Farrier Focus Podcast

In today's episode we talk to internationally acclaimed farrier and teacher, Alan Bailey of England.

Alan Bailey began shoeing in 1963. He comes from a long line of farriers and blacksmiths. In 1978, he went to teach at the Hereford College. There, Alan became well-known for his teaching method; especially of anatomy and physiology. He is responsible for raising the standard of excellence in the farrier training exams at the Hereford College. Because Alan demanded such a high standard of his students, he has the unique distinction, as a teacher, of never having had a student fail. He is still affectionately remembered by many of his former students. They appreciate that he expected so much and he never gave up on them.

In 1988, Alan left the school to become the liaison officer for the Farrier Registration Council of the Worshipful Company of Farriers. He went to Louisville, KY and gave a presentation at the Laminitis Symposium in January of 1989. After that, he became popular on the international lecture circuit. He has spoken at many seminars and clinics all over the world (including eastern and western Australia, Tasmania, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, etc.). He was in high demand for his outstanding teaching style.

Alan retired from international lecturing having realized the limitations of his practical know-how, and returned to horse shoeing and veterinary technical consultant work. He revisited the traditional methods as taught in the United Kingdom, relearned horse shoeing to the benefit of the horse, and how not to follow a method determined by history and practiced by the indoctrinated. He suggests that 'the methods subsequently learned and used in his everyday shoeing would now raise awareness of the farriers responsibility to the functionality of the animal.

Alan retired from shoeing horses in 2016.

Alan shares some of his experiences with running a shoeing practice, working with veterinarians, his friendship with Dr. Doug Butler, and his experiences teaching at the Hereford College in England.

If you would like to contact us with questions relating to your business, specific cases, general horse hoof care questions, or suggestions for future podcasts, please email us at [email protected]. We might even feature your email in a future episode.

In this talk given at a Farrier Focus Conference in 2005 in Indiana, Jake Butler discusses how he uses the book, Principles of Horseshoeing 3rd edition to teach. He also gives tips on how individuals can study the book on their own to maximize their learning. At the time, Jake Butler was teaching Farrier Science at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, NM.

If you would like to contact us with questions relating to your business, specific cases, general horse hoof care questions, or suggestions for future podcasts, please email us at [email protected]. We might even feature your email in a future episode.

In this episode we talk to Gary Huston of Hertfordshire, England. He is a Farrier, Blacksmith, welder and general fabricator. He started out in 1978 with a four year Farriery apprenticeship, qualifying in 82 with his Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers. He worked with his boss for nine years before going solo.

In 2006, Gary started a YouTube channel showcasing his many talents and interests. Apart from blacksmithing and Farriery there are videos on metal detecting, my animals, cooking, motorcycles and nature to name but a few.

In 2012, Gary became somewhat famous on the internet as he posted a video entitled, "Horseshoeing Ruby." The viral video is simply Gary doing good solid farrier work with little narration. The video is 11 minutes 34 seconds and it has over 8 million views on YouTube!

Gary continues to put content on his channel with his farrier and blacksmithing videos being the most popular. In July of this year he reached over 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. However, his subscribers only account for 6.6% of the people who view his videos!

Gary's videos can be seen at:

https://www.youtube.com/user/garyhuston

Gary has an Amazon.com page and Etsy store here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/garyhuston

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GaryHustonStore You can also follow him on Instagram at gary.s.huston.

If you would like to contact us with questions relating to your business, specific cases or general horse hoof care questions please email us at [email protected]. We might even feature your email in a future episode.

In this episode, Dr. Courtney Diehl, DVM explains some of the most common equine infectious diseases that horses are usually vaccinated for including: Equine Infectious Anemia, Eastern, Western and Venezuelan Encephalitis, and West Nile. Recently, there have been some confirmed cases of these diseases in horses in the United States. Learn more about what these and other diseases can do to horses and what can be done to prevent them.

Farriers should not vaccinate or deworm horses that they trim and/or shoe. Veterinarians are responsible for administering vaccinations and dewormers. Farriers are often asked questions about general horse health. Though we recommend that farriers be knowledgeable about all aspects of horsemanship, we also recommend that farriers refer to the veterinarian when questions come up that fall in the vet's realm.

Dr. Courtney Diehl, DVM is a horse vet with experience in treating horses in the Eastern and Western United States.

This episode is brought to you by Vettec. Vettec Manufactures hoof care products for the hoof care professional. Vettec's extensive line of hoof related materials allow your hoof care professional to complete hoof repairs and glue on shoes with Adhere, as well as create instant shoes and foal extensions with Superfast. Vettec's instant pad materials (Equi-Pak, Equi-Pak CS, Equi-Pak Soft, Sil-Pak and Sole-Guard) promote heel and sole growth, eliminate thrush, protect and support the equine foot, and prevent stone bruising. Does your horse suffer from sore feet, low heels, broken walls, thrush, laminitis, navicular or founder? Ask your hoof care professional or visit www.vettec.com to explore how these tools can work for you.

In this episode, Dr. Doug Butler gives advice on how to successfully market yourself in your business. He gives the secrets to set yourself apart from the competition in order to grow your business. By applying the techniques and strategies he outlines, farriers will be able to attract more customers and increase their bottom line.

If you would like to contact us with questions relating to your business, specific cases or general horse hoof care questions please email us at [email protected]. We might even feature your email in a future episode.

This episode is brought to you by Vettec. Vettec Manufactures hoof care products for the hoof care professional. Vettec's extensive line of hoof related materials allow your hoof care professional to complete hoof repairs and glue on shoes with Adhere, as well as create instant shoes and foal extensions with Superfast. Vettec's instant pad materials (Equi-Pak, Equi-Pak CS, Equi-Pak Soft, Sil-Pak and Sole-Guard) promote heel and sole growth, eliminate thrush, protect and support the equine foot, and prevent stone bruising. Does your horse suffer from sore feet, low heels, broken walls, thrush, laminitis, navicular or founder? Ask your hoof care professional or visit www.vettec.com to explore how these tools can work for you.

In this episode, we talk to farrier legend, Ada Gates-Patton of Southern California. Ada shares her experiences in beginning her farrier career in 1971 to becoming the first woman to ever become a licensed racetrack farrier and member of the International Union of Journeyman Shoers in the United States and Canada. She shares some of her experiences in working on the most famous race horses in the United States and other countries. She was the official Farrier Liaison for the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, California. She has been a consultant for many high profile cases all over the world and is an inductee of the Horseshoers Hall of Fame. She received the American Farrier's Association Edward Martin Humanitarian Award in 2008.

This Farrier Focus Podcast episode is brought to you by Vettec. Vettec Manufactures hoof care products for the hoof care professional. Vettec's extensive line of hoof related materials allow your hoof care professional to complete hoof repairs and glue on shoes with Adhere, as well as create instant shoes and foal extensions with Superfast. Vettec's instant pad materials (Equi-Pak, Equi-Pak CS, Equi-Pak Soft, Sil-Pak and Sole-Guard) promote heel and sole growth, eliminate thrush, protect and support the equine foot, and prevent stone bruising. Does your horse suffer from sore feet, low heels, broken walls, thrush, laminitis, navicular or founder? Ask your hoof care professional or visit www.vettec.com to explore how these tools can work for you.

In this episode, we talk to Tab Pigg, CJF of Azle, Texas. He started shoeing horses in 1983. He has been very involved in the Texas Professional Farriers Association and became the president in 2000. He has served as a tester for AFA certification and participated in several clinics and contests.

For the last several years, Tab has been the Technical Specialist for Vettec. He travels around the country to demonstrate how Vettec products can help horses and cattle. He also has a popular internet video series called, Two Minutes with Tab where he gives helpful tips on how to use Vettec products.

This Farrier Focus Podcast episode is brought to you by Vettec. Vettec Manufactures hoof care products for the hoof care professional. Vettec's extensive line of hoof related materials allow your hoof care professional to complete hoof repairs and glue on shoes with Adhere, as well as create instant shoes and foal extensions with Superfast. Vettec's instant pad materials (Equi-Pak, Equi-Pak CS, Equi-Pak Soft, Sil-Pak and Sole-Guard) promote heel and sole growth, eliminate thrush, protect and support the equine foot, and prevent stone bruising. Does your horse suffer from sore feet, low heels, broken walls, thrush, laminitis, navicular or founder? Ask your hoof care professional or visit www.vettec.com to explore how these tools can work for you.

In this interview, we talk about how Dave Duckett, FWCF began his career in horseshoeing and discuss the things he has learned along the way. He discusses his championships, how he mastered the skills of farriery, principles of his research regarding Duckett's dot and what he has learned from teaching farriers all over the world.

In this episode, we talk to Wes Earls of Brawley, California. He started shoeing horses full-time in 1970 where he learned from his father who owned and operated a Horseshoeing School there in Southern California.

Wes shares many of his experiences, including how he got started, shoeing the horses for the Border Control and many other memorable stories from his career.

In this episode, we talk with Certified Journeyman Farrier John Sligh of Talkeetna, Alaska, which is about three hours north of Anchorage). He started shoeing at Guantonomo Bay, Cuba in 1970 while he was in the Marine Corps. He practiced in Ocala, Florida from 1978 until he retired 2017.

John shares how he got his start as a farrier, lessons from becoming a Certified Journeyman Farrier, competing, and memorable stories from his career.