What is "World Championship Blacksmiths"?

We'll soon find out!
June 19th is the day set for unveiling of the new member-based organization designed at upgrading farrier competitions in the United States. Headed by farrier Craig Trnka of New Mexico and AFA Education Director Jill Ballard, World Championship Blacksmithis (WCB) has an ambitious plan to run regional farrier qualifiers leading to a national championship beginning in 2007.

Until the name catches on, I am sure that this will be called "the competitors' association" but it is more than that.

Among their plans are to use stations provided by the promoters, a la Calgary Stampede's farrier contest, so farriers will not need to bring trucks and anvils to a contest site. The stations will be owned by WCB and moved from site to site.

According to Jill, "The organization is kicking off the 2007 season with a preview competition in Edgewood, New Mexico on September 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 2006. The first year's regional competitions are slated for Bossier City, LA; Durango, CO; Dillon, MT; West Springfield, MA; and Atlanta, GA." A "Super Clinic" is scheduled for the weekend of January 11.

The Massachusetts event will be held as part of the Equine Affaire horse expo.

Principles of the LLC (Limited Liability Corporation--not a non-profit organization) are three farrier-and-wife teams: Craig and Chris Trnka of New Mexico, Jeff and Julie Ridley of Iowa, and Kyle and Jill Ballard of Nebraska.

Rumors that WBC intends to take over the AFA are premature, according to the authorities I interviewed this week.

I did question Myron McLane, chairman of the American Farrier's Association's Rules Committee, which makes him the de facto czar of the AFA's competition. On June 11, Myron said, "I can't tell you what (WCB's) plans are but I am the chairman of the rules committee and the rules committee runs the AFA contest. I can't comment on rumors. If anyone has questions about the contest in Albuquerque they can contact me at 508-678-0117. We also welcome new ideas and input on the contest from any AFA member."

AFA Acting Executive Director Mike Nolan told me on June 13, "I have been in touch with WBC and urged them to come to the AFA with specifics and how their plans impact the AFA."

A full article with information directly from WCB will be posted on www.hoofcare.com in the next day or so.

By the way, Jill Ballard asked me to convey the important information that she is still working for the AFA, as well as for WCB.

The WCB web site will go live on the 19th; URL is http://www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com

EIA in Ireland: Not Good News

Another horse disease is in the news today: Equine Infectious Anemia has hit Ireland for the first time, ever. That's the problem with being an island; your flies don't get exposed to diseases. The horses in Ireland have never needed Coggins tests, so what will they do now? According to news reports, the outbreak is blamed not on imported flies, as you might expect, but to a tainted supply of medication or vaccine.

No matter how it got to Ireland, it's there, and when flies bite an infected horses, the fly becomes a carrier and infects other horses. And horses that recover can be carriers forever.

It's not unusual for Irish horses to pop over to England or Scotland or even France to race, and we all know that every horse in Ireland is for sale. It is a market country and a nursery for the Thoroughbred and jumping horses of all types. This outbreak will require a major national education campaign.

I can hear them down at the pub now, asking "Who's this fellow Coggins, then, and why do our horses need to take his test?"(Good questions, who is/was Coggins?)

Keep an eye on this story. It reminds me of when West Nile Virus arrived in New York. Let's hope Ireland finds a way to stop a major outbreak, and a major change in how they manage and move their fabulous horses.

Barbaro's cast was replaced today

From our friends at New Bolton Center:

KENNETT SQUARE, PA – Today Chief of Surgery Dean W. Richardson replaced the cast that had been on Barbaro’s hind leg since surgery on May 21. “His leg looks excellent,” said Dr. Richardson. “The incision has healed well and judging by the radiographs, the graft is opacifying (“taking”). Callus is forming nicely, and all of the implants (plate and screws) look unchanged.” The cast was replaced under general anesthesia, and Barbaro had a very smooth pool recovery.

Farrier Memorial Planned for Saratoga Racecourse

Some kind people in the New York racing scene are planning a memorial for farriers who live on in the memories of many. Jim Brummit, Bruce Scott and Charlie Campbell were three friends of Hoofcare & Lameness who shod on the NY tracks and had many happy times at Saratoga each August.

In fact, the last time I saw Brummit was next to the Oklahoma Track when he pulled up beside me one day. I'd just been taking pictures of Ray Amato shoeing at Todd Pletcher's barn. How Brummit knew I was there, I'll never know. I think that they have spy pigeons or something at that track. His last words to me were some sort of a curse about the magazine being late again. Now, he's gone; cancer, of course. Ditto for Charlie.

You can read more about Charlie here: www.hoofcare.com/charlie_campbell.html
Charlie was the paddock farrier at Saratoga. I just saw today that they named a race for him; it was run at Saratoga on Labor Day, which I think was the last day of the meet in 2005.

If you've never been to Saratoga, the racetrack is a beautiful park-like place; Oklahoma is the training track, dating back to the 1800s, and the barns around it are wooden. The horses are bathed or walked in the shade under huge old trees. I always think that I have taken beautiful photos there, but they never do it justice when I see them afterwards. The place is beautiful to look at, but part of it too is the sounds, and the smell, and the way you feel because it's only 7 a.m. and you are already so hot. I've been going there since I was 13. I couldn't go to the races in the afternoon until I was older, but in the morning, the backside was all mine.

"Oklahoma" is a perfect place for a memorial. Every track should have a farrier memorial.

I hope they raise a lot of money and I also hope you'll go there and see it. I am sure that contributions would be very welcome but I don't have any details yet.

Watch Hoofcare & Lameness for more details sometime this summer. I plan to be in Saratoga on Tuesday and Wednesdays this year. How about you?

Horse Beats Humans (Again)

The Welsh held their annual horse vs human cross-country race today; 300 humans showed up and tried to outrun 30 horses. A horse won the 22-mile race.
I read about this race every year and it fascinates me, for some reason. Last year, a human won.
I don’t think I really care who wins, I am just curious why and how they run this race.

More at http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/

Health Warning: MRSA Bacteria Infection and Horses

I'm copying this from an Elsevier newsletter received today, just as a reminder....

MRSA -- a vigorous bacterial infection resistant to standard drug treatments - -can be picked up in dirty hospitals, as most people know. But there have been increasing reports of domestic animals transmitting MRSA to humans and the potential for animals to become a reservoir of MRSA.

A new study suggests that it can also be picked up from horses, even when normal precautions are taken. This has wide implications for farmers, the racing industry, recreational horse owners, horse farm personnel, and veterinary practices.

MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is resistant to most standard antimicrobials and frequently to a wide range of additional antimicrobial classes. Infections are difficult to treat and are associated with increased morbidity, mortality and treatment costs.

A study by Ontario-based veterinary scientist Dr Scott Weese published in Elsevier's journal Veterinary Microbiology reports that a team caring for a new-born foal quickly developed symptoms of MRSA, in the form of skin lesions, almost certainly arising from close contact with the foal.

The foal was under treatment in a Canadian animal hospital for renal failure and septicaemia. Part of the foal's management involved veterinary students providing 24-hour nursing care to individual foals in 4-hour shifts. In most situations, students sit in direct contact with the foal for the entirety of their shift, often with the foal partially on the students' lap to enable proper restraint, feeding and provision of nursing care.

Although glove use is mandatory for any horse-contact, and personnel wear clean coveralls, contact with horse bodily secretions is inevitable because of the duration of contact and the sometimes fractious or excitable nature of foals.

In this case, within less than a week tests on the foal revealed that MRSA had been isolated from the admission nasal swabs of the foal, and checks on the hospital staff quickly showed that some of those treating the foal were, in turn, already developing MRSA skin infections.

The study warns that occupational or recreational exposure to horses might be an important risk factor for MRSA infection or colonisation. This needs to be considered when managing animals with MRSA infection or colonisation, either in a veterinary hospital or on farms. The authors also suggest that human medical doctors investigating skin and soft tissue infections should check for prior contact with animals, particularly horses.