The Lockdown Farriery Podcast

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The Booksmith an aid to MTD

Welcome to the Lockdown Farriery Podcast. In today's episode, we're talking about something that affects every farrier in business: bookkeeping, accounts, and the dreaded Making Tax Digital.

I'm joined by Mark Barnard, a fellow farrier and AWCF, along with Charlie and John, the creators of The Booksmith. Together, they've developed a solution specifically designed for farriers to manage their finances and stay compliant with MTD requirements.

If you've ever struggled with paperwork, bookkeeping, or understanding what HMRC actually wants from you, this conversation is going to be invaluable. And if you want to find out more after the episode, head over to www.thebooksmith.co.uk.

Let's dive in.

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Episode Description

Wayne Preece FWCF returns to the Lockdown Farriery Podcast for an in-depth conversation about his recent health challenges, the state of farrier regulation in the UK, and the upcoming European Championships.

Wayne, a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, experienced educator, and international clinician, has been instrumental in shaping farrier standards across Europe through his work with the European Farriers Association (EFA). He's helped develop certification programs in multiple countries and continues to push the profession forward despite facing significant health setbacks.

In this extended conversation, Wayne and the host discuss:

• Wayne's recovery from total knee replacement and upcoming hip surgery
• His ongoing work with the Polish and Italian farrier associations on EFA certification programs
• The complexities of organizing the European Championships and improvements to competition standards
• The controversial UK veterinary reform consultation and what it could mean for farrier regulation
• The confusion between the FRC, WCF, and BFBA - and why understanding these bodies matters
• Professional pricing challenges in the UK compared to other countries
• The future of farrier education and the apprenticeship system

This is a frank, unfiltered discussion about the realities of being a farrier professional in 2025, covering everything from health challenges to regulatory debates to the business side of the trade.

Key Topics & Timestamps

Health Update & Recovery (0:00 - 12:00)

• Wayne's total knee replacement in October
• Upcoming hip replacement surgery
• The physical toll of farriery and recovery challenges
• Maintaining work through injury via computer-based projects

International Work & EFA Programs (12:00 - 30:00)

• Work with VFT Denmark and Polish Farriers Federation
• Development of Certified Euro Farrier and Master Euro Farrier programs
• Educational support for European associations
• Upcoming presentation at North American Equine Practitioners conference

European Championships Organization (30:00 - 50:00)

• Formation of EFA subcommittee to improve competition standards
• Challenges from the 2023 Spanish championships
• New rule book development and standardization efforts
• Danny's consultancy role for the upcoming Dutch championships
• The importance of learning from mistakes in competition organization

UK Farrier Bodies: FRC, WCF & BFBA (50:00 - 1:10:00)

• Clarifying the roles: FRC (regulation), WCF (heritage/recognition), BFBA (professional support)
• Social media confusion and misinformation
• Why the FRC exists to protect the public, not farriers
• The value of BFBA membership and professional networking

Farrier Regulation & Professionalism (1:10:00 - 1:30:00)

• The UK as the only country with statutory regulation
• Disciplinary processes and the FRC Bulletin
• Comparing regulatory standards with other professions
• The evolution of the FRC since 2017 reforms
• Why farriers wanted teeth in regulation - and now have it

The Horse Industry & Pricing Challenges (1:30:00 - 1:50:00)

• Why UK farriers are among the cheapest globally
• The cultural expectation of affordable horse ownership in the UK
• The rise of "people with horses" vs traditional "horse people"
• Working-class roots of the profession affecting pricing mindset
• The welfare dilemma: charging properly vs ensuring horses get care

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Lockdown Farriery Podcast.
This is Episode 56, and today we’re diving into a topic that every farrier — student, qualified, or aspiring — needs to understand.”
 “I’m joined by a brilliant guest for this episode: Freya Ceen.
Freya runs Vital Accounts, working and advising big and small business, including some farriery businesses. Her connection with farriery does not just end there. Many years ago before retraining to be an accountant she was in fact a Farrier apprentice. That combination of real world farriery experience and financial expertise makes her the perfect person to help us unpick today’s topics.”

“We’ll be talking about the Level 3 Farriery Business and IT module — what knowledge apprentices really need, how to prepare effectively, and what assessors are looking for when it comes to passing the End Point Assessment (EPA).”
 “Then we’re moving on to something affecting every UK farrier who operates as a sole trader:
the upcoming rollout of Making Tax Digital (MTD).
From 6 April 2026, HMRC will require sole traders with income over £50,000 to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates using recognised software — these aren’t extra tax returns, but short summaries designed to keep you organised throughout the year.
This rollout is being phased in, with thresholds dropping to £30,000 in 2027 and £20,000 in 2028.”

“Freya and I break down what that means for farriers, how to get ready, what software options are available, and why preparing early can save a lot of stress — and potentially money.”
 “So, whether you’re revising for your Business and IT module, navigating your first year of self employment, or trying to make sense of the new digital tax rules, this episode has you covered.”
This Episode will also link in to an upcoming episode with a new solution for farriers facing the transition to digital Tax, so keep your eyes open over the couple of weeks for that one.

As always thank you to the sponsors

The Shoeing Lab

Silverback Chaps – silverbackchaps.com

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Farriery text books are few and far between, and modern up to date ones are even rarer. Dr Simon Curtis one of our generations most prolific writers has teamed up with Jay Tovey FWCF and Mark Trussler FWCF to produce Farriery Skills and Knowledge a new Farriery text book. In this podcast we talk about the journey to produce it and the story behind it.

Check it out at Farrier Focus!

Thanks to the Sponsors

The Shoeing Lab

Silverback Chaps

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In this episode I chat to an out of action farrier buddy of mine Stephen Hill FWCF. This is just one of those farrier chit chats that goes around the houses and can give a little insight of how we think and deal with the rigorous of shoeing and trimming horses and especially in this episode, the toll it takes on our bodies.

Thanks to the sponsors 

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In this episode I chat to Lisa Nealen. Lisa is a highly qualified Hospital Theatre Nurse who has done a lot of research in to the effects of surgical smoke plume. With this knowledge and as an horse owner concerned about the health of her own farrier, she has started Equismoke to help raise awareness to the risks and help reduce the long term impact on our health. 

Farriery is a high risk job. We know this when we start. If anything this and the impact on our long term health should be more reflective in our pricing? Food for thought!

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In this episode I talk to Genevieve Joyce.

Gen is an equine osteopath but has recently developed an App to help equine professionals save time in the management of their businesses by taking care of the large amount of organisation and admin we incur especially as a small one person business. 

Equigate is an app for ANYONE who works with animals. It handles the day-to-day running of your business, allowing you to spend more time with hands on animals, and less time on admin and paperwork. Whether you’re and Equine massage therapist, bodyworker, physiotherapist, chiropractor, farrier, dentist, saddle fitter, bit fitter, podiatrist, nutritionist, riding coach, groom etc etc…..(you get the picture), then Equigate is here to help your business thrive.

The app handles your client management, all of your client communication, your record keeping, your diary and your invoicing, plus everything in between. Work in the sticks? No problem, Equigate even works offline with no signal.

Gone are the days of paper diaries, the folders and folders full of past paper treatment reports, and all the manual work of keeping your clients informed and updated about their appointments, as Equigate handles it all, right from your smartphone and a lot of it on auto pilot!

Listen out for the discount code in the episode for 20% off subscriptions.

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Last month saw the passing of a dear, farrier, educator, mentor, friend and all round legend. David “Slim” Symons FWCF Hons lead a very interesting Farriery career and put so much back in to the industry and those in it. This is a great loss to the UK Farriery industry, his family and his friends. 

This is an edited re touched for quality, tribute of a conversation I had with Slim the other year.

Rest in peace Sir

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Recently there has been a lot of discussions and social media debate about the apparent crisis within the farriery profession.

This has centred around the economy of farriery as a profession and the lack of training providers and people coming into the profession.

Like all farriery rants on social media, we all shared it on our feed so no doubt your customers can see it and feel sorry for you! Id like to add at this point “they don’t care”. I have personally thought for some time in the UK that we are most of the time subsidising their hobby and their want to own a horse compared to the prices with the rest of the developed world.

To fix this it will take more than farriers sharing a well written post by another farrier on their social media. We need to get in a room together discover how we got in this situation in the first place, work on strategies to improve our value and to raise the price of farriery and go up together.

Up until this point apart from moaning no one has proactively done anything to resolve this situation until now.

Tom Smith FWCF, an experienced farrier who has been in the business since 2006, discusses his career journey, the challenges faced by the farrier industry, and the need for change. 

He highlights the potential lack of farriers in the future, the struggle with proper pricing, and the undervaluation of their work. 

Tom introduces 'Forge Smart,' a 10-month program designed to help farriers improve their business acumen, raise their prices collectively, and enhance the professionalism of the industry. 

The discussion covers the importance of community, professional development, and re-evaluating traditional practices to ensure the sustainability and growth of the farrier profession.

www.forgesmart.co.uk

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I was recently asked to do a webinar on be half of the British Farriers & Blacksmiths Association explaining the concept of social license to operate in the equine sector. This is a term which has been banded around for a few years now and there have been many who have misunderstood what this actually means.

This is about public approval, for us to carry on doing what we do. Although this is mainly aimed at the equestrian world, we do play a part in it, and with out it we have no job.

Thank you to the BFBA for asking me to do this and for allowing me to publish the audio here to share. This recording is of me talking via a online webinar, of which there were a few technical problems of which I have done my best to edit out.

If you are not a BFBA member please check out their web site to see the members benefits available and sign up. 

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