AAPF: Farrier Association Launches Along with the New Year

While you were watching the Times Square ball drop on television Saturday night, you could have been experiencing the launch of a new farrier association if you'd had your iPad on.

At midnight on the last day of the old year, someone somewhere flipped a switch and a new web site went live. Professionalfarriers.com snapped onto computer screens around the world.

Professionalfarriers.com is

Happy New Year from the Hoof Blog!

Just a note, as they say, to wish everyone a happy, healthy and harmonious new year with many new adventures, accomplishments and alliances. The only way I can get my own attention is to attach sticky notes to the screens of my computers, so I'm speaking to you in official Hoofcare office language. 



Thank you all very much for all your kindness, friendship and support in what turned out to

War Horse Hoofcare: Keep Your Eye on the Galloping Horseshoe Pouch

It's hard to imagine anyone falling asleep while watching the film War Horse, but I guess it could happen. The sound track is loud enough to wake you periodically, however. If you need to trick yourself into staying awake, you can try to keep an eye on the farrier-related clues scattered through the story like a treasure hunt.

And keep your eye on the bouncing horseshoe pouch.






He's a

War Horse Hoofcare: Holy Horseshoeing

Consenvoye is in the northeast corner of France near the Belgian border, in the region of Lorraine. This is where the famous Battle of the Meuse-Argonne was fought. The Meuse-Argonne battle was the largest frontline commitment of troops by the U.S. Army in World War I, and the final offensive of the war.

Was this a German forge or a British forge or French or American? The shape of the anvil

War Horse Hoofcare: The Way It Was

It's War Horse week on The Hoof Blog. We'll start off with a short and not very sweet video of the British Army farrier encampment somewhere in India.You can see the forges and the horses lined up, and you can also notice the division of labor between the Indians and the British. 



Who's pumping the bellows?



The second part of the clip demonstrates what they are calling the Lightwark

Kauto Star's Horseshoes Are As Good as Gold: British Jump Champion Is a Golden Oldie in the Winner's Circle

Eleven-year-old British National Hunt superstar Kauto Star, one of the racing world's biggest stars, now has golden shoes, thanks to farrier Michael Jones who was commissioned to forge the special shoes. (Betfair photo)


You know you've made it in the world of sports when you look down and notice that your shoes are gold.


 
Olympic gold medalist track star Michael Johnson started the gold

Nothing Says "Happy Holidays" Like a Horse (Or An Anvil) in the Snow

What, you're not in the holiday spirit? The Hoof Blog has a cure for that. Just sit down and watch my collection of favorite Christmas television commercials. All but the last one have horses somewhere in them.

If you don't have the ho-ho-ho's by the time you're finished watching these, try some egg nog and watch again.

1. First, a  montage of Irish Christmas commercials, past and present,