THE STUMP. President Paul Miller Vice President Tom Barnett

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1 THE STUMP Ontario Farriers Association May 2015 President Paul Miller Vice President Tom Barnett Treasurer Brian Hyodo Secretary Sara Vanderpol Photo; Chris Lashbrook Directors Rhonda Rose Welcome to the Ontario Farriers Association. Promoting further education and community for the farriers of Ontario since Adam McQueen Natalie Starr Tim Koelln May

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3 Goings on The 2015 annual convention at the Ancaster fairground was a great success. With the Canada cup national team trials on it was full energy and education. During the competition we were very lucky to have Tim Koelln there to discuss some ideas on fixing a common bane to many a foot Hoof cracks. While hoof cracks may come in all shapes and sizes, and regardless of the cause we must do our best to work toward putting a stop to them and securing a shoeing/trimming regime that will keep them away. Tim s experience is recognizing causes as well as addressing with time tested methods was a great class to see. The next session was an informational class on thorough considerations to planning a mobile work station that will serve all of your needs and last. This was generously bought to us by the folks at Stonewell Bodies. Of 3

4 course, they have had many years in providing quality outfits for horseshoers, but passing on the information for us to consider was a great way to keep us thinking before we invest. Finally we were very lucky to have Cory Kostyra from the OPP there to discuss vehicle safety. I m sure many of us would stay very happy with our heads in the sand and pretend that everything will be all right. Unfortunately it won t always be. You may be stopped on the road and inspected for safety violations and were that the case it is always much better to be prepared. However making sure you can avoid a ticket is one thing, but the reason why many of these rules exist is, as Mr. Kostyra has witnessed, is due to potential fatalities resulting from unsafe practices. Lets not have that include anyone from our group. It was a great information session for some of the rules the OPP are checking for. On the shoeing side of things, we had a great class from Barney Cummings designing and fitting a full support shoe. Informing the proper use of a shoe to increase the angle of the foot, making it simple and secure on the fly and providing the right padding and protection answered a lot of questions to an enthusiastic audience. 4

5 Tom Willoughby was on site to keep our minds fresh and creative, demonstrating fantastic techniques for fastening, decorating and adding all the small finishes to iron that makes this type of art beautiful and inspiring. Craig Trnka wrapped up our weekend with a crisp and clear approach to trimming and shoeing. Working on a horse on site with a quarter crack issue, he was able to take this foot one Photo; chris Lashbrook step at a time with you from brushing it out to picking the right shoe for the job.every step of the way was punctuated with a challenge to question the very logic of the immediate work that would lead you inevitably to the next step, each left you feeling - of course that s how it should go. Trying to get a handful of horseshoers to agree and an appetizer, let alone a room full to agree with his trimming and shoeing approach was a testament to what can happen when you apply critical reasoning to every step with calm and focus. In the end, this hind foot received a heartbar and with the bit of work was very happy. The Banquet at the end of the Saturday evening was a relaxing and fun filled evening with a awesome presentation from Chris Zizian on his trip and experience teaching horse shoeing in India, 5

6 breaking ground with the local farriers over there. Russ Gaudet gave an emotionally charged slide show and speech about his experience as the Canadian Farrier Team manager. Slide show was presented of the trip they had made to England this past year. We re all looking forward to the year ahead! Go Canada Go! Congratulations to the 2015 National Farrier Team! Congratulations to Jack Ketel, Travis Buck, Dan Corkery, Aj Mastalerz and Patrick Cleaver. May you be guided to victory through the challenges this year. 6

7 CJF- THE JOURNEY OF A JOURNEYMAN By Sara Vanderpol, CJF A mere one percent of farriers in North America hold the Certified Journeyman Farrier (CJF) designation. Due to the challenging nature of the test, many farriers become discouraged and give up their pursuit of the title. CJF testing standards are, however, not meant to deter farriers, but improve their skills and benefit horses. For those who are unfamiliar with the American Farrier s Association (AFA) certification system, each level of certification involves a series of tests. In order to advance to CJF testing, one must first pass 7

8 Certified Farrier (CF) tests. CF certification consists of preparing a shoe board of modified keg shoes, as well as shoeing two feet with pre-made shoes. Both the CF and CJF tests have written multiple choice test components based on anatomy, conformation, gaits, and pathologies. CJF testing includes making and fitting a fullered barshoe to a pattern in 35 minutes, and shoeing a horse all round in 2 hours with plain stamped handmades. Farriers should not be intimidated by these tests, but should understand that test preparation is beneficial to everyday work. Modifying keg shoes, addressing conformational concerns, and working on pathologies make up a large part of shoeing. Even if handmade shoes aren t applied in everyday work, shaping barstock to fit patterns drastically improves fitting ready made shoes. It also helps develop an eye to recognize foot shapes, which makes fitting much more achievable. Attending clinics and conferences will impart some of this theoretical knowledge, but applying that knowledge can only be accomplished through practice. It is good to know, for example, that a horse needs a straightbar to resolve its broken back pastern axis, but if the straightbar cannot be properly fitted to the foot, the horse will not benefit. We all must strive to keep farrier industry standards high for the horses sake. I am writing this article because I passed my CJF tests in Kingston last October. I owe this achievement to the many brilliant and patient teachers that I have had the privilege of working with. It was a long road as I passed my CF 8

9 on my second attempt, and my CJF on my fourth attempt. Repeating tests and practicing undoubtedly sharpened my skills. In my work prior to each test, I trimmed and shod every horse with CJF standards in mind. In addition, practicing plain stamped and bar shoes allowed the steps to making each shoe become very routine. Having a game plan in place before the timer started calmed my nerves. Even when the horse turned out to be a Belgian cross with #4 feet, the steps stayed the same and I was able to succeed. I recognize that becoming a CJF carries honour and requires that I carry high standards. As a CJF I am also expected to pass my knowledge on to future generations, and I look forward to promoting the careers of up and coming farriers. I d like to take this opportunity to encourage every farrier to pursue certification. It is a great way to develop and strengthen foundational knowledge, and also to improve shoeing skills. The certification process is worth pursuing, and there is no greater journey a farrier can take. During practices and tests remember to have fun and appreciate this rewarding process. Happy shoeing every one! For anyone who has questions, you may contact me at or warriorshoer@gmail.com 9

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11 11 Photo; Chris Lashbrook 2015

12 Classifieds Competition Shoe Board for sale Details comp judged by Bruce Daniels, competitor's, Claude lortie, luke proulx, ed kay, hans wiza, phil robinson, leo chapman, paul umpelby, bruno isabel and jeannot sylvain. $250 Contact: Warren Humphrey 12

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14 Upcoming July 9-13 The Daisy Haven Farm School of Integrative Hoofcare will hold level 1 and 2 courses in Ferme Hesta, Compton, Quebec. For more information call , daisyhavenfarm@gmail.com, or visit intergrativehoofschool.com. September18-19, Kingston, ON, Maple Lane Farms, Certification (all levels). Examiner TBA. For more information contact Tim Koelln (tntkoelln@cogeco.ca). 14

15 Our Stump newsletter will continue to be posted online, however, if you would like it delivered right to your inbox please simply provide your . If you would like a hardcopy mailed to you then simply provide your mailing address. This information can be forwarded to pmillerfarrier@gmail.com. Upcoming departments include : featured, specials and offers Please contact with Classifieds and personal projects or stories and anecdotes. pmilllerfarrier@gmail.com Next Issue ; July 15