toe either due to excessively high heels or excessively long toe. Mechanical failure of the white line causes varying degrees of wall separation and possibly lamellar damage. Once this process occurs it makes the hoof capsule more sensitive to ‘white line disease’, which is caused by a fungal infection. There are varying degrees of white line disease. This disease often occurs at the toe, so sometimes the term ‘seedy toe’ is used to describe the problem. It is important not to confuse simple wall detachment with white line disease. A seasoned farrier or veterinarian will be able to notice the difference but to be absolutely sure, you must send a sample of the affected horn to be tested in a lab. Often in the case of white line disease the entire affected area will need to be debrided and treated, but such radical measures are not necessary with a simple case of wall detachment.
A high-quality radiograph can be used to see how far up the hoof wall the infection has gone (Fig 10). There are products on the market that are very efficient at killing bacteria and fungi. However, if the underlying mechanical cause of the problem is not addressed it is very likely that this problem will re-occur.

 

Fig 9. The white line circled in blue binds the walls to the sole, shown in close-up in figure (A) and in a larger scale in figure (B). The white line is visible all the way around the sole from underneath (C). (Images: courtesy of Mike Savoldi)

Fig 10. A radiograph can be used to see how far up the hoof wall the problem has gone. Note the exceedingly long toe of this hoof.

Fig 11. The red boxed area is the most likely region for quarter cracks to occur. The blue arrow represents the load, due to the horse’s weight, coming down the bony column.

Fig 12. A quarter crack that has been patched.

Quarter cracks
The areas of the hoof capsule known as the ‘quarters’ bulge out during the loading cycle as the horse moves. Anatomically, the quarters represent the widest part of the hoof (Fig 11), therefore, this area needs to be able to flex adequately.
One approach to remedy a quarter crack is to dremel into the wall. I personally don’t recommend this – if anything, it weakens the entire capsule further. By design, the hoof capsule is meant to fight cracks. I generally bevel the damaged quarter at the junction of the sole and wall to relieve mechanical stress in this area. I then use either a combination of glue or patching material to strengthen the damaged wall area. Supporting the entire sole may also be helpful in stabilizing the internal displacement of the pedal bone over the sole.

Conclusion
At the risk of over-simplifying, I believe the trim is everything. I am also a believer in using packing to support the bars and caudal (rear) portion of the foot, and I prefer to use prosthetics that allows the hoof to flex and move as intended. With these principles in use, the problems discussed in this article will occur less frequently. Beyond these basic ideas, each situation must be handled in a way that is best for the hoof in question.

 

Archive - Forge Magazine - December 2009
British Farriery - the gold standard. Part 2. Building client relations

By Reg Howe, Master of the Worshipful Company of Farriers and former chairman of the Farriery CPD Steering Group

In part 1, Forge October, page 12, I suggested how farriery became organised in this country to the point where British farriers are recognised as the world’s best! Although this article is aimed at horse owners, Forge, is publishing it so that farriers work with their clients to jointly provide the very best equine care.
As a farrier, you know what you can do and the service you can provide, but do the owners you meet every day understand that you are registered and highly qualified to care for their horse? Expectations have increased; today it is simply not enough for a professional to have a qualification. Clients have a right to expect reliable practice arrangements (for example concerning contact details and appointments), sound professional advice in terms they understand, as well as information before and during the provision of services about the desired outcome, and full details of the fees involved. They should also expect any member of support staff – for example, an apprentice – to whom a task is delegated, to have the knowledge and skills to undertake the task properly under appropriate supervision if necessary.

Working with clients. Client expectations
◗ Arrive on time. We all know how frustrating it can be, having to hang about waiting for the farrier to turn up. However, let’s look at that from the farrier’s point of view: At the first yard the horses were in, but with filthy wet feet, so time had to be spent picking them out and drying them. At the second yard, there were no horses to be seen. However, there was a bucket with head collars and a note in it, which read ‘the cheque is under the bucket and the horses are in the usual paddock’ – more time wasted. Even if the farrier uses a mobile phone to warn owners of a delay, it’s not much help if you have taken time off work to be there. At the third yard, the owner came out with those magic words, dreaded by farriers and veterinary surgeons. ‘While you’re here . . . ‘ – the great plan for the day is now right out of the window!
◗ Do a thoroughly professional job on their horse’s feet. Yes, owners have the right to expect that the shoes will stay on, and to be given sound advice in terms they will understand.
◗ Provide details about fees in advance, and produce fully itemised invoices on request.
◗ To alert you to anything untoward that may need special attention, for example, corrective or surgical shoeing (and they should respect your decision if you wish to refer the problem to a more experienced farrier known to be an expert).
◗ Work closely with their veterinary surgeon in any situation affecting the hoof or lower leg where the vet is also involved. Remember that the ultimate goal is the horse’s welfare. Owners are part of the team of three – with the farrier and the veterinary surgeon – having responsibility for resolving the problem. Good communication is essential, leading to cooperation rather than friction. For example, a vet who leaves instructions or advice for a farrier with the horse’s keeper is acting unwisely, and it’s something that could possibly lead to confusion. The Worshipful Company of Farriers has always promoted good farrier/veterinary surgeon relations. To this end the Company is working towards introducing an Equine Veterinary Studies Award Scheme, enabling senior undergraduates from each of the seven veterinary colleges to spend five working days with a senior farrier.
◗ To agree a date for the next visit and agree arrangements for the supervision of the horse if a helper is required or if a veterinary surgeon is needed to sedate the horse.
Although it is not a requirement of registration, owners may expect their farrier to have professional indemnity insurance.
◗ Finally, expect that you will keep your knowledge up to date. The farriery community recognises the wisdom of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This is a requirement in most regulated professions. In farriery, CPD is voluntary; there is a wide choice of CPD activity with workshops, courses, seminars and conferences, all designed to keep the profession abreast of new techniques and scientific achievement. Owners may well ask what courses you have attended lately, or you may wish to share your new-found knowledge with them.

Working with clients. Farrier’s expectations
In an ideal world, and, in order to care for your clients horses safely and comfortably, build a good relationship with clients and encourage them to provide:
◗ A flat, hard, non-slip surface; ideally, one that is covered (and lit) in case of bad weather. Farriers cannot be expected to trim the feet for correct balance if the horse is standing in a field! A safe working environment is essential. For example, the National Farrier Training Agency is working hard to reduce accidents through sound working practices for apprentices.
◗ Horse owners should have public liability insurance (this is automatic for British Horse Society members).
◗ All work to be done is agreed beforehand, for example, two to be shod plus three trims. You can refuse to do unscheduled work, but obviously it would be a good idea to keep clients happy by fitting them in at a mutually convenient time.
◗ All horses requiring attention have been brought in from the field and have clean, dry feet.
◗ There is a secure wall ring (with a twine loop).
◗ Serviceable head collars/ropes are provided.
◗ Someone is available to hold the pony/ horse if required.
◗ Payment arrangements – usually on completion of the work – have been agreed.
Some farriers ask clients to abide by a set of guidelines – in effect, a farriery agreement, which summarises the above points, and also ensures that everyone knows where they stand! These points are also set out in the ‘Farriers Guide to Professional Conduct’, published by the Farriers Registration Council.
In the next article I will discuss higher qualifications that farriers can aspire to following achievement of the diploma.

Acknowledgements
Richard Stephenson BVMS CertVR CertEP MRCVS, WCF examiner
Felicity Heather, Registrar, Farriers Registration Council
Peter Ablett, Chief Executive, Farriery Training Agency
David Goodall, Registrar and Craft Secretary, Worshipful Company of Farriers
Simon Curtis FWCF HonAssoc RCVS

 

Archive - Forge Magazine - December 2009
Hughie and his young smithies study the history books

By Dale Le Vack

On rare moments when young south Warwickshire blacksmiths Terry Harwood, Joe Page and Stuart Makin have time to pause from work at the forge where they work, they can enjoy the rural world of Marsh Farm created by their boss. Hughie Powell, the managing director of Cotswold Decorative Ironworkers (CDI), and his partner Denise breed rare species of poultry and geese. There are also peacocks strutting around the farm and horses in the paddocks. In the distance the three young blacksmiths can often see wild deer. They enjoy watching wildlife but know that the increasing numbers of deer in the countryside are a serious threat, because of the damage they do to crops and young trees.
More trees than ever before are being planted in the countryside, but the explosion in the deer and rabbit population can cause havoc. One of the fastest growth areas at CDI is in the manufacture and sale of tree guards to protect young and mature trees from damage by wildlife and livestock.
Hughie Powell says: ‘The aesthetic image of trees in a landscaped park with wrought iron guards - matched to the fencing - is pleasing, but secondary to the protection they provide from grazing stock animals, horses and game.’
Hughie and his blacksmiths are kept increasingly busy manufacturing entrance gates, fences, and ornamental bridges for some of the country’s big estates.
CDI also tackles important heritage projects where the ability to replicate classic 18th century designs exactly is paramount.
Terry and Joe are qualified blacksmiths, and Stuart has completed a course at the Moreton Morrell campus of Warwickshire College, and has now moved on to a higher level at Hereford College of Arts where he is taking a BA (Hons) degree in artist blacksmithing.
Terry says: ‘We’re not interested in the light cheap and cheerful products that are powder-coated and in three years need replacing because they are cracked. We specialise in things that you only buy once.’
Joe adds: ‘There is no site welding. We are not fabricators. We are decorative ironworkers, dedicated to the production of permanent forms of living metal.’
Hughie believes in using history books to get things right for Terry, Joe and Stuart to follow.
Hughie says: ‘Modern technology in both materials and forging equipment means that we can build stronger than at any time in the past, giving gates and fences and bridges an indefinite life.’
Hughie takes great personal satisfaction from being a self-made man - and huge pride in the fact that the craftsmen working for his company are working on important restoration and replication projects on major estates.
He has risen in 35 years from being a tractor mechanic to the owner of a business which on some days involves working with princes of the realm, celebrities, and some of Britain’s industrial and financial top guns.
Large country estates, many with forestry, are changing hands from the old landowning classes to the business super rich. These people, along with institutions like the National Trust, are Hughie’s customers.
CDI is based on the edge of the North Cotswolds at Marsh Farm, Stourton, in Warwickshire.

An interesting journey
Hughie has reputation for taking a somewhat off-the-wall approach to business and he has had an interesting journey to success.
‘My father was a carpenter and we lived in a council house in a village near Stratford upon Avon. I left school at 15. We couldn’t afford a car and when Dad scraped up enough to buy me a bicycle I remember riding off to Stratford under my own steam and thinking, yes, I like the idea of being free to travel’.
His ambition to roam was constrained by a five-year apprenticeship as a tractor mechanic at Savile Tractors who were agents for International Harvesters.
‘Having got my apprenticeship papers I heard there was money to be made in Australia. So I went on the £10 immigration scheme in 1971, arrived in Perth and took a job working in the Bush.’
This was iron ore mining country, where new towns were springing up rapidly to house the people coming to live and work there. Later he worked even deeper in the bush on machinery supporting rigs on which miners were drilling for minerals such as copper and manganese and tin.
On a safari around Australia he pitched up in Calgoolie, a gold mining town, where he got a job working 900 feet underground servicing big diesel machinery. Later, he travelled to Brisbane where he was offered work as a lorry mechanic in Papua New Guinea. He found himself in Mount Hagen in the highlands of the pre-independence country. It was 1973 and the valley tribes of the rainforest still had little knowledge of the outside world, and certainly no experience of it. Mount Hagen was a lawless area controlled loosely by Australian patrol officers. Part of Hughie’s job was to drive a lorry and buy coffee from the local natives.
At one time he stepped in to help a friend who ran a coffee plantation and who wanted a holiday. He was left on his own to work things out.
‘I was two or three hours from the nearest European, overseeing and managing about 400 natives, having to speak in pidgin English. In the end I stayed for several months.’
He returned to England in 1974 with £8,000 intending to buy a house but spent most of it in the following two years. He drew the last of the money out of the bank and went to Paris, having heard the French were getting into antique pine furniture. He recruited a French woman living in Stratford, gave her a ticket to fly to Paris, and followed her in an old Ford Cortina estate.
They negotiated a lease on a shop in what looked like a prosperous area, while Hughie travelled back to the north of England to buy a lorry load of chest of drawers and dressers.
He could buy an 18th century pine chest of drawers in England for £50 and sell the same thing in France for nearly four times that. Over the next 12 years Hughie traded up to better addresses.
He had a knack of coming up with bizarre ideas that worked. One of them was to buy old Rolls Royces in England, get them done up, and park them on a Paris street with a ‘for sale’ notice on the windscreen. He ended up with a showroom in the Paris Flea Market where he sold eccentric items.
‘You had to be mad to even think about dealing in them, but there was a market for fairground rides, mechanical pianos, large church organs, even English telephone boxes which weighed
15 hundredweight.’
Eventually Hughie returned to England and went into the architectural salvage business. He specialised in gates, fencing, tree guards, awnings, and other heavy items such as cast iron banisters.
CDI gradually evolved from that. Clients were asking him for replicated items which retained the classic styles but involved using modern forging technology.
The company recently completed a project for the National Trust on the Crom Demesne estate in Co Fermanagh where it installed 1,250 metres of iron parkland fencing with gates and posts to replace wooden fencing.
Other important heritage projects have been completed for Oxford Castle, Batsford Arboretum, and Lord de Ramsey, former chairman of the Environment Agency, at his home Abbots Ripton Hall in Huntingdonshire.
Another major undertaking was at the Grade II listed Buckland Park, a Georgian Palladian house in Berkshire, with a deer park and commanding views over the Thames Valley. The company installed 1,350 metres of cast iron fencing, gates and matching tree guards.
At the CLA Game Fair in July this year Hughie’s prize stand exhibit was a magnificent set of 12 foot wide gates about to be erected at 17th Century Aynhoe Park, the Capability Brown estate on the borders of Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire, being restored by the well known entrepreneur James Perkins.
He bought Marsh Farm at Stourton 10 years ago and one of his spin-off passions is collecting and buying and selling vintage agricultural and road-building machinery.
He particularly likes American, French, and German plant and he has built up a continental network keeping him informed about such quirky items as vintage Porsche and Lanz tractors, elderly Caterpillars, and marques from France like Latil when they come up for sale.
‘The French built excellent machinery between the wars. They pioneered four-wheel drive for example, which was well ahead of its time. The Americans also manufactured reliable machinery. Few people realise Porsche once built tractors.’
He ends: ‘I am a fulfilled man, having risen from humble beginnings in the country but never forgetting those origins. I don’t envisage growing the business from here – with a £2 million turnover I can control it efficiently – but retirement is not for me even though I’m now in my 60s. My work is my hobby.’

 

Archive - Forge Magazine - December 2009
The Italian Job

The 24th Italian European Team Farriery Championships, held during the amazing ‘Fieracavalli’ Festival of the Horse in Verona, Italy, took place on November 6 with teams from Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland and England. This year’s England team for the trip included three from the current winning England team from this year’s International Team Horseshoeing event, David Smith, Gavin Golby, Matt Randles along with former team member and world champion finalist Nigel Fennell.
With only two weeks’ notice of going, practice of the shoes was a tight affair but all four competitors were familiar with Italian shoemaking from previous years’ competing there. The four shoes to be made were an Italian bar shoe, a hind ‘rabbit’ shoe, an Italian jumping hind shoe and a mule shoe with round calkins, all to be made in 1hr 50 minutes and a 5 mm tolerance. The first day was the beginning of the shoemaking with all the members of the teams battling throughout the day to gain as many points for their country. By the end of a long day it was an excellent idea for most of the team to refresh themselves at the bar later that night.
The next day would reveal who was in the lead from day one and one team member from each country with the highest team shoemaking score would go through to the shoeing final to represent their country. England was well in the lead as a team, and dominated the top five places as individuals, with Nigel Fennell winning the shoemaking overall. He had the highest score and went on to shoe in the final. This consisted of making and applying an Italian fullered front shoe and a Italian jumping hind. The shoeing ran ok with the only hiccup being that the horse was reluctant to be shod so it did soak up the time, but Nigel managed to finish with the help and guidance of David Smith who struck and fired for him in the class. Nigel went onto win the shoeing and explained, ‘We all had such strong shoemaking rounds the previous day anyone of us could of made the final, and it really put us in a good position for day two. We had a great time together, it’s always a great trip.’

Results
1st England
2nd Italy
3rd Switzerland
Show champion - Nigel Fennell

 

Archive - Forge Magazine - December 2009
Jim Blurton and Grant Moon are interviewed Parkinson style

Continuing with the exceptionally high standard of clinicians, the second Handmade Shoes (UK) Ltd Clinic of 2009 welcomed Jim Blurton AWCF and Grant Moon AWCF. Grant Moon is six times holder of the prestigious title of World Champion Blacksmith and, as a representative of Mustad, a worldwide farrier supply manufacturer, delivers clinics across the world. Jim Blurton, also a winner of the World Championships, is head of multi-farrier practice – Forden Farriers – in addition to successfully manufacturing his own range of tools and specialist shoes. Along with clinic host, Billy Crothers, Grant and Jim are members of the highly successful Welsh International Farrier Team.
Following a welcome from Billy and Lucy, the morning kicked off with a ‘Parkinson’ style interview. It was time to ask the pair more personal questions; an insight into their lives ‘behind the scenes’.

Jim Blurton
Jim is a private man and has always kept his personal life separate from his profession. A farriery business is generally a fairly small team, and Jim believes it is extremely important to create a formal boundary between work and home - no members of staff have ever entered his house. While he admits he has become close to and fond of many employees, and recognises that it would be enjoyable to socialise with them he prefers to keep a distance between employer and employee.
At the age of 52 Jim would like to make more room for social engagements and enjoying pastimes such as shooting fishing and walking. With both the shoeing and manufacturing businesses established financially, there is now an opportunity for Jim to enjoy time away from work but that is not to say he will be taking his finger off the pulse! Similar to many successful businessmen Jim finds it hard to delegate. He recognises that, as a figurehead of Forden Farriers, it is imperative to be in touch with it – the horseshoeing business is a service product customers associate a face with. Jim believes you cannot have a horseshoeing business without being involved, and he certainly doesn’t want to retire at the moment!
Jim cites his father as being a great influence in addition to Richard Downs Evans (a former member of the Welsh International Team) as well as Billy and Grant. He acknowledges that there have been many good influences in his career so far but has also learnt from others how not to do things! His proudest achievement personally was winning the World Championships, however, the results achieved with the recent graduation of apprentices has also been a welcome and particularly special result – last year Jim had two apprentices qualify with honours and one with distinction.

Grant Moon
Grant Moon is perhaps the most famous farrier in the world – he has shod horses in no less than 36 countries. Grant’s career began alongside Billy at college and Billy cites Grant as being responsible for enticing and inspiring him to compete.
Following his apprenticeship, Grant embarked on travelling, a journey that was to lead him to settle in Texas for some time – Grant found that the trend for big hats and big belts suited him! Texas was Grant’s first experience of the effect climate has on hooves and soon learnt to shoe horses quite differently from the wetter environment found at home in Wales. Grant quickly established a shoeing round in Texas and experience in these early years has proved invaluable.
Grant is a formidable competitor in farriery competitions but, at the age of 47, considers himself a ‘work in progress’. His drive and commitment to achieving success is quite remarkable especially when coupled with the level of humility displayed; Grant does not need to shoe horses for a living as he is actively involved in the hotel industry. His passion for the farriery industry is personal and believes that the farrier is one of the most important parts of the equestrian industry but is so undervalued.
While horseshoeing and the hotel business are different in many ways, Grant recognises the two are also similar – what he learns in one industry can easily be transferred to the other; they are both service industries. The quality of the product coupled with value for money underpins his belief in both. Following a family interest in hotels Grant remains actively involved in the hotel industry helping also to create an ‘exit strategy’ and his desire not to be an ‘old farrier’.
Grant regards himself as fortunate to have had so many great mentors naming Tom Williams and Edward Martin as just two examples. Similar to Jim, Grant appreciates the camaraderie gained from being a member of the Welsh farriery team. The World Championships are obvious ‘proud moments’ but Grant cites his ability to continue to compete at this level during this later stage of his career also particularly important to him.

Jim Blurton, on running a multi-farrier practice
School was ‘not for’ Jim, and leaving with just three O levels had little direction with his career and so began helping his father shoeing horses. Jim has been actively involved in Pony Club and had hunted and quickly began to enjoy helping his father on his shoeing round. To encourage Jim to have ‘another string to his bow’, he began the apprenticeship at Hereford College, which historically included increased blacksmithing and agricultural engineering components in addition to farriery skills – his father was mindful that you should be able to have other skills should an accident or such mean that you could no longer shoe horses on a daily basis. Jim acknowledges he was probably the worst apprentice anyone could have had and clashed with his father regularly - Jim had ambitions for the business and could see potential within horseshoeing to make a better living for himself, his father had experienced particularly hard times (during the war) and was happy to ‘get by’.
The village of Forden had a blacksmith shop and Richard Downs Evans was employed as a farrier until he was injured and unable to shoe horses. John Mead, current owner of the shop, approached Jim and asked if he would be willing to work for him; Jim was the nearest farrier to the forge. After a little haggling from Jim, the forge was purchased and what was seen by Jim as a ‘lucky break in his career’ became the start of a much larger operation.
Jim felt that shoemaking was perhaps a weaker side of his abilities and asked Richard Downs Evans for his assistance, as he was still able to forge shoes to an unbelievably high standard with an ‘exceptionally good eye for balance and symmetry’. From 5.30 am to 8.30 am every morning, Richard worked with Jim in the forge making shoes, and, in time Jim was able to make two-and-a-half sets per hour. However, Richard could still make three! It was Richard who was responsible for introducing Jim to farriery competitions.
After a few years, Jim took on his first apprentice and once he qualified he took on another. The business continued to grow for about 10 years until it seemed to plateau. Jim could see that the demand in the industry was changing – customers didn’t want apprentices – and therefore began to develop a system of employing qualified farriers so that an apprentice was always with a qualified farrier.
Currently the team at Forden Farriers consists of five qualified farriers with five apprentices and they have five vans on the road. The hands-on tuition from the constant presence of a qualified farrier is beneficial for an apprentice, resulting in better apprentices – the level of training received provides them with invaluable experience. All of the team are encouraged to compete and gain a competitive spirit at competitions and within the team, the result being that standards are continually being raised. Jim cites it as a personal crusade to elevate and increase the standard of farriery – training better farriers in that hope that one day should they become trainers themselves they too will train better farriers.
Apprentices are employed by Jim once they qualify – while there is always a desire to set up their own shoeing round they are encouraged to stay with a fair salary that acknowledges their skills and abilities. The longest serving qualified farrier within the business is Elgan Harries who has been with Jim for 14 years, and has recently been made a partner. He now takes responsibility for client bookings. Employees are selected carefully; if a qualified farrier leaves and established his or her own business within the same area there is always the risk that they will take some clients.
Martin Gould is employed as a general manager who carries out the administration for not only the shoeing business but the tool and bar shoe manufacturing businesses too. The office runs a comprehensive system to cater for the needs of all customers – clients to the farrier business may call throughout the working day from 7 am to 7 pm and details (when, where, who and what) are recorded on a job card. These calls are returned within 24 hours. Sixty per cent of customers are on repeat bookings – this allows for better utilisation of staff, planning more direct routes, decreased administration and customer piece of mind. Efficiency is highlighted as an extremely important consideration in business, and there is no doubt that the operation of Forden Farriers has been considered carefully. Forden Farriers covers four counties, however, a client with a lame horse or a lost shoe rarely needs to wait more than 24 hours before they are visited.
Two hundred to 250 horses a week are visited, with a total of 547 clients – there is no doubt that the needs of these customers have not been underestimated. Jim pays a great deal of attention to the service delivered; politeness, punctuality, quality of work and general professionalism executed by all staff. Listening to customers is highlighted as being important; customers can be lost by not giving them what they want. Timing is incredibly important, with mobile phones there is no excuse to not call or contact a customer if you are running late or have been held up. The business is largely self-marketed, the concept of ‘selling an image’ was discussed – vehicles and employees are all presentable and tidy, there is no hierarchy within the business in terms of age and quality of vehicle – for example, for an employer to have a better vehicle than an employee would indicate to the customer that they were getting a ‘second rate service’. After taking on a new yard, Jim will find time to speak to the yard’s owner or manager to ensure that they are happy with the service they are receiving and, if possible, makes changes or amendments to ensure that their requirements are being met.
A flat rate is charged throughout the business, which he believes probably undervalues the best farriers within the business and over values the less capable. In a sole trader business Jim feels that every job needs to pay while as a multi-farrier practise he would not want to alienate customers through price. If he were to increase the charges of Forden Farriers, Jim believes it would fragment the business and result in customers being further apart therefore increasing travelling time and decreasing efficiency. A ‘sensible’ price was said to be between £65 and £75, while acknowledging geographical variations exist.
Jim’s talk was completed with a few thoughts for the future – according to the FTA there are currently 2656 qualified farriers in the country with 449 apprentices. One hundred to 120 qualify each year, with the average age of the farrier becoming younger, and yet we are told that this figure has remained fairly static for the last six years. Many farriers are reporting that it is harder to get work with some areas perhaps becoming ‘saturated’. Jim believes that perhaps the distribution of farriers throughout the UK is wrong. His underlying feeling was that you should ‘keep doing what you are doing; reasonably priced and well-serviced’, while sounding simple in concept, it was obvious that Forden Farriers is managed in a particularly efficient and professional manner and certainly provided plenty of food for thought!
Jim does not currently shoe on a Friday as this day is dedicated to checking the manufacturing processes and quality control on the tools. While acknowledging the shoeing business is a more personal one, the manufacturing business is ‘managed’ business – a business that is now established and requires a smaller input from Jim. He acknowledges the tool and specialist shoes manufacturing will provide him with a better ‘exit strategy’ in the future, as these businesses have a more saleable quality.

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Grant Moon – horseshoeing philosophy
The second half of the morning gave way to Grant presenting his opinion on ‘horseshoeing philosophy’ – he reiterated that it was ‘his opinion and just one opinion’. A highly motivated individual, he has a passion for learning and for new information, making a decision to suit you and building upon it.
Throughout his career, Grant has had shod many different types of horses in different climates, he took what he had learnt in the UK and built upon those foundations. Accuracy became apparent very quickly through experience of trimming and shoeing long-footed Arabians – the shoe weight and length of the toe was of such importance that a competitor would be disqualified should the measurements be inaccurate. To cover himself, Grant’s customer, the trainer, would be asked to witness the weighing of shoes prior to nailing on. Citing just ‘two types of feet, front and hinds’, Grant reaffirmed his belief in simple shoeing methods. He doesn’t believe in fads and fashions.
Grant suggested a typical farriery business as having the largest proportion of its horses as sound, a smaller proportion as exhibiting a shortening of stride, a smaller proportion with intermittent lameness and the smallest proportion being chronically lame. Grant reiterated the importance of talking to the client; if a horse has begun refusing jumps, not flexing to the left and so on, these points should be taken on board. Degenerative diseases such as sidebone and ringbone are all stresses on bone. Beginning as an irritation and developing to inflammation and later bony changes the earlier that these problems are detected the better the chance that you will have of working with it; communication is key. Action at the ‘irritation’ stage may mean that there is still a chance to fix it, being proactive and yet still maximising performance.
Evaluation is key – you can buy the best tools but it doesn’t mean you are going to use them well, ‘the best tool is the skill to evaluate’. Walk all horses on soft and hard ground before starting. An unsupportive soft surface may show a different picture from movement on a hard surface. Horses are dynamic animals and, therefore, you should also watch them being ridden – Grant believes too much assessment is done while the horse is static. Posture is also incredibly important to note – is the handler allowing the horse to hold its head to one side while you are assessing foot balance or is the horses head central? Posture relates to performance, while a horses’ conformation cannot be changed, its posture can be.
Grant believes greater emphasis should be placed on hoof ground reaction forces. A horse assessed to have base narrow conformation may indeed have ‘base narrow compensation’. Changes can be made positively and negatively. A farrier will have a good idea of how the horse is going to ride by assessing its posture – posture of a horse is of particular interest to Grant.
There are a number of ways in which hoof distortion is seen – flares, under run heels, prolapsed frog, prolapsed sole, distortion of coronary band, distortion of the white line, quarter cracks and broken bars to name a few and it is usual to see distortions in combinations. The foot is connected; pressure in one area will lead to alteration in another and therefore changes in the foot should be examined for and may occur due to neglect, conformation or farrier error. Feet must carry weight evenly or they will distort; symmetrical structures lead to equal weight bearing. Shoulder and pastern angle should be equal, the leg vertical. Phases of stride include: impact – high concussion, over in seconds, the heels should be trimmed properly; weight-bearing – phase of support and weight central; and break over – a mechanical process, the foot should not have too much in front or behind point of articulation. The centre of articulation should ideally have 50 per cent of the foot in front and 50 per cent behind. The end of the heel should be central to the centre of the digital cushion – the area where maximum concussion may be absorbed and lessen the interference with bony structures. Distortion does not have to be corrected in one shoeing, it may be a gradual process that occurs over a few appointments. Careful consideration should be given to the sport the horse is active in (controlled or fast) and of course the surface the horse is worked on (supportive or non-supportive), rider experience should also be carefully considered.
The Don Birdsall Coronary Band Graphing technique was explained in some detail – hoof distortions may be more easily recognised using this technique and it provides a very useful tool when utilised during an explanation to a veterinary surgeon and/or owner. Working with your client at each stage will undoubtedly result in a better outcome in the end.
Shoemaking demonstrations
Following lunch, a chance to catch up with old friends and view the new and existing products within the Handmade Shoes range, attendees were treated to a practical second half of the day incorporating a shoeing and shoemaking demonstration by Grant and Jim.
The shoemaking demonstrations included a pair of concave shoes made by Jim and an egg bar, heart bar and straight bar made by Grant. Both clinicians displayed a remarkable system for making shoes, knowing at each stage, within each heat, what needs to be achieved. Both depicted the same systematic approach; toe bend, outside branch, inside branch.
Jim advises allowing time to make the toe-bend and forging the heel to the shape of the foot you are shoeing, always ensuring that you are keeping symmetry in the shoe. Working quickly and efficiently Jim noted that when making pairs you need to put the shoe across the anvil at the same point to achieve perfect matches. Concave should not be overworked. Jim cited stamps as displacing material and pritchels removing it, avoiding ‘bullet holes’ – shoes should be a ‘dull red’ during stamping as stamps are generally more efficient in a cooler piece of steel. Slight back pritchelling of nail holes was carried out to tidy them up, it was also noted that this may help prevent ‘shearing’ of the nail during the shoeing cycle and avoiding unnecessary ‘lost’ shoes.
Grant allowed just one additional heat in the making of his shoes to compensate for the weld of the bar, he classified this as a good ‘working weld’, however, in competitions a further heat is likely. Using 7/8” by 3/8” steel he calculated the length required by measuring a hind foot to a ‘working fit’ at 5 ½” by 5 ¾” to give 11 ¼”, allowing 1 ½” for a normal hind to give 12 ¾” plus the width of the heels plus an inch for the weld to give an overall length of steel of 16 ¼”. Grant said that you should not be afraid of forging a front bar shoe into a hind bar shoe and vice versa as and when necessary.
A final shoemaking demonstration by Jim depicting the fitting of his own range of barshoes – this particular example included the raised heel bar shoe with a 5 degree graduated wedge and was carried out on a pony with tendon problems. This shoe design includes a set down bar and frog pressure needs to be alleviated so the packing of the foot is recommend with a softer product, in this case Vettec Equi-Pak. The frog is a weightbearing surface and, therefore, needs to be encouraged to act as it was intended to, as a pump. During fitting, the symmetry was maintained in the heel of the shoe, re-confirming that during forging you need to carry out on one side exactly what was carried out on the other. The Jim Blurton range of Barshoes is designed for the ‘MX’ range of nails however ‘Slims’ also fit well. The graduation of this particular design transfers weight off the heels through the frog to encourage the heels to get stronger and higher. Grant personally believes you can load the frog with a lot of pressure.

Shoeing demonstrations
The shoeing demonstration began with Grant making an accurate analysis of the foot and limb and watching the horse move. Lines on the foot were made to note the centre of articulation and the ‘corners’ of the foot; where toe became the branch of the shoe and so on. The horse to be shod was a polo pony and, therefore, it was noted that excessive shoe length would be inappropriate (similar to the specifications at Calgary where the shoe is not permitted to finish more than 10 mm beyond the point of the heel). Following Grant’s verbal analysis Jim trimmed the foot.
Grant forged a pair of three quarter fullered front shoes for the pony, following the same systematic shoemaking method –allowing just three heats per shoe. Grant doesn’t tend to use dividers if only to check himself.
During fitting, it was noted by Jim that he advises apprentices (and often practises this himself!) to go to the horse when the first branch and first three nails holes have been forged, particularly during their examinations. This allows the farrier to check that the shoe is forming into the correct shape, if it isn’t there is more time at this point of a class/examination to re-start and ensure that the fit and shape is correct. The shoes were nailed on with the nails driven one third of the way up the foot with a slight inclination toward the toe.
The day was complete with a rapturous applause from all who had attended and positive comments regarding the quality and quantity of information supplied by the two clinicians have already been received. Jim and Grant, while different in many ways, are highly motivated professionals working in an industry they obviously feel passionate about. This was an inspiring clinic that delivered a wealth of ‘take home’ information from two industry figures you cannot fail to admire and respect.