Open Farriery Competition
Richard Slater, 24, from Swinnerton, Staffordshire has won a farriery competition run by Buckinghamshire charity The Horse Trust.The Horse Trust Open Farriery competition took place over the weekend of
6 November at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. Richard won The Horse Trust Rose Bowl trophy, which was presented to him by Jeanette Allen, the Chief Executive of The Horse Trust.
Richard has been working as a farrier for the last six years and qualified as a farrier in August 2009 when he passed the Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers.
Richard said he was delighted to win the award. "I'm really, really pleased I won," he said. "It's the first time I've been to that competition and its different to many of the other farriery competitions as you have to make shoes from scratch using traditional methods. I learnt a lot from taking part."
Competitors in The Horse Trust Open Farriery competition took part in two classes - hunter shoeing and therapeutic shoeing. A hunter shoe is designed to last and give the horse a good grip, while a therapeutic shoe is used to alleviate any problems a horse has, such as lameness.
Richard came second in both classes and achieved more points than the other competitors, making him the overall winner. He also won the award for the Best Dressed Foot in the therapeutic shoeing class and won the award for the Best Specimen Shoes in both classes.
Although Richard has forged a successful career in farriery, he initially planned to be an engineer.
"I went to college and got a diploma in engineering, but when I finished the course I realised I didn't enjoy it. I decided I would prefer to work outdoors and do a more physcial job. I tried farriery and fell in love with the job," said Richard. "I love working with horses and the physical side of the job. It's rewarding to see the impact you can make on a horse - if a horse comes in lame and walks out sound it's an amazing feeling."
The Horse Trust has been running the Open Farriery competition since 2007 in recognition of the vital role that farriery plays in improving equine welfare.
For more information about The Horse Trust, visit www.horsetrust.org.uk or visit the charity's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HorseTrust
For more information on Farriers, please visit www.farrierspages.com.
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