Bruce Barton became a farrier through his own love of riding, completing a 4-year practical apprenticeship before qualifying. Photo / RNZ, Gianina Schwanecke
By Gianina Schwanecke of RNZ
The hard, dry ground of the hills surrounding the Central Otago settlement of Alexandra is especially tough on horses’ hooves.
It’s one of the reasons Twix – a beautiful seven-year-old paint mare, and her paddock companion Rip (short for Ripples) – a six-year-old Appaloosa thoroughbred – are having new shoes fitted by farrier and blacksmith Bruce Barton.
“She does a bit of everything, so what we are doing for Twix is to equip her for this all-rounded work,” he told RNZ’s Country Life.
“Horses are a bit like you or me, really. If we’re just mooching around the paddock or around our lounge, we probably don’t need a pair of shoes on, but as soon as we’re going out to work, we need a bit of protection on our feet.”
Fitting all four feet is a complex process that requires a lot of careful handling.
It’s not quite your regular pedicure at the nail salon.
Bruce starts by sharpening his knives and taking off Twix’s old shoes.
“[The] knives are so sharp that eventually they’ll wear through your pocket.”
He refits her shoes every six or so weeks.
“The feet grow under the steel shoe, and you need to take that off and trim away the excess hoof and then replace them. So that’s what we’re doing today.
“This particular mare has sort of got something a little bit special going on with her back feet when she gets a bit low on her heels there, so she’s got some pads on there that help that act as a bit of an arch support.”
Every horse and every hoof is different.
“With every animal, I suppose it’s different, and so you learn a lot from just that experience and working with different horses’ feet.”
Shoes are fitted to help horses with grip – especially showjumpers – and to provide protection against the ground, which can cause them to become footsore. They can also be used to address conformational issues.
“It’s quite important with horses to have the foot balance in kind of relation to the rest of the limb.
“Otherwise, the biomechanics aren’t right, and they often cause the lameness.”
Being a farrier requires a good understanding of such conformation and foot issues.
It also requires a good understanding of horse behaviour and how to work with their individual personalities.
It’s also an incredibly physical job.
Image 1 of 8: Fitting all four feet is a complex process that requires careful handling. Photo / RNZ, Gianina Schwanecke
It was Bruce’s own passion for riding that saw him complete the four-year apprenticeship before starting in the industry.
The old, worn shoes now removed, Bruce clips the excess hoof off before filing it down further with a rasp.
With the shoes off, it’s time to denail them and reuse what’s not too worn by reheating it in the mobile forge attached to the back of his ute – where temperatures near 2000C.
It turns the U-shaped shoe a vibrant bright orange, the heat making it more malleable for when it’s checked against the hoof, resulting in a puff of white smoke.
“When we burn it on the foot, it’s not a painful process as long as we’re doing our job right – you do have to be careful.
“You’re just giving a little touch on the foot
“So now that we’ve got that touching pretty much perfectly everywhere – and you can see that it’s touching perfectly everywhere because our burn marks are nice and even – that one’s done and ready to go in some cold water.”
Shoes that can’t be salvaged are dropped off at a local artist’s studio to use in his sculptures.
Fitting the shoes properly is perhaps Twix’s least favourite part and is where Bruce’s experience working with horses really shines.
- RNZ