Ian Hughes of Wales Will Head Farrier Services at Hong Kong Olympics

Welsh farrier Ian Hughes DipWCF will be head of services in the farrier clinic at the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events, to be held in Hong Kong in August.

It's a long way from Mold, Wales to Hong Kong, but Ian Hughes DipWCF already knows the way. After heading up farrier services at the Olympic test event there in 2007, Ian has been named head of farrier services for both the 2008 Olympics and the Paralympics.

In an interview yesterday with Hoofcare and Lameness Journal, Ian shared some of the details of his upcoming assignment, which may be of interest to readers who are connected to horses that will be traveling to Hong Kong without a dedicated Team farrier, or who may aspire to this type of work.

Ian will be assisted by Greg Murray, head farrier for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and fellow British farrier Kelvin Lymer DipWCF of Worcestershire.

Ian spent 3 1/2 weeks in Hong Kong last year for the test event, trying out the new purpose-built forge area in the new veterinary center at Sha Tin racecourse. Only about 36 horses competed then, but the event put the footing, stables, humid climate, and facilities to a good test.

An estimated 240 horses are expected to arrive in Hong Kong; many will arrive in advance so that the horses can adjust to the climate and fulfill quarantine requirements. Only a few countries will send their own farriers, but many horses will arrive with spare sets of shoes all made up, and, hopefully, will have been shod before leaving home.

Ian said that he did not have much input on the design and layout of the forge and shoeing floor, and was glad to have had the test event to try it out in advance. The forge area was served by lots of fans but not air-conditioned, he said, "But it will be when we are there!" he remarked. He said that the workings of two double-burner gas forges cancel out the effects of an air-conditioner, so the shoeing floor would be separated from the forge area, so the horses (and the farriers) will be cool except when forges needs to be fired up.

Ian said that he would have to arrive before the horses to set up the service area, and that he would stay until September and serve the same role for the Para-Games. He'll need to be gone from his home in Wales for a total of eight weeks; he'll leave his busy practice in the hands of his two apprentices and his "qualified man" (a graduate farrier working as his employee).

Ian runs a general practice in Wales, and also serves as farrier consultant at Ashbrook Equine Hospital in Cheshire, England, one of Britain's leading clinics. He lectures on lameness one day a week at the veterinary college at the University of Liverpool.

One country whose horses Ian probably won't be shoeing will be those of his own Team GBR. Ian said that the British horses would probably be served by fellow Welshman Haydn Price and eventing specialist Brendan Murray. (You may remember my story about Brendan, who was one of the four escorts in the horse-drawn funeral procession of Princess Diana. According to tradition, the farrier must be present, in the event of a shoeing mishap on one of the horses pulling the gun carriage and casket.)

One note about "Olympic farriers" (and their tools, supplies, and equipment): Ian said that all gear will be shipped out several weeks in advance. Olympic protocol does not allow companies to make advertising claims that their products were used in the forge at Hong Kong. However, the policy is to allow nonreturnable donations of certain supplies, tools, and equipment that do not have strings attached.

Ian's announcement is great news, but I realize it should come as no surprise. Wales is a tiny country that has a penchant for producing farriers who excel on the international level. Calgary Stampede World Champion farriers Grant Moon, Billy Crothers, Richard Ellis, and James Blurton all are from Wales and come to mind, along with Haydn and Ian, and I remember from an earlier generation Glyn David and the late Tommy Williams excelling in the profession, too. I'm sure there are many, many more. John McEwen, chair of the FEI's veterinary committee and head vet for Team Great Britain, also lives in Wales.

Best of luck to Ian and all the farriers who head to Hong Kong this summer. It's great to see the role of farriers be recognized for the important part it plays in the safety and ultimate performance of the horses. The same is true if the farrier is working at a local horse show or the Olympics.

Read an interview with Ian Hughes for potential farrier apprentices.

Horseshoes in Art: The Kentucky Equine Summit Logo

My compliments to the artist. Louisville's Red7e is the marketing firm for the upcoming World Equestrian Games in 2010, but in the meantime, they created a logo for the University of Louisville's Kentucky Equine Summit, to be held in Lexington April 28-29, 2008.

At first glance, it looks like a snowflake, a star or a flower, but look closer, squint!; it's a horseshoe mandela.

Friends at Work: Greetings from France

This photo intrigues me. It was kindly provided by the French National Stud system (les Haras nationaux) but the farrier (le marechal ferrant) is not identified. If you double-click or otherwise enlarge the image to full screen view, you will see that this farrier is wearing his uniform; that's his coat and hat hanging on the wall behind the horse. This is odd, because the farriers I met in France at the national studs wore dark work clothes under their aprons, although the instructor at Haras du Pin (the famous state stud of Percherons in Normandy) would grab his military hat and put it on whenever I took his photo.

Perhaps this fellow had to wear his uniform to have his photo taken for the government.

All the military farriers I saw in France worked in teams--a floorman on the horse, a fireman usually some distance away in the forge, and several go-between fellows who tried to get the hot shoe to the horse while it was still hot. The go-betweens were very fit from running back and forth all day, but they did seem to bear the brunt of impatience from both the fireman and the floorman. They couldn't scurry fast enough and because so many horses were being shod at once, they kept bumping into each other.

The forge fires were in the shape of a huge wheel, with individual fires between the spokes. So the firemen were facing each other around a big round hearth. They were much too important to bump into anyone. And on the wall was a shrine to St. Eloi, the patron saint of farriers in France.

Also in the middle of things was the rider, in uniform, whose job it was to hold up the horse's foot for the floorman.

Maybe things are changing in France and the farriers work alone at the studs now.

Notice that there is no footstand in the photo. There are some very spiffy new Euro designs (and hot colors) for hoofstands, but you don't see them in traditional shops or schools. I remember they were outlawed at the British farrier school when the late Tommy Williams was the instructor. I wonder if that has changed too!

Except for the fact that this fellow's shirt seems to be a modern one, this photo could have been taken 100 years ago. Or 200 years ago. I wonder how long I'll be able to look at a photo and say that.

Texas A&M Seeks Full-time Farrier for Vet Hospital

The Large Animal Hospital at Texas A&M University is seeking a full-time farrier. To learn more, click here.

Among the requirements: "Requires a High School Diploma and five (5) years of experience as a Farrier, with at least two years experience working under a corrective Farrier. Farrier Certification or ability to achieve Farrier Certification within 12 months of employment.

"Preferred Education and Experience: Completion of a Farrier training program recognized by the Professional Registry of Farrier Educators and four (4) years of farrier experience as a Corrective Farrier. Certification as a journeyman farrier through the American Farrier's Association."

Robert Bowker Heads Down Under on Lecture Tour

One of Dr. Bowker's many beautiful macro images of hoof structures. This one, from 2003, was part of a study of the tissue of the bars in the heels, where the hoof walls hooks inward. Bowker studied the laminae of the bars and found migrating cells from the laminar tips in the bars contributing to growth of the sole. This research was presented at the American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention in New Orleans in 2003.

Robert Bowker VMD PhD will be headed to New South Wales in Australia next month to speak at a March 29- 30 workshop for professional hoof care providers and veterinarians who deal in barefoot rehabilitation.

Organizer Chris Ware said about the event: “Attending are professional trimmers some who are traveling from as far away as Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. It is fully booked already and we are looking forward to having a wonderful weekend with (Dr. Bowker), who is keen to present his latest research and explain how it relates to hoof care at the ‘coal face’.”

As part of the weekends lectures, Andrew Bowe "The Barefoot Blacksmith" will also talk about his work with seriously foundered horses. Bowe is a Master Farrier of 20 years experience who runs Australia's leading rehabilitation centre for foundered horses, according to Ware. Mike Ware of Easycare Down Under will talk on the many aspects of using Easycare’s range of hoof boots for the rehabilitation of hooves with serious issues and present the new range of boots.

All the proceeds from this workshop will be given to Dr. Bowker for his new research.

On the following Friday Professor Bowker is scheduled to teach the first module of a new Diploma course in Equine Podio-therapy course in Melbourne at the National College of Traditional Medicine. Other lecturers in Melbourne also include Bowe and Ware plus Dr. Alison Mcintosh (a veterinarian and equine chiropractor and barefoot trimmer who has long championed the cause of barefoot rehabilitation for serious hoof issues), and Wayne Anderson, also a Master Farrier, barefoot trimmer, and natural horse educator.

Dr. Bowker’s role in this course is largely due to the generosity of Easycare’s Garrett Ford who has kindly offered a grant towards Dr. Bowker’s nonprofit research.

Dr. Bowker, head of the Equine Foot Laboratory at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine is a consulting editor to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal, where many of his papers have been published, along with those of his former research colleague, Lisa Lancaster DVM PhD. Lancaster's histological studies from Bowker's lab on the crena of the white line appear in the upcoming issue of Hoofcare and Lameness.

Dr. Bowker and his microscope at home in Michigan.

Put the Hoof Blog's Headlines on Your Web Site, Blog, Or Facebook Page

The Hoof Blog now has a headline "widget", which is a little piece of code that will create a headline box on your web site, Facebook page, or blog so you can all display a list of the recent headlines from the Hoof Blog to keep your visitors informed. Once it is installed, if you or your visitors click on a headline, the Hoof Blog will open on the screen and display that story.

Just go to this link and copy the code; for many applications, it will load with one click.

Please let me know how it works for you!

British Hunt Racer Comes Back After Tendon Stem Cell Treatment

Knowhere charges home after a long, grueling jump race...notice how clean his right front leg looks, in spite of a serious bow in his past. Photo © Trevor Meeks/Horse & Hound/IPC+ Syndication.Thanks for the loan!

A horse with the intriguing name of Knowhere won the Cheltenham Gold Cup Trial (brush-type jumps) last week over favorite Our Vic. The celebration extended out of the winner’s enclosure and into a nearby veterinary hospital.

Three years ago, Knowhere was, literally, nowhere. After two wins in novice hurdle company, his promising four-year-old race career ended when he injured the superficial flexor tendons of both front legs. The left fore showed low grade tendonitis while the right fore had a significant percentage of fiber rupture—what we call a “bow”.

Knowhere’s connections opted for stem cell therapy and a long layoff, in hopes of returning him to the top races on the National Hunt circuit. He was treated by Tim Beauregard MRCVS of Summerhill Farm in Gloucestershire, west of London.

Bone marrow samples were collected from Knowhere’s sternum. The marrow was then processed in a laboratory over a five week period to generate millions of stem cells. Knowhere was sedated, the tendon area was anesthetised and then the leg was surgically clipped and disinfected The stem cells which had been suspended in serum obtained from the original bone marrow sample, were then injected using ultrasound guidance, into the core of the damaged area of the tendon fibers.

For the first week after the implantation, Knowhere was kept in his stall to allow the cells to adapt to their new environment. Each day after this he was given walking exercise in order to stimulate the activity of the stem cells, encouraging them to differentiate into tendon cells and form into strong tendon fibers. The amount of exercise was incrementally increased, building up over a three-month period from five minutes each day to 45 minutes twice a day.

By the autumn of 2005 both of Knowhere’s tendons had healed very well and showed good fiber pattern on ultrasonography. He was re-introduced to the racetrack the following year and of the 15 or so races he has been in since then he has finished in the frame on eight occasions and has amassed some £175,000 (US$345,000) in winnings.

Vet Tim Beauregard concludes: “Knowhere’s successful return to the track has been exciting and immensely satisfying to follow and he showed particularly brilliant form in the Cotswold Chase. It remains to be seen whether he will be heading for the Ryanair Chase, the (Cheltenham) Gold Cup or the Grand National (three top jump races in the UK) but all involved will be hoping for the best.”

Note to American readers: the procedure used on Knowhere is different from the Vet-Stem system commonly used in the US, which extracts fat cells at the tail head and harvests stem cells from the fat. The procedure detailed in this post is a specific treatment program from the Vetcell company in the UK, developed at the Royal Veterinary College of London.

Why Horses and Bicycles Never Mixed Well

Veterinarians and farriers shared a hatred for bicycles and bicyclists in the 19th century.

Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a 19th centuary Scottish blacksmith from the border county of Dumfries, is credited with the invention of the two-wheeled rear-propelled bicycle.

MacMillan’s first bicycle was made of wood and had iron wheels. But it didn’t make him popular with other smiths.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, there were anti-bicycle protests, with farriers leading the protest line. Bicycles frightened horses they said, but in reality, the problems opened by bicycles were worrisome on another level: they provided inexpensive transportation that replaced horses and also caused a drop in value of saddle horses. And they were ridden by "dandies", the precursor of today's metrosexual male, who demanded smoother manmade roads that would make the automobile a more viable option.

An interesting twist of urban history is the role that the railroads played in the horse populations and value of horses in urban society. If farriers hated bicycles, they loved railroads. Every city needed an army of freight horses to serve the docks and railway yards. Every store and factory relied on horses to get their goods into the hands of customers or onto waiting ships or trains. Horses pulled the street cars, the hearses and the snowplows.

Both farriers and veterinarians felt the pinch caused by bicycles. In 1850, only 46 people in the United States census said that they were "veterinarians"; and 20 of them lived in New York City. By 1910, more than 11,000 veterinary surgeons practiced primarily urban equine medicine in the USA. And they weren't pleased about the popularity of bicycles.

Oddly, the popularity of the bicycle is benchmarked as heralding the migration of veterinarians into specialization in species other than horses. In 1897, an article in the American Veterinary Review claimed that horse values had dropped so sharply because of bicycles that owners were letting horses die rather than seek treatment.

Resentment toward the bicycle was shared by both vets and farriers. In this 19th century illustration kindly on loan from Scotland’s Wellcome Library, you see a veterinary surgeon and farrier have just smashed a bicycle and the vet is dosing the dandy cyclist. Double-click on the image to view it at a larger size.

Statistics quoted in this article are from the interesting new book The Horse in the City: Living Machines in the 19th Century by Clay McShane and Joel Tarr. The authors have created a trove of facts and figures about the role played by horses in urban life.

New Treatment for Pain of Lam-"Mint"-Itis?

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) Veterinary College in Scotland are turning to ancient medical traditions to help horses deals with the pain of laminitis.

Professor Sue Fleetwood-Walker, with researcher Rory Mitchell, is taking a clear, scientific look into Chinese and Greek traditions using mint to treat pain, in hopes that mint therapy might be key to the nerve-damage pain that is part of the complex response that horses have to the damage in their feet when laminitis strikes.

Previous research by Fleetwood-Walker, also conducted at Edinburgh and published in the journal Pain, chronicled evidence for a neuropathic component to the chronic pain state associated with equine laminitis, indicating that anti-neuropathic analgesic treatment may well have a role in the management of laminitic horses. In that study, electron micrographic analysis of the digital nerve of laminitic horses showed "peripheral nerve morphology to be abnormal, as well as having reduced numbers of unmyelinated (43.2%) and myelinated fibers (34.6%) compared to normal horses", according to the study's abstract.

Fleetwood-Walker has researched "phantom" pain in human amputation patients and also horn pain response in small mammals; her team discovered that cooling chemicals with the same properties as mint oil had powerful painkilling effects when applied in small doses to the skin.

The receptor molecule TRPM8 is responsible for the sensation of moderate cold and it has long been known that cooling eases pain. However, the Edinburgh researchers have shown that this receptor acts to induce a pathway of responses that ease the crippling effects of neuropathic chronic pain which is very different from the acute pain associated with direct trauma. Substances such as icilin or menthol, known activators of TRPM8 which mimics the sensation of cooling, may then be used to treat neuropathic chronic pain.

The compounds were likely to have minimal toxic side effects, being applied externally, and were likely to prove ideal for patients with chronic pain who found conventional painkillers ineffective. The next test is to find a way to test mint medications on horses with laminitis.

This research is funded by The Horse Trust, a leading British horse charity.

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