The Silent Anvil: Mr. Watson

Update: Final plans will be announced in the next day or so about a memorial service to be held in Gordonsville, Virgnia, most likely on Saturday, January 3, 2009. Arrangements are being handled by the Preddy Funeral Home, 301 N Main St, Gordonsville, VA 22942. The closest airports are Charlottesville and Richmond. Thanks to David Watson for the information.

If you are in the farrier profession in the eastern United States, you probably know who I am talking about when I just say "Mr. Watson died".

Edgar Watson, known respectfully as "Mr." and affectionately as "Eddie", lived in Keswick, Virginia and was one of the great "living legends" of not just the farrier world, but the horse world as well.

He will long be remembered for the champions he shod, the beautiful artistry he created at the anvil, and the stories he told, but mostly will be remembered for his gentle manner and his willingness to help and encourage all of us, in whatever we tried to do to better our work or our horses' care.

For the past ten years or so, Mr. Watson was chronically ill with a list of ailments that would have been the end of any normal human. He kept coming back and even ordered himself a brand new shoeing rig recently...when he was 80 years old. He began shoeing horses professionally in 1948.

Follow this link to an album of photos of the appreciation day held for Mr. Watson in 2007, when he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon. Thanks to the Virginia Horseshoers Association for posting these photos. And here's a second link to a few photos of his fantastic shop.

I will add to this post when I know more; thanks to Steve Mayer for letting me know.

If you have a kind word to say about your friendship with or memories of Mr. Watson, please click on the colored link word "comments" at the end of this article. A new window will open up and you can leave your message. It will default to "anonymous" unless you sign it, and that's fine, but just include your name in the comment if you want to be identified. You can also email a comment to "blog@hoofcare.com" and I will post it for you.

Update: The latest word is that a memorial service is planned for Saturday, January 3, 2009.

Mr. Watson, right, talking to Danny Ward, left, sometime in the last 20 years or so.


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European Racing Abuzz Over Oxygen Therapy

A mural of Grand National winner Red Rum on the wall of a pub near Coolmore Stud in Ireland.

Got oxygen? Coolmore Stud, one of the world's leading nurseries of Thoroughbreds, has plenty of it. They have just installed a hyperbaeric oxygen chamber at their main stud in County Tipperary in Ireland, home of some of the world's most valuable horses.

According to a report in today's The Times (London), Coolmore co-owner John Magnier plans to use the chamber for soft tissue injuries and laminitis therapy, but also has hopes that it will help with breeding problems of the farm's roster of stallions.

Hyperbaeric oxygen therapy has been used by human athletes for years, and in particular by deep-sea divers suffering from decompression ills. Horses were first exposed to the high-pressure treatments in Canada, where the therapy is common among hockey players.

In the U.S., a chamber is in use at Winstar Farm and at Keswick Equine Therapy Center, both in Lexington, Kentucky and at Alamo Pintado Equine Hospital in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. The therapy is also in use in Australia, according to the Times report.

Farrier/veterinarian Federico Oyuela of Buenos Aires, Argentina built and operates a chamber at the racetrack in that city, and is keen to share his experience and results. Coolmore's chamber cost more than a million euros; Federico has a more economical route to oxygen for horses that may make the therapy a more realistic alternative for therapy centers and veterinary clinics.