London 2012 Farriers: Meet James Blurton, Lead Farrier

Jim Blurton of Wales is one of those farriers who has more than one claim to fame. But his most recent is the one that might stick the longest.

Jim is a former world champion at the Calgary Stampede. He’s a veteran of countless Welsh national horseshoeing teams. He’s a successful farrier with a burgeoning group practice employing ten or so farriers, and a manufacturing entrepreneur whose

London 2012 Farriers: Tending the Other Olympic Flame

Once there was a peaceful park on the edge of London...

The Opening Ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic Games were pretty spectacular. I’m sure that the highlight for many was when the Queen parachuted out of a helicopter and into the stadium with James Bond at her side and her handbag in place.



But for me, the highlight came before that.

Director Danny Boyle’s timeline portrayal began

Science of the Olympics: Sport Analysis Videos to Inspire Your Thoughts on Horses

Note: NBC Olympics videos have an annoying auto-play function so the videos have been moved off the blog. Please go to "Science of the Summer Olympics: Engineering In Sports", a 10-part video series produced in partnership with NBC Learn to view the videos described in this blog post.





Have you been staring at a television screen, immersed in the Olympics? Are you chewing your nails for

What a Farrier Sounds Like (When Horseowners Stop and Listen)

Horseowner, author, actress and comedian Pam Stone gets (somewhat) serious as she explains how something as simple as her horse losing a shoe can remind us of the people we depend on...and that how we communicate with them is what really matters. This was originally written for a daily newspaper, to be read by non-horsemen. Pam should add "storyteller" to her list of skills.





The panicked

Auburn University: Ampututation and Prosthesis Create a Dolphin's Tale Story at Vet School Hospital for Miniature Donkey Foal

Emma, a miniature donkey foal, was just two days old when she arrived at Auburn University's John Thomas Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital with a severe hind limb deformity, one that required amputation of the limb and the placement of a prosthesis.

Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine and the Hanger Clinic, formerly Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, have been working

Calgary Stampede Farriers: Steve Beane Victory Video and Official Re-Cap

The Calgary Stampede has provided a short video interview with British farrier Steven Beane, AWCF of Yorkshire, England. Steven won the World Championship Blacksmiths Competition at the Stampede last weekend for the fourth consecutive year.

Here's the official press release from the Stampede about the final day of the competition and the last Hoof Blog post on Calgary (for this year):

Calgary Stampede Farriers: Potluck Forging Class Showcases the "Art" of Shoeing Horses (And Why That Matters)

People throw around the term "the art and science of farriery" a lot. What does that mean?

Professional hoofcare requires that the farrier use both sides of his or her brain. While they have to learn the anatomy of the horse and the mechanics of the job, they also have to be able to "right brain" the creation, adjustment or placement of the shoe or appliance being attached to the foot.

I

New Shoes: Calgary Stampede 2012 Farrier Slide Show

Love farrier competitions? Then enjoy these photos from the first day at the Calgary Stampede farrier events by Vicki Kaiser. These were the last photos she took before her backpack was stolen with her laptop, wallet, car keys and everything she needed for her trip.

Click on the full-screen button at the bottom right for a better view.

You'd probably enjoy Vicki's blog: Read about her

Calgary Stampede: Live Video Farrier Competition on the Hoof Blog

Here's the live video stream from the Calgary Stampede farrier competitions. When the farriers are competiting, it will be shown, otherwise it will be blank or you will see other agricultural events.

When posted on Saturday afternoon, the four-man draft competition was underway.

Enjoy!







© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for

Friends at Work: Hoof-Related Road Call in Melbourne, Australia

Now that's service. A street scene today in Melbourne, Australia showed a farrier performing a road repair for a carriage horse on Swanston Street in the city center.

Perhaps the carriage company has a fleet maintenance contract?


It looks like the farrier arrived on the motorcycle, which makes sense since Swanston Street is pretty much a pedestrian mall. Horse-drawn carriages, streetcars

Laminitis: Video Lecture on Metabolic Pathway for Hoof Blog Readers

Please allow sufficient time for this video to load.

Settle down...You needed to get out of the heat anyway. Take an hour to catch up on the latest information about laminitis, with a special emphasis on insulin resistance and Equine Metabolic Syndrome.

What this is: a one-hour video Powerpoint lecture by Dr. Don Walsh on the latest research