The old saying “No hoof, no horse” is as apt with a plow horse as a top-level eventer or jumper or reining horse. If the horse’s feet hurt, then he will not perform up to his potential.
At the WEG Tryon 2018 we caught up with Bryan Quinsey, executive director of the American Association of Professional Farriers (AAPF) and the International Association of Professional Farriers (IAPF).
He said members of his organization are at WEG to offer emergency farrier services at four fixed stations around the stabling area. They will have 40 volunteer farriers from around the world serving over the two weeks.
David Farley, a founding board member and past president of AAPF, helped to gather this team of farriers. Farley currently serves primarily hunter/jumper clients in Ohio during the summer and Wellington during the winter.
“We have assisted farriers from almost every country,” he said early in the competition. “Some of our organization’s educational partners provided equipment, from nails to drills to forges and welders. We can make any shoe!”
We visited Farrier Station #2 to view the equipment available for farriers to use or where farriers can come for assistance in making the correct shoe for the horse. There is a TIG200 welder that can work on steel or aluminum, a propane torch and two drills for tapping and caulks, a grinder, a forge and a buffer. There are also travel boxes with necessary equipment that members can use when they are traveling through the barns or around the world to work on events.
