Silent Anvil: John Collins Was Zenyatta's Hoof Man, Kentucky Horseman, Everyone's Friend

John Collins shod horses, played polo and enjoyed his friends. He died suddenly in Kentucky last week. (Scott Morrison photo)

I wrote about Kentucky horseshoer John Collins once. But I wasn't really writing about him. I was quoting what other people (and horses) had already written about him.

John Collins

Take, for instance, what Zenyatta wrote on her blog about her Bluegrass hoofsmith when she returned to Kentucky from her stellar racing career:

"My blacksmith here at Lane’s End is the same person who took care of my feet years ago when I lived in Kentucky! His name is Johnny Collins. He is the same man who put on my shoes when I went to the Keeneland Sale in September, 2005! He took care of my feet when I was a little girl!

"Now, here he is taking off my shoes at the farm several years later. This is absolutely adorable! Johnny told me he’d been keeping track of me and all of my progress since then! It was so great to touch base with him, my first blacksmith, after all of these years!"

I quoted what the New York Times had to say about John Collins, too, and shared their photo of him.

And after his sudden and premature death last week, I once again found myself reading what other people had to say about John Collins.

The wrong side of John Collins was featured in the New York Times the day John pulled off Zenyatta's race plates when she arrived back in Kentucky to become a broodmare. I guess the photographer didn't know that if he waited a few minutes, the horseshoer and horse would both face the same way. What I love about this photo: Zenyatta's near hind is off the ground. She's balancing on two legs. John's apprentice could have been pulling the hind shoe at the same time...(Credit: Luke Sharrett for The New York Times

I never met him. I always meant to. I figured I'd run into him in Kentucky some time and introduce myself, since I was sure he wouldn't have a clue that some writer in Boston had been writing about him all this time.

But I never got the chance. John Collins was only 50.

What I do know is that other people are still talking about John Collins, and I've pulled together a patchwork quote quilt to share with you:

John Collins learned horseshoeing as apprentice to the legendary Jackie Thompson who in turn learned the trade from George Tompkins. In my last conversations with Jackie before his death, he said he was worried about how to keep African Americans in the Bluegrass active in horseshoeing. (Hoofcare file photo)

Doug Watkins, Breeders Supply (horseshoe retailer in Lexington): "He loved horses, period. Loved working on 'em, bettin' on 'em and ridin' 'em."

Mike Cline, manager of Lane’s End Farm: “No one had more friends than Johnny Collins.”

Dr. Scott Morrison, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital: "I knew him well, from polo and horseshoeing, we took a few trips together."

Don Robinson of Winter Quarter Farm in Lexington, where Zenyatta was foaled: "We are crushed."

Doug Watkins: "He was an avid polo player which is a bit unusual for a person of color. Bobby Bryant, who worked for John a while, commented on Friday that he played polo at Bruce Hundley's on a regular basis which probably would have been frowned upon except that everybody loved to see the women who came to watch him play."

Mike Cline: “He’s just one of those people you wanted to be around. I feel really bad for his mother, his sisters and his family. We are all in shock out here. He was a really fit, healthy guy.”

Scott Morrison: "I think everyone he met quickly considered him a friend. He loved horses, going to the races, playing polo and shoeing them. He was an ex-boxer and basketball player."

Johnny Collins (far side) and Scott Morrison at polo. (Scott Morrison photo)

Don Robinson: "John was like your friend and family. And he had a way with horses--he was a natural. He’s one of the few people I’ve seen that was just a natural with horses. He was absolutely at ease with a horse, and they felt it.”

Doug Watkins: "Every time he walked in this door he had a smile on his face and we would laugh and cut up with his apprentices, Nate and his nephew, Carl (Scoobie)."

John Greathouse of Glencrest Farm in Midway, KY: I'd like to think that John was not only our friend but a go-to guy at the sales and the farm. Will he be missed? More than anyone can know..."

The Paulick Report noted that John Collins was a graduate of what Robinson called the “Jackie Thompson finishing school,” a reference to the highly respected Central Kentucky farrier who, in turn, learned from the legendary George Tompkins. Though the three men, all of them African-American, were unrelated, their craft was passed down from one generation to the next almost as if they were family. Collins referred to Thompson as “Uncle Jack.”

Doug Watkins: "There were also many discussions about how to fix problems on foals and yearlings and stories about 'Uncle Jack'. Every visit (to the shop) was an adventure."

Don Robinson: "He was a class guy. I’m lucky to have known him.”

Scott Morrison: "He took on, and trained, many young farriers. He was the kindest guy I knew. He had a smooth friendly way about him, with people and horses."

Doug Watkins: "One of the last times I saw him he had forgotten his receipt and his truck was still in the parking lot so I took his ticket to him and Scoobie rolled down the passenger window. There they were eating Lee's fried chicken with Nate in the back seat and I said 'I see how you guys are,  white folks sit in the back, huh?' and we laughed and laughed over that one."

Scott Morrison: "He shod at Lane's End, Winter Quarter (where Zenyatta was foaled), Winter Green, Mill Ridge, Miacomet, Glencrest . He handled the feet of many great horses. He learned from Jackie Thompson (and) started shoeing when he was 16. He was 50 years old when he died."

John Greathouse: “The world lost a great person...You were as good a guy as there was out there and a good friend. I will miss our time together. My condolences go out to Johnny's family. I was glad to have known him and will miss him dearly. RIP Mr. Collins.”

Doug Watkins: "Don't get me wrong, he was a VERY good horseshoer but that fact is not what made him. He was fortunate enough to work on some very nice horses with some great people in his career and horses like Zenyatta are hard to screw up. What made John was the fact that he was such a good person.  I hope the way I put this doesn't take away from his abilities because it wasn't meant to. He was just such a good person."

Rest in peace, Mr. Collins. And anyone reading this: please pass this man's spirit on.

To learn more:
Online funeral guest book for John Collins
The Paulick Report: RIP John Collins, Beloved Central Kentucky Farrier
Trim Toes for Zenyatta

Post script: John Collins was inducted into The Black Sports Hall of Fame at the 2012 Black Horsemen's Derby Eve Backside Party in Louisville, Kentucky.

Thanks to Doug Watkins, Scott Morrison, The Paulick Report  and everyone quoted for their help.

Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/kentucky/guestbook.aspx?n=john-collins&pid=160307746&page=4#storylink=cpy

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Vote Online for "The Shoe" in HRTV's Santa Anita Horseracing Film Festival!

Santa Anita Park in California and HRTV, the all-horse sports network for North America, have joined forces to run the first-ever non-fiction documentary competition at a racetrack. “A Day at the Races,” is open to film students and filmmakers who have made a short Santa-Anita based film.

One of the entries is called "The Shoe" and is more or less about horseshoeing and features some nice footage and comments by glue-on shoe innovator Wes Champagne, who shoes horses at Santa Anita.

"The Shoe" was made by film student Alex Ehecatl from Mexico.

If you like this little segment, here's what you need to do:
1. Watch the film.
2. Go to the film festival link and vote for it! (http://www.hrtv.com/filmfestival/)
3. (We think you can vote more than once but don't tell anyone we said that.)

You can see other films in the competition at that link as well. The catch is that the online voting ends this weekend, so please vote soon! Or, better yet, now!

“A Day at the Races” entries are being judged by a panel of racing and entertainment professionals. The competition offers a first prize of $10,000, and an additional $10,000 first prize will be awarded to the winner through this on-line poll. 

Who's Alex Ehecatl and why did he make this film? Here's what he said in an email earlier this week:

"I'm a student and I liked horses. My uncle used to be a well-known horseshoer in México and he inspired me to do this documentary. I wrote the script.

"This is just five minutes (of the film) and depending of how well-received is this version and how much money I can raise to finish it. I'm planning in doing a larger version with more information and more people from the horseshoeing world. Thanks for your interest."

Can you invest a minute or so to vote for Alex's film? Thanks!

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Capewell Ends 131-Year Run Making Nails in USA as Delta Mustad Consolidates Horse Nail Factories

George Capewell's grave; photo from the Library of Congress

The news from Delta Mustad hit the streets today: Capewell nails will no longer be made in America. Of course the company has big plans, but a chunk of US horse history ceases with this announcement.

Detail, horseshoe and nail from Capewell grave

Hoofcare Publishing and I wish all the employees of the Connecticut factory the very best in their new pursuits and of course we wish the best to all our friends all over the world who are part of the Delta Mustad Hoofcare universe.

Someday I'd like to give the Capewell name and nails their due place in history. It could be a book, and maybe it should be a Ken Burns-type documentary film. Capewell's tradition in and around Hartford, Connecticut deserves it.

George Capewell was born on June 26, 1843 in Birmingham, England, and soon emigrated with his family to Connecticut. He started working in factories at the age of 15, and worked his way up by demonstrating his prowess for the new field of mechanical engineering.

He spent five years perfecting a machine to automatically make a nail with the necessary block-like head, beveled blade, and point, which was patented in 1880. It was an age when other nails were manufactured, but the tips were blunt, and required the farrier to "point" each one on the anvil.

Capewell's nail machines were a success, and he ran parallel manufacturing operations in the US and Great Britain. He sailed on the maiden voyage of RMS Lusitania, which would be sunk by German U-boats and signal the beginning of war against Germany for the Americans.

Capewell's factory in Connecticut burned to the ground in 1902, but he rebuilt it. During the war, he was a pioneer of progressiveness: he hired women to work in his factories and provided free day care on site for their children.

Capewell's old ads and calendars are highly collectible, but its wooden boxes are treasures.

Throughout his life, he expanded his company to dominate sales all over the world. Capewell bought out many of its competitors; when it finally purchased its arch competitor, Putnam Nails, in 1895, inventor Silas Putnam had to publish a letter endorsing Capewell as the best nails in the world.

He died on November 6, 1919, just five days before the end of World War I. 

I remember the first time I visited the factory in Connecticut. I remember meeting some Polish women who worked as nail inspectors. Their job was so important. I was impressed, and everyone was always so nice.

Mustad hired me to write the announcement that they had bought Capewell. Nails were a very political hot-button issue in the horse world back then; Capewell owned the US market, and Mustad opened their operations here from a warehouse in Auburn, New York around 1980.

After Mustad bought Capewell, a beautiful new factory and warehouse complex was built north of Hartford amidst the tobacco fields of Bloomfield.

George Capewell

The workers always seemed a little embarrassed that I was so interested in meeting them. They always have been so important to the farrier industry and the horse world, and they always will be, since it sounds like Delta Mustad plans to continue making Capewell nails.

I'm so glad I was able to see those old Capewell nail machines at work, in the original factory, and meet those people.

I can still hear the clattering sound the machines made in the high ceiling halls of that old factory in Hartford. I hope I never forget that sound.

Here's the announcement that Delta Mustad Hoofcare posted on its web site today: (text in italics is direct quote from company)

Today Mustad, the world leader in hoofcare products, including horseshoes and nails, announced the consolidation of its global hoof nail production in Mustadfors (Sweden) and Emcoclavos (Colombia). 

The closure of the Capewell production facilities in Bloomfield has been announced on Feb 21st, 2012.

“We are continuously looking for ways to improve our production, distribution and customer service,” says Hans Mustad, CEO of the firm. “After a careful and thorough evaluation process we have decided to close the nail production at Capewell and move the entire Capewell production to Mustadfors, Sweden.

 In Bloomfield a total number of 26 employees are affected by the closure. 

"All agreements with our staff are made in the spirit of Mustad´s values as a family company, with a 180-year tradition in social responsibility,” confirms Hans Mustad. The North American sales and customer teams are not affected and remain unchanged. 

An old post card showing the now-abandoned and derelict Capewell factory in downtown Hartford. Mustad moved the company to Bloomfield soon after purchasing the company.

“With the focus on two state-of-the-art production facilities in Sweden and Colombia we are in a position to further improve the quality of our products, utilize innovations and manage even better supply as well as customer service,” continues Hans Mustad 

“We are very grateful to the Bloomfield employees for their dedication and craftsmanship in producing Capewell horsenails. Their efforts have been instrumental towards maintaining Capewell's 131-year reputation for exceptional quality with suppliers and customers from around the world. We will continue that positive legacy as we transition to the next phase of Capewell's future” confirms Petter Binde, Mustad’s Sales & Marketing CEO. 

The Capewell brand will remain unchanged and continues to be an integral part of Mustad´s market leading, global product offering. 

(end of text from Delta Mustad Hoofcare)

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Standing In A Giant's Hoofprints: Bob McCarthy's Anvil Dedication Saturday

There's a saying that gets tossed around a lot in leadership-by-design books. It's often spouted from the stage by commencement speakers. The words, attributed to Sir Issac Newton, appear on the edge of every British two-pound coin. Newton is said to have said, "If I have seen a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

I'm sure you understand precisely what this saying means. We have progressed further than those who came before us, because of their tremendous height--height in humanity, height in perseverance, height in sacrifice or bravery or intelligence or ability. And, in some way, the giants gained their height too by the act of lifting up the next generation, sometimes by not even acknowledging that that is what they were doing, even as they did it.

British two-pound coin

For the most part, these giants exist in people's memories. Each of us knows who the giants are--or were--in our lives. But sometimes we see the ghosts of the giants, or I do.

I remember being at farrier Eddie Watson's funeral in Virginia, at an overflowing funeral home with three chapels--all three filled with the three F's of Mr. Watson's life: friends, family and farriers. At the Hunt Club reception afterwards, there was a tiny lamp; he had forged the beautiful base. It burned brightly, though it was the middle of the afternoon, and the paper shade was a warm color. As people jostled around, that little light kept burning. I think I know why it was there, and why it was turned on.

A tree was planted in Saratoga.

Another time was when the horseshoers at Saratoga lost several members of their fraternity in one year. To commemorate the loss, they set up an anvil and planted a tree as a little memorial garden outside the blacksmith shop behind the Oklahoma Training Track. A lot of people came to the dedication ceremony, all for different reasons, and in memory of different people. We stood and stared at a little sapling tree, and beyond.

I felt that way in 2008, when Cornell's vet school farrier shop was remodeled and then-resident farrier Michael Wildenstein sank into the concrete of the floor shoes made by the instructors who had come before him.  And he made sure that Buster Conklin, the only one still living (at the time), came in to have his photo taken in the new shop with his shoe in the floor.

A giant named Buster Conklin posed with Cornell farrier school students in 2008.

We all have ways of remembering people who've made a difference in our lives, and we carry them around in and with us in different ways. But sometimes people care enough, and are creative enough, to make an extra effort, to call out for a gathering or a photo session or a special place to set up a little lamp, because it's important.

Saturday afternoon will be one of those times. The senior statesman of Massachusetts horseshoers, Mr. Bob McCarthy, died last year. His wonderful blacksmith shop in his little town of Medfield has been torn down. A forge stood in that spot for almost 200 years but now there's a parking lot. But someone cared enough to do something to mark the spot where Bob spent his days--spent his life, in fact.

We all had to start somewhere, even Myron McLane, and he was lucky enough to start with Bob McCarthy. Myron bought Bob's 225-pound Eagle anvil years ago when the shop closed, and now has prepared it as a monument on a special granite base, surrounded with a mosaic of inlaid horseshoes made by farriers who were influenced by Bob, and who cared enough to make a shoe in his memory. There will be a few of Bob's shoes in there as well. The town has approved the monument and the dedication.

Allen Smith and Bob McCarthy, two giants of New England farriery.

Bob's anvil will be dedicated at 12:30 on September 17 on Janes Avenue in Medfield, Massachusetts. Everyone is welcome. Just ask anyone where Bob's blacksmith shop used to be. It's the kind of place that, even though it's gone, is still there in a lot of people's memories, and now an anvil will mark the spot.

It doesn't seem so long ago that a giant stood in that very spot, and behind that very anvil, the one that Bob's father bought in 1931. If Bob stood there on Saturday and looked down, he'd see the beautiful workmanship of the farriers who stand today on his shoulders, farriers who haven't forgotten who helped lift them to where--and who--they are today.

Totilas and Matthias Rath Cancel Competition Debut; Hoof Abscess Resolved

Team Totilas: Owner Paul Schockemohle, Totilas, and rider Matthias Rath as they appeared on German television in early February when Rath rode Totilas in a demonstration at a stallion exhibition

Almost two weeks ago, the Hoof Blog reported that world champion dressage gold medalist Totilas is now wearing heart-bar shoes. At that time, he was unable to perform for a press conference because of a hoof abscess.

Today, rider Matthias Rath announced that the horse's planned return to competition next weekend at the "Dressage and Dreams" show in Hagen, Germany has been cancelled.

Here is Matthias Rath's statement today:

"We very much regret not being able to compete in Hagen, but the health and welfare of our horses is always the top priority. We had a great feeling before the injury and the preparations and joint development were going much better than expected, which is why we had made firm plans for our early competition debut in May and we were really looking forward to it."

(English version supplied by Matthias Rath)

According to the team, the abscess has healed completely. Rath and Totilas trained over Easter but the veterinary treatment required brings into question the withdrawal/detection times that need to be observed before a competition when a horse has been treated for a medical condition.

 © Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Racetrack Horseshoer's Survey Launched by Grayson Jockey Club's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit

The Shoeing and Hoof Care Committee of the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit has compiled an online survey to collect data from horseshoers at US racetracks. Information from the survey will be used to assist the committee's efforts to study how horseshoers are licensed by states or racing jurisdictions, and what changes horseshoers feel may be warranted in the system to improve the education of horseshoers and the welfare of the horses in their care.

A sub-committee of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit's Shoeing and Hoof Care committee will use the results of this survey to gain information on topics, ideas and structure for a uniform national racetrack horseshoer test for state licensure. The committee feels that this step, which is similar to the Jockey Club's efforts in unifying Thoroughbred racetrack trainers' tests, will raise the bar of horseshoer qualifications and thereby boost the overall safety of the racehorse.

Hoofcare Publishing and The Hoof Blog have been asked to help disseminate news of the survey into the Thoroughbred racing shoeing community.

The survey is primarily an online questionnaire, and should only take a few minutes to complete.

To preserve the integrity of the survey, only those directly involved with racetrack horseshoeing should fill out the survey. This means: professional horseshoers who earn part or all of their living at the racetrack and are affected by state or track licensing.

An alternative path through the survey is available for trainers, owners, stable employees, racing officials, veterinarians, non-track horseshoers or others who are interested in expressing opinions about the practice of racetrack horseshoeing, but only racetrack shoers should answer the shoeing questions to preserve the survey's validity.

The committee has been collecting information for the past few years on state licensing and tests administered, and has sought the input of racetrack shoers in improving the process of testing new farriers. It is hoped that this survey will be able to reach many more horseshoers at tracks across the country.

A word about the survey: it is an automated program. Once you start to take the survey, you should finish it; you cannot go back and finish it later. The program will also prevent you from answering the survey more than once.

While the survey is anonymous, the Committee would like to hear more opinions from racetrack shoers, and has provided a comment section at the end of the survey for general feedback. Horseshoers are also invited to contact the committee directly to become involved in the efforts of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit and the Shoeing and Hoof Care Committee.

Please click on the red survey badge to open the survey:

If viewing on a text-only or mobile device, the direct address of the survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/farriersurvey

If you have any questions before you attempt to complete this survey, please contact Cathy O'Meara at comeara@jockeyclub.com. If you know someone who does not have Internet access but who should take the survey, Cathy will be able to help.

The Foundation has not provided a deadline date for completing the survey, but you should not delay in submitting your answers if you want to have an impact on the decision-making process.

Notification of this survey is provided as a public service by Hoofcare Publishing. Comments left on this blog post, by clicking on "comment" at the bottom of this article, once published, will be visible to anyone visiting this blog but will not go directly to the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation, so please make comments on their survey feedback area as well.

 © Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.
 

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Good Luck Reading My Shoe: The Rest of the Story about Secretariat's Raceplate Auction on eBay to Benefit Charity!

One of the original shoes worn by Secretariat in his Futurity Stakes win at New York's Belmont Park on September 16, 1972, has been put up for auction on eBay by Secretariat.com, the official website of Secretariat. The shoe was mounted on a wooden plaque by the late Jim Gaffney, Secretariat's exercise rider for Meadow Stable from April 1972 through May 1973.

That day--September 16, 1972--was Penny Chenery's father's 86th birthday. She called him at a hospital in New Rochelle, New York where he was a patient to give him the news that their horse had won--again! The nurse informed her that he already knew that, according to the account in Bill Nack's book.

That day was also the day of Bull Hancock's funeral. He was the owner of Claiborne Farm, the great character in the film Secretariat who stares Penny Chenery down with the coin toss to see who gets the colt. Again, according to Bill Nack, he was buried at Paris (Kentucky) Cemetery, at about the time that Lucien Lauren was saddling Secretariat for the Belmont Futurity.

Working in concert with groom Eddie Sweat and regular Meadow Stable farrier George Collins, Gaffney collected many of Secretariat's racing plates, meticulously cataloging each one as the colt was routinely shod. The Futurity shoe was obtained on October 8, 1972, when Secretariat was re-shod after winning the Futurity Stakes and prior to his following race, a winning effort in the Champagne Stakes. The Futurity was Secretariat's third stakes victory and his first start at Belmont Park.

The Futurity shoe, from Secretariat’s left front hoof, is mounted on a wooden plaque with blue metal backing, and it contains a plate engraved by Gaffney that identifies the race. On the reverse side of the plaque, the frame has the handwritten inscription documenting the mounting by Gaffney along with the individual identification numbers. The plaque is signed by the Meadow Racing Stable team of Gaffney, owner Penny Chenery, and Secretariat's Hall of Fame winning jockey, Ron Turcotte. The shoe is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and the official winner's circle photo from the race.

The nails from Secretariat's shoes were saved too, and you can buy them. Note that this is a Japanese Izumi nail. Now there's a bit of Secretariat trivia for you!

I shared the eBay photo of the shoe with Ed Kinney, president of Thoro'Bred Racing Plate Company, Inc. of Anaheim, California, which manufactured the shoe. Ed confirmed that, as far as he knew, Secretariat wore Thoro'Bred plates throughout his racing career. This shoe is what is called in racing circles a "low toe", referring to the height of the toe grab, and Ed estimated the size to be a 5 or 6. Neither of us could read the size on the shoe in the photo.

Here's what Ed said in an email, "It is a Thoro'bred Low Toe Front shoe.  The size is hard to see, it is either a 5 or 6.  The two marks under the number indicate Low Toe. I would say that it is authentic.  He raced in our shoes his entire career to my knowledge. (My) Dad knew George Collins, and the name is familiar to me too, but I don't remember, sorry."

The most interesting thing we noticed about the shoe are the little bumps back by the heels. These would be what's left of copper rivets that held either a felt or leather pad. Why did a two-year-old colt need a pad? Nowhere in Bill Nack's Big Red of Meadow Stable is there a mention that the horse had a definite problem, although he does mention rumors that Secretariat was not sound at that time. Did his soles sting? Did he have some kind of an infection? And what did Jim Gaffney do with the pad? We know he kept the nail heads--wouldn't he have kept the pad, too?

Here's a front Thoro'bred raceplate, also attributed to Secretariat, that was auctioned off by Claiborne Farm. It's a different shape from the two-year-old shoe, and perhaps a different size. Presumably this would be one pulled off Secretariat when he arrived in Kentucky from New York to stand at stud. He would have still had his raceplates on, so it would make sense that Claiborne Farm would have them.

If anyone reading this knows anything about George Collins, I would surely like to know more about him.

Proceeds from the sale of this shoe will benefit the Secretariat Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery to assist the Thoroughbred industry in the areas of research, rehabilitation, retirement and recognition.

The auction will end December 19th at 9:00 p.m. (ET). As I write this, 60 bids have been placed on the shoe, which is now up to $5,950 and expected to go much higher. Bidding ends on Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 3:22 p.m. EST.

I noticed that there is another shoe up for auction on eBay that says it is off Secretariat; it is priced at $3500 (not an auction) and is for sale loose. That's not the one for the fundraiser!

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.
 

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Hoofcare @ Saratoga Presents Ada Gates: "The Blacksmith Was a Debutante"

Ada Gates Patton clowned around at Del Mar with some of her shoer pals before heading east. I guess there was no way this would be a serious photo; Ada climbed onto Ron McAnaly's stable pony and wielded a rasp. Why does this shot have a hint of Broadway to it? Can these guys shoe and sing and dance?

Hoofcare @ Saratoga is ready to do it again! We'll follow up last week's successful and hugely educational "Rood and Riddle" night with star farrier/veterinarian Raul Bras with something entirely different.

Ada Gates Patton is traveling east from California as I write this. She's aiming at Saratoga, where she will touch down at the Parting Glass Pub at 7 pm on Tuesday, August 24. She has an entertaining program plan, based on her retrospective journey through almost 40 years as a farrier, and particularly as the first woman to be licensed to shoe Thoroughbred racehorses in North America, and perhaps even in the entire world.

Some special guests are scheduled to stop in; among them Dr. Tom Carroll of the Burden Iron Works horseshoeing factory museum in nearby Troy and a host of local horseshoers, many of whom have heard of Ada, but never met her.

Please join us! The setting is informal, you can order food and a drink (or not), there should be plenty of free parking, and we're going to have some laughs and also do some serious talking about hoofcare.

Here's a re-post of one of our most popular articles ever: a "greatest hits" post about Ada Gates:

Where were you the night when farriers stayed up late to watch one of their own on the big stage in New York City? The night one of their own left the great David Letterman speechless? The night David Letterman lost control of his own show?


Ada Gates Patton is in a league of her own. The fact that she was the first woman licensed to shoe horses at a racetrack in the United States is only the beginning of the story. A few years ago, we were in Kentucky for a convention and she made a special trip to Three Chimneys Farm to visit Wild Again, one of the horses she shod back in the 1980s, when he won the Breeders Cup Classic. Ada was international horsemen's liaison for the Breeders Cup in California, and coordinated farrier services for the 1984 Olympics in California.

Ada is originally from New York; she is a descendant of Henry Burden, a Scottish immigrant who invented the first machine to manufacture horseshoes. His machines are credited with helping the North win the Civil War; his factories stretched forever along the banks of the Hudson River in Troy, New York and Burden horseshoes supplied the US cavalry for decades. 

Today, Ada owns and runs Harry Patton Horseshoeing Supplies near Santa Anita, and serves farriers all over California. The business was started by her late husband, the famous racetrack mentor and long time Santa Anita paddock shoer Harry Patton.

Ada stares up at the derelict but grand church built by her great-great-grandfather in Troy so that horseshoe factory workers had a place to worship. She saved the church from demolition through a loophole in the deed that made a provision for a descendant of the founder to lay claim. What would Henry Burden think of one of his descendants owning a store that sold horseshoes?

Ada is originally from New York, and she is the great great grand-daughter of Henry Burden, the inventor of the horseshoe-making machine. We reconnected her with her roots a few years ago by explaining that her family's church would be torn down if she didn't claim the deed and save it--which she did, and subsequently opened the beautiful old church and invited our Hoofcare@Saratoga tour group of farriers in for lunch as part of one of our tours of the Burden Iron Works.

Last year Ada was honored in her family's church by the Burden Iron Works Museum and its preservation efforts. The image at right is the outline of the Burden horseshoe company's office building, which now houses the museum. The museum and Ada found each other through Hoofcare & Lameness Journal and our Hoofcare@Saratoga program and tour of the museum. The museum is dedicated to preserving the history of horseshoe manufacturing in Troy, New York.

Today, Ada is busy selling shoes. But she recently "joined up" with one of her old shoeing clients, California horseman Monty Roberts, and the two made a DVD together on hoofcare and horsemanship for hard-to-shoe horses. Ada also teaches simple hoof balance principles at horse owner events and markets a hoof ruler to help them keep track of changes in their horses' hooves' dimensions. 

Horse Illustrated profiled Ada's pioneering career spirit in this tribute article. They named her one of the 20 most influential women in the horse world in the previous 20 years.

Ada is one person who never forgot where she came from, and is not done getting to where she's going. She's still giving us all a lot of laughs along the way, and digging the Letterman video up out of the 1990s will insure that more people around the world join in.

Join us Tuesday, August 23rd, 7 p.m. in the back room at the Parting Glass Pub, 40 Lake Avenue, Saratoga Springs, New York. The pub is one block off Broadway. Lake Avenue is also Route 50.

There is never a charge for the presentations. It is just something that Hoofcare Publishing likes to do. The horse industry needs the kind of information that our top-shelf speakers can provide and it is our mission to keep the best information in front of the people who want to hear it.

Hoofcare Publishing thanks the Parting Glass Pub, Frieda and Cliff Garrison, Jim Santore, Skidmore College, and every horse in town for welcoming Hoofcare back to Saratoga. 
 

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England's Steven Beane Repeats as Calgary World Champion

The Calgary Stampede put together this little video about the farrier competition.

"Beane" there, done that--Two years in a row!

Steven Beane of England, shown early in this video, was named the 2010 World Champion Blacksmith at the Calgary Stampede today.  That makes it two in a row for the Yorkshire farrier, who was also champion in 2009 and is currently reserve European champion for 2010.

According to the Calgary Stampede, Beane was virtually unbeatable when it counted Sunday, dominating the semifinal and final rounds under the Big Top to win his second consecutive World Championship Blacksmiths’ Competition title at the Calgary Stampede.

Beane, who hails from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, is the first backto-back WCBC champion since Billy Crothers of Wales won the second and third of his five Stampede crowns back in 1995 and 1996.

“It’s unbelievably hard to do that. Really, really hard,” said Beane, 31. “You’ve got so many good guys competing here . . . you’ve got to be on the top of your game, and I’m lucky I was on top of my game today.

“I’ve had a bad year up until now, to be honest,” added Beane, who said he competes at between 15 and 20 farrier competitions during a year. “I went to the European championships, where I’d won two years in a row, and I was second there. That was kind of hard to take. But I must admit that for the last couple of months, I’ve been focused on coming back here.”

During the 10-man semifinal, Beane opened up a 21-point lead on Jake Engler of Magnolia, Texas, and in the final, he increased that advantage, prevailing by 32 points over Engler in the end.

Beane finished with 147 points to Engler’s 115. As for the other finalists, Scotland’s Derek Gardner was
third with 115 (Engler won a tiebreaker on the fit of a horse’s shoe); fellow Scot David Varini was fourth with 94, and Texan Gene Lieser ended up fifth with 87.

Beane wins a cheque for $10,000, as well as a gold-and-silver Stampede championship buckle, a limited  edition bronze trophy, and a champion’s jacket. More than $50,000 in cash and prizes were handed out to WCBC competitors this weekend.

“It was pretty rough going for me today. Nothing was clicking,” said Engler. “Beane is always on the money, and he’s hard to beat. But I’m pretty happy with (second place). It can’t be too bad, since there’s  only one guy better than me.”

Congratulations to all the farriers who made the trip to Calgary and represented their countries.

Information and quotes provided by the Calgary Stampede were used in this report. Photo and video courtesy of the Calgary Stampede.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog at Hoofcare.com
© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing


Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.