American Farrier's Association Board Election Results

The American Farrier's Association (AFA) announced the results of its new governance board election tonight via email from election committee chair Don Gustafson.

The AFA board was formerly made up of representatives of some 60-odd "chapter" organizations around the United States and Canada. The reformed government consists of an executive committee and three representatives from five regions.

And the winners who will test the new form of governance, according to Gustafson, are :

Region 1 (135 ballots cast)

3 Year Term – Bill Searle, CJF, #819, OR (103 votes)

2 Year Term – Jason Harmeson, CJF, #1371, CA (88 votes)

1 Year Term – Pat Gallahan, CJF, #2986, AZ (82 votes)

Thanks also to Kenny Lyon, CJF.

Region 2 (164 ballots cast)

3 Year Term – Dusty Franklin, CJF, #4361, OK (102 votes)

2 Year Term – Alan Larson, CJF, #2785, TX (92 votes)

1 Year Term – Dennis Manning, CJF, #270, UT (74 votes)

Thanks also to Michael Chance, CJF, and Walt Taylor, CF.

Region 3 (173 ballots cast)

3 Year Term – Roy Bloom, CJF, #1102, WI (129 votes)

2 Year Term – Dave Farley, CF, #1516, OH (88 votes)

1 Year Term – Garnett Oetjens, CJF, #2038, MI (48 votes)

Thanks also to Rick Burten, CJF, David Kleinendorst, CF, Dion O’Brien, CJF,
William J. (Toby) Tobler, CF and Chris Zizian.

Region 4 (181 ballots cast)

3 Year Term – Dan Bradley, #522, MS (106 votes)

2 Year Term – Jerry Langdon, CJF, #1879, NC (103 votes)

1 Year Term – Steve Davis, CF, #3980, TN (97 votes)

Thanks also to Ron Kramedjian, CF and Mike (Dr. Michael) Miller, CJF.

Region 5 (147 ballots cast)

3 Year Term – Bruce Daniels, CJF, #460, NJ (125 votes)

2 Year Term – Steve Kraus, CJF, #360, NY (103 votes)

1 Year Term – Jack Millman, CJF, #1489, MA (85 votes)

Thanks also to Mike Givney, CF and Sean McClure.

Thanks to the AFA for providing these results. A more detailed report is available at http://www.americanfarriers.org/

Vettec Launches Sole-Guard for Barefoot Horses at Cincinnati Conference

Start to finish application of the new Sole-Guard material.

Sole support and hoof protection ramped off in a new direction today at the International Hoof Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hoof repair specialist manufacturer Vettec Inc. added to its family of hoof repair and sole support products with an adhesive sole support product that is designed to alleviate foot soreness in newly-barefoot horses,or in other sore situations where shoes can't be used, and will stay in place for up to three weeks, according to Vettec vice-president/general manager Frank Rovelli.

"Sole-Guard™ is the first product of its kind to offer fast and effective protection and support for the unshod foot," Rovelli told Hoofcare and Lameness today at our booth in the trade show. "(The hoofcare professsional) simply fills the bottom of the foot with Sole-Guard, creating a protective coating that bonds to the foot for three weeks (in most weather/environmental conditions)."

"Sole-Guard sets firm to protect the unshod foot, but retains flexibility to move naturally with the foot, providing comfort and support," he continued. "Sole-Guard provides complete protection and support in one easy application."

He did mention that an application "gun" is needed and that is should be applied by professionals experienced with its use.

Photos of the new product will be added to this post. He also mentioned that the price point will be about $30 per tube and that should do four feet. This seems like a great application for barefoot broodmares and newly-shoeless-but-ouchy horses.

Friends at Work: Jeremy Davis in Tennessee

Here's a new friend at work, Jeremy Davis from Tennessee, who was recently featured in an article in the Knoxville News. Click on the blue type to read a nice storyy about a hard-working farrier; Tennessee was hit by a cold snap this week so Jeremy probably has even more stories to tell!

Note: “Friends At Work” is a regular feature of the Hoof Blog. When newspapers and web sites alert us to features on our hard-working readers and friends, I sometimes can figure out how to link to the story and share the photo with blog readers. Preference is given to people who aren’t normally in the news…and the more exotic the locale, the better! Scroll down the blog to read more "Friends at Work" posts from all over the world. You could be next!

AFA Negotiates with FEI Games for Farrier Services at 2010 Kentucky Mega-Event

The World Equestrian Games—formally known as the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™--is coming to the Kentucky Horse Park and if you think 2010 is a long way off, you’re just not thinking “big” enough.

The American Farrier’s Association has been thinking big, though, and the news is that members of the AFA’s Executive Committee have met with Kate Jackson, Competition Director for the Games. At stake: cooperation between the Games and the AFA, who have agreed, in principle, to provide standby farrier services throughout the Games.

“I am pleased to inform you that I am presently in negotiations with the WEG on behalf of the AFA to determine an official level of recognition by the WEG of the AFA for services rendered by AFA Farriers to the WEG in 2010,” said AFA President-Elect Andrew Elsbree, who will take office on March 1st. “We are currently negotiating sponsorship levels with Kate Jackson,” he continued.

“AFA Farriers are the most qualified and best educated hoof care professionals to serve the multiple disciplines competing at this global equestrian event,” Elsbree said on Saturday. “We will be available before and during the Games to help competitors anyway we can!”

At Elsbree’s side in presenting the AFA’s offer to WEG was the AFA’s vice president, Dick Fanguy, who will, according to the AFA’s ascendancy scheme, probably be AFA president during the Games in 2010.

The AFA would probably have announced the agreement at their convention next month, but news of the relationship was leaked in an article in a Lexington newspaper on January 18 by members of the FEI Games Foundation. The statement in the newspaper—that AFA members would shoe horses for free for WEG competitors—was incorrect, so a correction appeared in a later paper, which drew more attention to the AFA’s relationship to WEG.

Wording of the title and how the AFA can make use of sponsorship is governed by official FEI Games policies and will be decided during further discussions between the AFA and Jackson, according to Elsbree.

“She’s had positive experiences with AFA certified farriers before,” Elsbree said, “And was delighted to think that we could manage the logistics for them.”

Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital stepped forward as a sponsor in return for being named the “Official Equine Hospital and Veterinary Partner” of the Games. Rolex watches are the “Official Timepiece” of the Games.

As Competition Director, Jackson will organize all logistical arrangements for the importation, quarantine, stabling, veterinary and training facilities for more than 900 horses from more than 60 nations as well as oversee and coordinate the production of the competitions.

By way of comparison, only 300 horses traveled to Los Angeles in 1984.

The AFA’s national headquarters is located in the cluster of offices on the grounds of the Kentucky Horse Park, where the Games will be held. The Park also features a small horseshoeing shop where visitors can watch a farrier work. Elsbree said he recently met with Horse Park Director John Nicholson about ways to improve the AFA’s visibility at the Horse Park.

At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, farrier Ada Gates coordinated horseshoeing services, utilizing members of the Western States Farriers Association and local farriers. For that event, horses were stabled at the Santa Anita racetrack, where a farrier shop was made available to visiting farriers who were on site to serve clients or as official “team” farriers. Santa Anita provided a standby farrier all day for two weeks before the Games and during the Games. Those farriers made their trucks available to the visiting farriers. On competition days, standby farriers were on hand at competition sites and at the stables. Ada’s detailed article in the November/December 1984 American Farriers Journal is a chronicle of those weeks.

Pat Harmon, the late Bill Crowder and other farriers from Georgia worked together to provide farrier services during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

About the Games: The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will be held September 25-October 10, 2010, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The event, which is held every four years, will decide the world champions of the eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). The Games have never before been held outside of Europe; nor have all eight disciplines ever previously been held together at a single site. It is anticipated that more than 600,000 spectators will attend the 16-day competition.

Congratulations to the AFA for establishing a relationship with WEG. Watch for an official announcement of the agreement soon.

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Toe Clips Making a Comeback on the Track?

Happy Feet, originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.

Here's a lovely shot of the hooves of Lawyer Ron, caught before he stepped off Ray Amato's famous black mats outside trainer Todd Pletcher's barn at the Oklahoma track in Saratoga.

Note two things about this photo: 1) the toe clips! and 2) no toe grabs! and, while you're at it, the depth of heel on the near side. Many racehorses are dismissed as having low heels but Lawyer Ron seems to be doing just fine. He just turned five.

Lawyer Ron won the Eclipse Award this week for best older stakes horse.

Todd Pletcher is often imitated around the backstretch; I wonder if we'll be seeming more toe clips this year!

By the way, a detailed presentation and forum on toe grabs is scheduled for the AFA convention in Lexington, KY on March 1; toe grabs will also be on the agenda of the second Racehorse Welfare and Safety Summit, hosted by the Grayson Foundation/Jockey Club on March 17-18. Mr. Pletcher is on the hoofcare committee that has been studying toe grabs.

PS I don't think Todd Pletcher would tolerate messy wrapping, in case you are wondering about that. I think the near bandage was probably pushed up during shoeing. The off has probably been rewrapped.

Thanks to Sarah Andrews for the image to post.

Happy Australia Day

Happy Australia Day! (Today's a big mid-summer holiday throughout the country!)

The heavy horses are a big attraction at the Royal (Sydney) Easter Show, which includes a heavy horse shoeing competition.  I've been there, done that but my photos don't look anything like this one. I did have the honor of riding on the massive Carlton hitch wagon in the parade one year, though.

The massive McGuire hitch of Clydesdales resides year-round in a permanent palace of a barn, right on the showgrounds, and the show hosts a wonderful heavy horse breed show, with special classes for antique vehicles. The Clydesdale breed is very popular in Australia and dominated the classes when I was there.

All horse events for the huge show had been cancelled because of the equine influenza outbreak but things seem to be under control again...and the horse events are back on!

Good luck to everyone in the horse business in Australia getting back on their feet after the disastrous epidemic.