Thankful Thoughts: Veteran Farrier Joe Kriz Sr. Loses Lower Leg But Keeps on Going

Thanksgiving makes you stop and think. You look around the table and see the ghosts of those who aren’t in their seats. Or maybe there is no table this year at all. It’s a good idea to stop and give thanks for those are there, those who make your world what it is, and those who have inspired you to keep going, whether they are at the table or not.

For me, a lot of thanks go to the older citizens of the horse world and especially the older farriers who have inspired me so much by sharing stories and encouragement and being my friends.

The two gentlemen in this photo are great examples. On the left you see Bob Skradzio from Pennsylvania. No one works harder than Bob, and no one has more energy left at the end of the day to share with younger people. I had the honor of hosting a clinic for farriers this summer with Bob in Saratoga Springs, New York. Bob seemed to know instinctively how to approach the farriers and push their buttons in a kindly way. His stories are legendary but his kindness and generosity to farriers is so inspiring.

One horseshoer said he wondered why I was walking the backside at the track with a grumpy old man at my side. The next day, he was shaking my hand and saying “Thank you so much for introducing me to Bob Skradzio.”

I’m thankful that I know Bob.

And then there’s Joe Kriz about whom it can be said: it’s hard to keep a good man down. The most-photographed Connecticut farrier and poster boy for Capewell Horse Nails is now 91 years old and recently had to take a break from his lively life as America’s Senior Farrier. Joe told me the other day that he has had an operation to amputate the lower part of one of his legs.

Translation: Joe Kriz has been forced into retirement. He has stopped shoeing horses, at the age of 91. Was he the oldest working farrier? His son, Joe Kriz Jr. says that his dad has been fitted with a prosthesis and has already gotten a scooter and is down at the barn and zooming to the mailbox each day.

Some advice: hide the keys to the shoeing truck.

Joe, along with his late brother Johnny, probably trained more farriers than anyone in the USA in the second half of the 20th century. Among his former assistants: Michael Wildenstein, farrier instructor at Cornell, and Siggi Siggurdsen from Iceland, who gave such a great presentation at Cornell last weekend. And a long, long list of others.

Join me in wishing Joe the best; send a card or message to Joe Kriz Sr., 7 Bear Hill Road, Bethany CT 06525.

Who’s on your thankful list?

Return to hoofcare.com.

Les Quatre Ecoles: The Turkey Alternative for the Jet Set

As you sit down to the traditional turkey and pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce this Thursday, consider that it will be a historical day for the world of classical equestrianism.

They are calling it "Les Quatre Ecoles d'Art Equestre à Paris". In Paris, France, the four leading international schools of horsemanship will demonstrate their skills under the same roof, at the same time. France's Cadre Noir cavalry from Saumur, the Spanish Riding School lipizzaners from Vienna, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art (Jerez, Spain) and the School of Portuguese Equestrian Art of Lisbon, Portugal (Lusitanos) will send their best riders and horses to demonstrate the airs above the ground and the unique training approach each school brings to its equally unique horses.

Football will be far from their minds.

Job Announcement: Research Opportunity in England

Myerscough College in England is offering a research studentship leading to the award of a University of Central Lancashire Master of Science by Research (MSc by Research). The research topic area is: "relationship between the physical characteristics of equine sports surfaces and equestrian performance".

The studentship is planned to run for a period of 12 months. The successful applicant will be expected to base his / her studies at Myerscough College and will join the existing staff research team in their respective areas of work.

More details are available at:
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/JO634/Research_Studentships_2007-08/

Closing date: 07 December 2007

Photo of Blue Hors Matine's hooves making good use of the excellent arena surface at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany by Kip Houghton, courtesy of FEI.

German Court Rules in Favor of Hoof Trimmers; New Federal Law May Be Affected

The full impact of a German court ruling announced yesterday is difficult to understand but I will tell you what little I know. As I announced in my presentation at the laminitis conference in Palm Beach two weeks ago, a major governmental change has been planned for the farrier profession in Germany, a country where regulations are part of professional life.

Until now, farriers have been educated like blacksmiths, under the metal trades division of the labor force in Germany. After completing blacksmithing training, farrier candidates then go on to horseshoeing school.

Current German law defines farriery as the application of steel (metal) shoes with nails.

As I understand it, when barefoot hoof trimming began to gain popularity in Germany, trimmers could practice without any standards or regulations because they were technically not covered by any law; i.e., they didn't use shoes or nails. A second group of professionals, called "soft shoers" also sprang up. These people were sympathetic to barefoot principles but saw the need for shoes in some cases; these semi-farriers also worked outside the law and the requirements of formal farrier education by applying only hoof boots, plastic or aluminum shoes or by glueing shoes.

All that was to end now. Under a new law, anyone engaged in the care of hooves would be grouped together under an agricultural profession and all would be educated under one system. In addition to anatomy, horse physiology, hoof function, etc. all would demonstrate proficiency in traditional shoeing, soft shoeing and barefoot trimming. Everyone would be technically capable of shoeing a horse, even if he or she chose not to.

The government approved the new professional structure, but the barefoot trimmers and soft shoers sued the government, claiming the law was unconstitutional because it forced them to learn forging skills, which they would not use.

Martin Schenk of the Erster Deutscher Hufbeschlagschmiede Verband e. V. (EDHV or "German Farriers Association") has been very helpful to Hoofcare and Lameness for the past two years with translations and interpretations of the law through the government system. Formation of the law began with open meetings with all three professions invited; from what I was told when I was in Germany a year ago, very little input was received from the shadow professions, yet a curriculum evolved that included and respected their skill sets.

Martin writes in an email today, "One of the arguments of the German Constitutional Court judgment is: If the person is only trimming hoofs it would be an 'over-qualification' to ask the person to learn shoeing. We just got the statement from the court yesterday, but we will have it checked with our lawyers first before we can give any statements. The German Federal Ministry for Agriculture is responsible to take further actions. They also just got the judgement yesterday. They now check if the law will just be altered or if we get a new law. But now it is definitely too early to give any statements."

Well-known dressage farrier Uwe Lukas, who is director (head officer) of EDHV, concurred with Martin's evaluation of the situation in a separate email.

In Great Britain, hoof trimmers are also allowed to work because of a technical loophole in the farrier law, which makes it illegal only to apply a shoe. Trimming and applying alternative shoes are not covered by the law. Only a registered farrier can nail on shoes, in most legal situations. However, in Great Britain hoof trimmers have been prosecuted for animal cruelty in the way that some cases of laminitis were handled.

Where farriers are regulated, they are protected by law in some instances, and have their arms tied by law in some other instances. What may be most important to consider is how legal and educational standards may affect the decision of young people to enter the hoofcare professions at all. Why go to the effort of a long apprenticeship to learn traditional shoeing? On the other hand, why go the shorter route and learn softshoeing or barefoot trimming if the government may declare that an illegal profession?

Stay tuned for updates from Germany.

Meet Theo; He's a Boot

Ideas just keep coming for what makes a good hoof boot. Here's "Theo", a new boot that comes in kit form from Germany with interchangeable soles (shoes). My German isn't great, but this seems to be a boot for all seasons; on icy days, use the ice shoe, etc. The inventor is Theo Rüspeler, a.k.a. "Das Hufschuhdoktor". (Things always sound so much more impressive in German.) More details to follow; the base of this boot is a detachable shell that might be just the ticket for therapeutic applications, if it is malleable. Has anyone seen one of these up close?

Castle Gift Helps Launch Laminitis Institute at Penn Vet

Here's the official announcement from UPenn about the donation to laminitis research by Mr. and Mrs. Castle:

KENNETT SQUARE, PA --­ The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine today announced a gift of $1 million from philanthropists Marianne and John K. Castle to support its laminitis research. “We are enormously grateful for the Castles' generosity. Their thoughtful philanthropy leverages two of the University’s strengths, research and the translation of research into medicine for both animals and humans,” said Penn President Dr. Amy Gutmann.

In speaking about the gift, Mr. Castle said, “Marianne and I are thrilled to be able to support Dr. Orsini and the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in their research. Our hope is that the knowledge acquired will be important in helping both animals and humankind."

In addition to funding research in laminitis, the Castles’ gift will support the institute directorship, which will be held by Dr. James Orsini, Associate Professor of Surgery at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center campus. In 2001, Dr. Orsini founded the First International Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, building on his many years of experience treating patients afflicted with this condition. The biennial conference is funded in large part by the Castles, in memory of their beloved horse Spot, who died from laminitis.

“John and Marianne Castle have been long-time champions of advancing laminitis research,” said Dr. Orsini. “Their magnanimous support has been vital in the progress made to date. We are excited about the new opportunities this gift provides to make significant inroads into understanding this disease and translating that research into new ways to treat and prevent laminitis.”

When fully funded, the institute will include new research laboratories, funding for research projects at Penn Vet, and in collaboration with other institutions, a home-care treatment model, support for student research opportunities, and improved clinical facilities. “The Castles’ generosity will allow us take a significant step forward in creating a research institute dedicated to sharing and advancing the breadth of knowledge about this deadly condition,” said Dr. Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine.