H&C

19
Feb
2010

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The Brits are victorious again!

Davie Varini, Steven Beane, Mark Watson and Jim Blurton

"Firstly we must apologise for this blog following so long after the last; 2010 has got off to a very fast start and we seem to have enjoyed a hectic but very busy few weeks!

Christmas and the New Year were busy. The raceyard has frequent runners during this period for owners capitalising on the festive period and the statutory public holidays. The hunt also enjoy a busy time and we are always on call for ‘lost’ shoes during this period. Despite working, Christmas and New Year is a really enjoyable time to see clients, many of which are normally working when we visit. Everyone is in good spirits and the cold weather eased by increased offerings of cakes and mince pies!

The snow, whilst lovely at first, did prove troublesome and as I write this there is yet more falling! Many of our customers live on very high ground which meant that we simply could not get to them at all until the snow had gone. The vast majority of our customers were very understanding and did not mind at all although there were a couple who, despite the fact that they were house bound, still expected us to get to the horses even though they were not being worked and the roads were treacherous! As explained a crash in a van could indicate a delay a lot longer than waiting for the snow to be managed!

Do take extra care on roads. We have had a number of clients (Claire included) noting that the horses have been slipping on roads more. Wet, damp conditions, early morning frosts, mud dragged on to roads by vehicles - can all make roads more slippery. This is always more evident when living in a particularly hilly area. Your farrier may recommend road pins (made of tungsten) which can be placed into the shoe at the time shoeing and could help to provide extra grip.

Do check feet regularly too for signs of infection. Horses stood in stables for longer periods can run the risk of picking up fungal infections such as thrush. We recommend a strong anti-bacterial treatment such as Kevin Bacon’s Hoof Solution to help control this problem.

Harry has once more been successful and selected to represent Wales in the Apprentice team at the Home International at the end of February this year hosted by Ireland. He will be putting in a few long days over the coming weeks honing his shoemaking skills! The first competition to compete in will be the rescheduled Master & Apprentice Competition which was cancelled at the end of last year.

Claire and I travelled to the European Championships in Bordeaux at the beginning of February to represent Forge & Farrier with the UK Farriery Team of Steven Beane (Yorkshire), David Varini (Ayrshire), Mark Watson (British Army) and Jim Blurton (Welshpool). It was a fantastic chance to meet so many of our European contacts who have supported Forge & Farrier for some time now. Our team, generously sponsored by ProFeet, put in a sterling performance. Steven and David lead the ‘final 12’ on the last day and the UK once more proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Our sincere congratulations to David Varini, new European Champion Farrier and Steven Beane, Reserve European. We really do have the best farriers in the world in the UK!

Furthermore, May will see the biggest competition the farrier world has ever seen take place at Stoneleigh. Past winners from the World Championships have been invited to take part in a one-off competition, in aid of the competitors' chosen charity, to become the Mustad ‘Champion of Champions’. The UK are well represented and a number of farriers from the US are coming over to compete too. Should be an exciting event!"