Silent Anvil: International Farrier Icon Edgar Stern Has Died in England

Yalding Forge, in the village of Yalding, near Maidstone in Kent, England, is the site of a very old shoeing forge run by the Stern family. (Elsie Bell photo)

News from the UK is that Edgar Stern, MBE, FWCF died last Thursday.

Mr. Stern was the helmsman of one of Britain's great farrier dynasties. Working with his sons Trevor and Clive, and with his wife Joyce running the business, Mr. Stern trained dozens of farriers, judged competitions and influenced farrier profession developments in England and, by extension, the world.

The Sterns' ancient forge outside Maidstone in Kent is a frequent destination for visiting farriers from around the world, where all found a warm welcome and stimulating--and often even challenging--conversation on the role of the farrier in the horse world. Mr. Stern was well-known judge of farrier competitions and visited the United States in the early 1980s. Also at that time, he was recognized by HM The Queen for his contributions to farriery with the award of the British Empire Medal.

Edgar and Joyce Stern

I was one of probably thousands of people who visited the Sterns and saw firsthand how their multi-farrier and mega-apprentice business operated with military precision. I remember the din in the forging ceasing instantly when Mrs. Stern appeared with the tea pot. We hear much about multi-farrier practices in the USA, but the Sterns had always been doing it, and without a business plan, a mission statement or management consultants, because that is what they had always done. Still, Edgar found time to be my personal tour guide and told stories late into the night.

Few people I have met in my career have taken the profession of farriery as seriously as Edgar, nor given as much to its development. This is a great loss and world farriery should stop, take its breath today, and consider who amongst us could even hope to fill the void that is left with his passing.

Laminitis Makes Strange Bedfellows at New Bolton: Pacing Stallion Artsplace and Barbaro Fight Founder Side by Side

According to the web site harnessracing.com, and as quoted on the US Trotting Association web site, leading pacing (harness racing) sire Artsplace has been moved from Southwind Farm in New Jersey where he has been standing at stud. The 18-year-old sire of no less than 14 $1 million winners has been suffering from laminitis for some time, and will now be treated at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center outside Philadelphia. This is the same hospital where Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro is recovering from a fractured hind leg and contralimb laminitis.

Happy Birthday, Edward Martin

Today, October 2, is Edward Martin's birthday; the godfather of modern farrier friendships turned 81 at home in Closeburn, Scotland, where he is quietly battling the effects of Parkinson's disease. Even so, reports are that Edward is getting out of the house and attending church regularly. His sister Jane is attending to him.

Contrary to some reports, Edward is not withering away in a nursing home, nor has he had a stroke or heart attack. He is quite ill, however, and the effects of the debilitating disease are tough punishment for such an active, vital man.

You may have missed his birthday, but you can still send him a card:

Edward Martin
Field's End
Shawsholm Road
Closeburn by Thornhill
Dumfriesshire
Scotland

(Apologies to those who do not know of Edward Martin. News continues in the next post.)

In the photo: Edward Martin visited the Clydesdale shoeing competition named for him at the Museum of Scottish Country Life last September. Here he is with American farrier (and judge that day) Mark Milster of Oklahoma. Thanks to Jean Meneley of Reno, Nevada, who visited Edward and loaned her photos.

Performance-formula Cosequin SP Will Be Sold Only by SmartPak Equine

SmartPak Equine announced today that it has partnered with Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. to manufacture a special version of Cosequin targeted to the horse in intensive training and competition.

The new formula, called Cosequin "SP", is an exclusive Cosequin formulation with DOUBLE the amount of glucosamine (7200mg) and a full dose of MSM (10,000mg) in addition to the normal amount of Cosequin’s proprietary low molecular weight chondroitin sulfate. The target market will be competitive horses in their prime.

According to SmartPak, the price will be $49.95; recommended dose is one 21-gram scoop per day per horse. The new formula will be available exclusively from SmartPak.

By the way, SmartPak Equine was recently recognized in Inc. Magazine as the 106th fastest-growing private business in America of 2005! In the Consumer Products category, SmartPak was the 6th fastest growing firm in the country. With a growth rate of 868 percent in the last three years, SmartPak has achieved a recognition never before attained by a business in the horse industry.

This information was provided in a news release.

Learn more by checking SmartPak's ads in Hoofcare & Lameness Journal or visit them at http://www.smartpakequine.com

Biomechanics expert Bob Colborne will team with Equinalysis gait evaluation system

At the British Equine Veterinary Association Conference in England earlier this month, Equinalysis announced that Robert "Bob" Colborne PhD of the University of Bristol (UK) has joined the firm as Advisor on Equine Biomechanics. He is currently program director of the equine science program at Bristol.

Bob is widely published in the area of joint mechanics and gait energetics in horses, dogs and humans and was part of the ICEL conference at Michigan State in 2004, where many Hoofcare & Lameness subscribers met him. He was an author with Hilary Clayton of the paper "Net joint moments and joint powers in horses with superficial digital flexor tendinitis", published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research.

Bob's role at Equinalysis will be to provide experience to Equinalysis in the continued development of its practices and procedures as well as consult with business partners, horse owners and insurance companies. Bob will advise users of the Equinalysis system on methods of data capture and analysis to ensure standardisation of practice, and to optimise the information yielded by a clinical gait analysis. His biomechanics background will compliment the firm's existing veterinary and farriery expertise from leading practitioners John McEwen and Haydn Price, respectively.

Bob said “I am delighted to be helping to make biomechanical analysis of equine gait accessible to those in the field who will benefit most from it.” He added, “Kinematic gait analysis offers a quantitative way to evaluate equine movement, and to objectively track changes occurring over time as a result of training or treatment.”

To learn more about Bob Colborne, visit http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Anatomy/about/staff/Colbourne.htm.

To learn more about Equinalysis, vist
http://www.equinalysis.co.uk

Photo: Equinalysis trade stand at BEVA Congress in September. Principals include farrier Haydn Price, veterinary advisor John McEwen, and human sportsmedicine doctor John Davies. Biomechanics expert Bob Colborne of the University of Bristol has now joined the team.

UK's Largest Equestrian Center to be Built near Edward Martin's Home in Scotland

News about Mr. Edward Martin is sparse, but thanks to farrier Jean Meneley of Nevada, we do receive occasional reports. For those who don't know him, Edward Martin is the senior statesman of the worldwide farrier industry and a friend to all in the horseshoeing and blacksmithing worlds. Among Edward's many accomplishments and honors include the MBE, "Member of the British Empire", awarded by the Queen for his services to farriery. I could do a blog just about Edward!

Edward is still quite weak from the complications of Parkinson's disease, but thanks to the efforts of his sister, Jane, is still able to live at home in the little village of Closeburn in the Scottish borders district. Edward enjoys hearing from old friends, so please write to him. The fact that you may not receive a response does not lessen the value of your effort in writing to him.

Edward's neighborhood is buzzing today! Former British Olympic event rider Karen Dixon is a neighbor of Edward's, and I believe one of his former clients, as well. According to a report received from Horse & Hound (UK magazine) today, Karen and her husband Andrew have just announced plans to build the largest equestrian center in all the United Kingdom, at a cost of 30 million pounds...somewhere around $65 million. In addition to stabling, arenas, and a cross country course, the plan also calls for a village, presumably with an equestrian theme.

The location is the town of Lockerbie, site of the horrific Pan Am aircraft bombing about ten years ago, and just up the road from Edward's village. With my tongue set firmly in my cheek, I can't help but wonder if it will be called "The Robert Burns Equestrian Center", after the area's beloved native poet.

Here's a PS from Horse & Hound that I thought was interesting: "The development trend comes on the back of a recent British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) survey which found the number of people riding in Britain has nearly doubled from 2.4m in 1999 to 4.3m in 2006."

Those are numbers that you could take to the bank.