The Farrier Project | Podcast in RSS.com

The Farrier Project

The Farrier Project

di Mark Trussler and Jay Tovey

Lavoro Educazione

Stagione 1

Paul Duddy: Competitor, Judge, Educator - Part 2

In Part 2 Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey interview farrier Paul Duddy about learning through mistakes, asking questions, and the value of clinics and competitions. Paul explains how competitions build confidence and skill for young farriers, shares memories from Calgary and other events (including injuries, disqualifications, speed classes, team wins, and placing top 10), and describes what good judging looks like: seeing past “bling,” prioritising fundamentals like nail fit, levelness, clips, safe trimming, and soundness, and following the judge’s specimen and feedback. He discusses his transition into teaching at CAFRE, the college’s origins as an upskilling route for largely unqualified cold shoers, and current teaching plans to make theory more practical and accessible. Paul also addresses possible Irish legislation and urges farriers to join associations, keep learning, and only enter the trade if they truly love it.

Paul Duddy: Competitor, Judge, Educator - Part 1

The Farriery Project hosts Jay Tovey and co-host Mark Trussler introduce guest farrier Paul, who grew up in Strabane, Northern Ireland during the Troubles and is a fifth-generation farrier who started in the forge at 11 before his father died when he was 15. Paul describes the highly competitive Irish National Stud apprenticeship in Kildare, annual training blocks in England, and qualifying via a demanding exam, then progressing through Irish competitions at the Dublin Horse Show and later realising in England he needed to raise his level. He explains how the Troubles disrupted travel and business, recounting early hardships building a practice with minimal resources, and emphasises resilience and the value of difficult standards like the diploma. Paul also discusses running, cycling injuries, a 2019 brain micro-bleed likely linked to stress, subsequent anxiety, and advocating for men’s mental health and seeking professional help.

Stud-Farm Farriery and Foal Trimming and Management - Fred Cox

Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey welcome Fred Cox to The Farrier Project to discuss his background, training, and specialist stud-farm farriery. Raised around horses in Oxfordshire and a former youth polo player, Fred began a farrier apprenticeship in Lambourn under Gary Pickford, initially disliking race-yard work before finding his niche on stud farms. After qualifying in 2009, he worked a year as a qualified farrier for Pickford, then left to build his own business combining hot-shoeing with expanding Thoroughbred stud work, including weekly work and a regular France trip; he now works with two qualified assistants. Fred pursued further exams to become an ATF, took an AWCF prep course, failed then passed the practical, and has passed the fellowship WCF practical while planning his study, though accreditation changes currently prevent him taking apprentices. The episode focuses on Thoroughbred foal management: high-volume trimming on a four-week rota, fortnightly early assessments, handling protocols, record-keeping, trimming to the short axis early, and approaches to angular and flexural deformities using trims, acrylic extensions, cuffs, wedges, and veterinary collaboration. Fred’s tip is to know strengths and weaknesses, keep learning, and work with others.

Foot Balance with Alexander Werner Part 2

Jay Tovey and co-host Mark Trussler continue their chat with farrier Alex, focusing on foot balance, conformation assessment, and trimming and shoeing plans with an emphasis on the caudal hoof. Alex describes his influences from Stefan Wehrli and Dr. Rick Redden, explaining trimming in multiple planes (landing, standing, and breakover phases) and using heel rockers to increase caudal weight-bearing without lowering key angles, sometimes adapting in three planes for medial-lateral differences and shunted heels. He outlines how he evaluates balance by observing gait, checking limb alignment, feeling for flares, assessing sole depth and symmetry, and using the central sulcus as a reference, plus strategies like floating overloaded areas and narrowing the shoe’s ground surface. Discussion covers toe flare and heel distortion, environment and breeding differences between Germany and the UK, common conformation issues (offset knees, club feet), early foal management, skepticism about forcing level landing, approaches to flares and dorsal dressing, breakover mapping and toe support, shoe thickness choices, and advice to stay open-minded, keep learning, and collaborate with vets and colleagues.

Foot Balance with Alexander Werner Part 1

Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey introduce The Farrier Project and interview Bavarian farrier Alex Werner DipWCF in Germany. Alex describes growing up near Munich, starting with horses as a child, and learning farriery by holding up feet for an elderly local farrier before trimming his own horses as a teenager. Encouraged by a vet, he pursued training in England, securing an apprenticeship with Simon Curtis in Newmarket in 1999 and qualifying in 2004, describing the tough pay and living conditions but strong camaraderie and learning. He returned to Germany, started his business, then in 2006 moved to the US to work at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital doing largely remedial and clinic-based work, including laminitis cases and tenotomies, and completed his Certified Journeyman Farrier (CJF) exam before returning home in 2008. He later co-founded the Podiatry Jam Session with Aaron Gygax to connect farriers and vets, growing to 180 attendees, and previews a part-two discussion on foot balance.

Shoeing for Dressage - Haydn Price

Hosts Jay Tovey and Mark Trussler welcome farrier Haydn Price to discuss dressage shoeing and his career. Haydn explains starting farriery at 14, restarting his apprenticeship with Tim Rooney, and how conversations with farrier Alan Bailey led him to question traditional UK “follow the foot” concave hunter-style shoeing. Influenced by Continental shoeing seen with David Broome’s horses, he adopted longer, wider, more symmetrical shoes and focused on function over aesthetics, gaining performance-horse clients through results and rider feedback. He describes dressage as an ideal discipline for analysis because it’s controlled and movement-focused, and notes hind feet can change shape through training, requiring proactive management such as impression material and thermoplastic pads to reduce heel compression. The group discusses angular limb deformities, emphasising forces and hoof capsule evidence over appearance, and proximal suspensory desmitis, linking it to training, surfaces, and load behind; Haydn favours appropriate support, packing, and clear exit strategies rather than “one condition, one shoe.” He supports barefoot where conditions allow and advises young farriers to talk, collaborate, and seek help.

Unpacking Equine Diagnostics: Alison Talbot BVM&S, CertEP, CertES(Orth), DIp ACVSMR, Dip ECVDI, FHEA, MRCVS

Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey introduce The Farrier Project and interview Alison Talbot, a veterinary surgeon and equine orthopedics clinician at the University of Liverpool with a background in diagnostic imaging, FEI showjumping and dressage work, and farriery examinations. Alison discusses the benefits and drawbacks of moving between practices, and how referral work affects client relationships, noting remedial farriery cases often require repeat visits before returning to the horse’s own farrier. The conversation focuses on links between farriery, shoeing intervals, foot balance and lameness, and how radiographs should be taken and assessed, including limb positioning, blocks, markers, and image quality. Alison compares radiography with MRI, CT, scintigraphy, venograms, thermography, and ultrasound, outlining when each is useful and how newer imaging has changed understanding and management of conditions like navicular disease.

UK final assessment, DipWCF vs QFS - George Dey and Connor Thomas

Hosts Jay Tovey and Mark Trussler interview newly qualified farriers Connor (South Wales, trained by his father, represented Wales) and George (Yorkshire, trained by Gary Harland, England team reserve) about their backgrounds, competitive mindset, and training support networks. The core discussion compares Connor’s new VetSkills EPA route with George’s final Worshipful Company of Farriers Diploma: Connor describes limited clarity on syllabus/marking, an appealed written question that was overturned and refunded, vague extra-time rules, and inconsistent guidance in the barefoot trim element; George reports strong college preparation and syllabus clarity but recounts being kicked and concussed during the practical, then completing and passing the next day with a doctor’s note. They discuss professional respect, client payment/timekeeping issues, information access via phones, and views on post-nominals and celebration, then end with tips to stay open-minded and accept advice.

Simon Moore - What is going on with Farriery in the UK? Part 2

In part two of The Farrier Project interview, Simon Moore explains how the Worshipful Company of Farriers (WCF) lost FRC approval in 2023 to run the EPA after an IT supplier change left insufficient exam software support, and says FRC also removed approval for the AWCF to count toward Approved Training Farrier status without a council vote, prompting his resignation. He outlines how EPAO’s are approved, why farriery likely supports only one EPAO commercially, and why exam fees rose as costs increased and the WCF aims to break even. Simon describes the Trailblazer/EPA steering group’s origins, unpaid workload, and current review led by David Hall, including debate over shoemaking in the final assessment. He clarifies FRC’s role as a public-and-horse regulator, discusses temporary licenses and barriers for overseas farriers, and links low apprentice/ATF numbers to unsustainably low UK pricing, urging better business practices and boundaries.

Simon Moore - What is going on with Farriery in the UK? Part 1

Hosts Jay Tovey and Mark Trussler introduce The Farriery Project and interview farrier Simon Moore FWCF about his background and professional journey. Simon grew up in Hertfordshire UK with a lion-tamer father, lived on a circus as a child, and later entered farriery through horses bred at his father’s yard, first learning from Mick Williams and then serving his apprenticeship under Paul Atkins, qualifying in 1993 after studying at Hereford School of Farriery. He initially built a business in Essex, before moving to Cornwall in 1998, and later formed a decade-long partnership with Paul Martin, training apprentices with structured forge nights and homework. Simon pursued Worshipful Company of Farriers exams, completing both the Associate and Fellowship, then took on roles with the Farriery Registration Council and the WCF exam board, becoming its chair; he explains WCF structure, the new Certificate exam, examiner training, and evolving policies including ethics, AI, and plagiarism, before teasing a discussion on WCF losing UK EPA approval in part two.

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