The Queen Honors Doug Bradbury, FWCF with MBE for Services to Farriery

Master farrier Doug Bradbury, FWCF has been shoeing horses and helping his fellow farriers in Derbyshire, England for more than 60 years. Even the Queen has noticed; today she announced that Doug, who learned to shoe underground in a coal mine, would be granted the title of Member of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his services to farriery. (Bradbury family photo)

Master farrier Doug Bradbury, FWCF of Clay Cross, Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, England has been recognized by The Queen as a Member of the British Empire (MBE) “for services to the farrier profession and the community in the East Midlands” . The recognition is awarded for an outstanding achievement or service that has had a long-term, significant impact to an individual who stands out as an example to others.

Wells Fargo Stagecoach Horse Returns from Splint Bone Fracture for Rose Parade Appearance

The off leader of this four-horse hitch recovered from a fractured splint bone following treatment at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and will be leading the first six-horse hitch to pull the Wells Fargo Stagecoach in the 2018 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California next weekend. (US Department of Defense image by SSG Teddy Wade)

Nothing on television offers as many horses or as many different types of horses as the annual Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. As a buildup to the Rose Bowl Tournament college football championship later in the day, the parade is a festival in itself, and has always featured two things: floats covered with flowers and horses!

Plan to give a little cheer when one horse comes into sight.

UC Davis 2018 Heumphreus Memorial Lecture Will Focus on Laminitis with Bicking and Frank

Afternoon lectures will demonstrate hoof mapping and composite materials. (UC Davis image)

The 32nd Annual Charles Heumphreus Memorial Lecture will take place February 3, 2018 at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) in Davis, California. This year’s event features farrier Daisy Bicking (Daisy Haven Farm), and Professor Nicholas Frank (Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University). This year’s program will focus on laminitis and endocrine disorders.

Veterinary College Farrier Travis Burns Announces Candidacy for American Farrier’s Association President, Answers Questions

Veterinary college farrier Travis Burns, CJF, TE, EE, FWCF of Virginia is announcing his candidacy to be the next president of the American Farrier’s Association.

Beyond Navicular Disease: Racing Commissioners Call for Regulation of Bisphosphonates in Sale Horses

Portions of the following information is edited from a press release:

The Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) is formally calling for the independent regulation of the breeding and sales industries, including regulation of the class of drugs known as bisphosphonates, which are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of navicular disease.

Will We Ever See Norman Rockwell's Famous Blacksmith Shop Painting Again?

Norman Rockwell's "Blacksmith Shop" painting was a double-page interior illustration in the November 2, 1940 edition of The Saturday Evening Post. It is possibly the best-known and best-loved painting of farriers in the world, and illustrates a ten-hour heel-and-toe contest between two Irish immigrant farriers in 1907. Frank Farrell and Jim McCann have been hammering away in the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts since 1966 when the artist donated the painting to the museum. Future farriers will not have a chance to stand in front of the six-foot canvas, if the museum is successful in its bid to liquidate it for cash. Last month, a judge temporarily halted its sale; a further ruling is due next week.

Frank Farrell and Jim McCann hadn’t traveled very far from home before.

The two hardest-hammering horseshoers in American art have spent most of their lives in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, where they have been working at their anvils non-stop for almost 80 years. But this summer they were wrapped up and carted gently to the middle of Manhattan, to be on display before being sold to the highest bidder at a Sotheby’s fine art auction.