“Me and my friend American Pharoah in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago. He is a big lap dog and will do anything for a carrot. It’s hard to believe he is a running stallion. What a great horse. I have never seen one like him.
”
Thank you for another great year!
From BWFA Headquarters,
A great big thank you to all who came out on November 7, 2015 to attend our Annual Fall Event. We had a great time. We'll see you all next year!
Josh Phillips, Military Veteran, Farrier and BWFA Member since 2012 In the hospital.
Josh Phillips is a BWFA certified farrier and has certification in Equine Flexion Therapy. His wife, Becca also attends events and classes with Josh to support him and assist in his second career in the horse industry.
Josh suffered a light stroke last week.
This was not the first stroke for Josh. He had a previous stroke while in the military and another after that. He rehabilitated himself and didn't let it stop him from going after his goal of becoming a professional farrier. He attended horseshoeing school in 2012 and his business, JT Farrier Services, has been successful.
Becca asks for healing prayers in hopes that his eyesight will not be permanently affected.
Attention BWFA Members: Only 1 week left to vote!
November 1 is approaching fast! If you have not yet placed your vote for the BWFA Board of Directors Election, now is the time to visit bwfa.net's "Members Only" section to request a password, then click on 2015 Elections to vote!
Horse & Ranch Magazine, featuring BWFA's Rick Wheat!
Congratulations on making the cover of Horse & Ranch Magazine, Rick!
See the full issue here at :
http://www.horsenranchmag.com/current-issue/
High Low Syndrome and EFT (Equine Flexion Therapy)
Ever since people began working on horses feet, they have been plagued with all kinds of problems. Whether you use old fashioned ideas or new technology, hoof problems can be helped by good farrier work, or made worse by bad work. For instance, the high-low foot condition affects more than the feet. In fact, it can affect the whole horse if it is not corrected. The high-low condition is mostly identified in the front feet where it seems to be exaggerated the most, but usually it is bilateral. When a horse has a high heel on the right front foot, and a low heel on the left front foot, more than likely the heel of the left hind will be high and the right hind will be low.
There are many ramifications from uneven feet. Problems can occur anywhere in the limb, but generally the greatest problems will be found at the origin of the limb or close to it. The origin of the limb is the end that is closest to the spine. The most problematic limb is usually the one with the high heel. The high heel makes the leg longer. However, if the problems with the affected limb are severe enough and the horse favors it greatly, the good limb will seem to be the most sore because it has to work twice as hard to compensate for the bad side. This soreness is usually in the muscles.
The high low condition can cause muscle knots and UMC's (unreleased muscle contractions) which can eventually put pressure on the spine. The shortened muscle is attached through a tendon, and can pull the spine out of alignment. If uncorrected, due to compensation in the way the horse travels, pain will conduct its way through the whole body causing lameness. The lameness may not even show up where the origin of the problem is, but will continue to get worse and spread. Spinal misalignment and tight muscles caused from muscle knots and UMC's can cause anything from limb lameness to short striding to all over muscle tightness that affects all aspects of the range of motion throughout the whole horse.
Some of these problems are also hard for the veterinarian to diagnose. Muscle spasms, muscle knots and UMC's will not show up on an x-ray, and can be overlooked. For some of these undiagnosed problems rest or turn out for a month or many months is usually prescribed. Rest will not necessarily fix the muscle knots, or UMC's. Horses sometimes fix their own muscle knots and UMC's when they are turned out in a pasture by rolling, rubbing on a tree or other object, or from another horse massaging on them.
It is alway helpful for a farrier to be educated in these things for it can help to understand lameness. Equine Flexion Therapy (EFT) is a system that can help educate farriers in these areas, so they can help the horse rebound to its natural self. EFT can help with other lameness problems, and help the farrier that is educated in it to be one step above other farriers. The High Low condition is only one aspect among many.
Dan Marcum is BWFA Hall of Fame member, serves on the Board of Directors and provides quarterly EFT courses at the Farriers' National Research Center. He operates All Around Training Center in Kirbyville, Texas and has patented his unique Equine Flexion Therapy technique.
Join us on November 7 at our Annual Event to meet Dan and learn more about EFT. Classes are available November 8, 9 & 10, 2015. Call 706-397-8047 to register.
The Polls Are Open! Voting begins today for BWFA's B.O.D.
2014 Interview with Rick Wheat and Cashbox Magazine
2015 Hall of Fame Event Update!
We are pleased to announce that Mr. Buck McColl of Mobile Milling will be in attendance! Buck has been inducted into the BWFA Hall of Fame along with the following other achievements:
1996 BWFA S.H.O.E. Chapter National Supporter of the Year
2001 Recognition Award 24TH Annual Eastern Farriers Conference at Danny Ward School
2004 Speaker at the International Hoof Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio
2005 Speaker at the International Hoof Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio
2006 Speaker at the International Hoof Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio
2007 BWFA Equine Education in Equine Nutrition Award
2008 Speaker at the International Hoof Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio
2008 BWFA S.H.O.E. Chapter Educator of the Year Award
2008 Lifetime Achievement Award
2011 BWFA S.H.O.E. Chapter Patriot Award
2012 BWFA Hall of Fame Inductee
Do you know what’s missing from your horse’s feed or from your customer’s horse feed? Bring in feed tags for an analysis and advice on how to improve the nutrition of your horses and those of your customers!
2015 Hall of Fame Event Schedule
Tues, Wed, Thursday
Advanced Forge Course & Certification practice
Friday
Certification and Upgrading at all levels
Blacksmithing with Daniel Riffe, Making Farrier Tools and Knives
EFT Refresher Course free for past EFT graduates provided by Dan Marcum
Saturday 9am-6pm
RSVP Luncheon 12pm-1:30pm (for BWFA members, their friends & family)
- BWFA Farrier hall of Fame awards and Auction
- Rick Wheat, 2015 Inductee
Meet and greet “Learning from the Masters”
- Max Williams, the “Forge Master” handmade shoes & a lifetime of advice as a farrier & educator
- Dan Marcum, Equine Massage Therapy, Infrared Thermal Imaging, shoeing for a living
- Chris Glover, new Equine Light Therapy; Infrared and red light therapy, & operating a paperless farrier business, from student to professional farrier for over 20 years
- Link Casey, BWFA President with current & incoming Board Members
- Ronney DeBoard, BWFA Farrier Certification Chairman
- Keith Seeley, Lameness, The BWFA and FNRC past 26 year history
Annual Event
The Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association, Inc.
Annual Event
Saturday, November 7
"A BWFA Farriers Hall of Fame Event, Learn from the Masters"
We are proud to announce a special appearance by
Rick Wheat, inventor of the Noavel Headstall,
a true horseman with a lifetime of training experience who has helped owners
and farriers from coast to coast will be our 2015 Hall of Fame Inductee !!
Learn more about Rick Wheat's Noavel Headstall Here!
Hosted by the Farriers' National Research Center with current Hall of Fame
"Master Presentations" (from ole school to present day technology)
La Fayette in NW Georgia
Luncheon and all day event 9 am - 6pm
www.bwfa.net
farrierhdq@aol.com
Shows safety for Farriers by using the Noavel Headstall when training a horse to stand still.
(706) 397-8047 to RSVP
Meet the Masters!
BWFA Hall of Fame Farriers in attendance will include:
Max "The Great" Williams
Dan Marcum
Chris Glover
Ronney DeBoard
Link Casey
Keith Seeley
Learn more about our Hall of Fame farriers here!
Other BWFA Hall of Fame Members who may be in attendance include Marcus Pierce and Buck McColl.
Visit the Event Page HERE!
SEFHA Event!
Wrangler Position Open
Bliss Creek Outfitters in Cody, Wyoming is looking for a horse & mule wrangler for the 2015 season.
The Job is available starting September 1 and will run until November.
Applicant must have shoeing and horsemanship experience. Packing experience is a plus. We are willing to train the right person to pack horses and mules. We operate a full-time outfitting business in Wyoming. This includes a guide & packer school, summer pack trips and fall hunting trips. Most of the season is spent in our back country camp. A wrangler is responsible for the well being, whereabouts and shoeing of the horses and mules. Some odd jobs may be required such as hauling hay, fixing tack, etc. These are not everyday chores but can be expected at times.
Our base camp is located 22 miles into the wilderness. I takes 8 hours on horseback to cover the distance from our trailhead to camp. Once in camp, the wrangler saddles riding horses, checks stock daily for injuries and lost or loose shoes.
Shoes must be replaced right away. All employees shoe, however the wrangler will be the main person to replace shoes and it is his job to make sure all animals have shoes and are in good condition. All animals are shod regularly and behave well.
The wrangler also performs some camp chores, helps to cut firewood, haul water to the kitchen tent, grain livestock and help the guides pack the horses and mules.
This is a great opportunity for someone to work in the outdoors around horses and mules and gain shoeing experience.
Our crew is special to us. This job requires long days, especially in the saddle going to and from camp. We are looking for someone to work with us for many years to come. If you are interested, give us a call. Room and board is supplied.
We also have an archery elk guide position open.
Rusty & Rhonda Sanderson
Bliss Creek Outfitters
Cody, Wyoming
Rhonda cell: 307-850-7006 or Rusty cell: 307-850-7800
www.blisscreekoutfitters.com
www.archeryguideschool.com
BWFA members weigh in on Farrier Licensing..
Submitted July 20, 2015
I am not for farrier licensing in your great state of Georgia, in my state of Ohio or any state. I can get on board with opposing this. It will be detrimental to the farriers’ business. I know and you know that working with vets is a joke for most farriers. Some may disagree with me but horseshoeing in Ohio is not that good. I have worked with new farrier students for 10 plus years in Florida and Ohio and am currently teaching my granddaughter the trade. We need more young people learning and involved. I am planning on relocating my home to Florida in the near future to live and shoe. I have a lot of years left in this business. I am sure licensing is a topic there also.
I will be down in Georgia this fall and would like to discuss how bad of a deal this would be for our future with fellow BWFA members.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts in this “Members Only” section.
Butch Thomas, Journeyman II, of Ohio, member since 1996,
BWFA Member, Rachelle Wilcox in the news!
"Feet First For Female Farrier"
From Mid-South Horse Review July 2015
By Tommy Brannon
BWFA member Rachelle Wilcox & BWFA President Link Casey
Rachelle Wilcox gets down and dirty in her job – sometimes on her hands and knees in a dusty corral; sometimes hunched over under a horse in the barn. She enjoys her profession and it shows. Rachelle is a BWFA (Brotherhood of Working Farriers) certified farrier, and a graduate of Casey and Son Horseshoeing School in Georgia. She has been shoeing horses throughout west Tennessee for the past two years. In the world of professional farriers she is an exception, since there are few women farriers. She was the only woman in her horse shoeing class.
Professional hoof care is her career, and she calls her previous employments “just jobs.” Rachelle explained how she came to this profession: “I have always loved animals. I couldn’t be a vet. [As a farrier] I still get to work with animals, but don’t have to do the sad parts. That is the fun of this. I could not be a horse trader because I would like to have all of the ponies in the word. I could not sell any of them.”
She lives in Regan, Tennessee, but works all over west Tennessee. On any day she may be in Humboldt, Gibson, or Parkers Crossroads. “If they can tell me how to get to them, then I will probably be there,” she said.
"I do a lot more trimming than shoeing, but that’s ok. Not all horses need shoes. It depends on the load they carry.” She owns two Quarter Horses, a paint and a Tennessee Walking Horse and none of them are shod.
At present she does not specialize in any particular horse breed or type of shoeing, but said that her future plans are to be a “go-to expert” for corrective shoeing of foundered horses
Rachelle has been married to her husband Tim for 26 years and has one grown daughter. Neither her husband nor her daughter are horse people, but Rachelle has been around horses all of her life. She said her mother would put her on one of her dad’s horses when she was a baby.
Her gender has not been a negative factor in her career. Many of her customers are women. “The women owners appreciate my gentler approach to their horses. I prefer that the shoeing and trimming be a good experience for the horse. If it is a good experience, then the horse will be relaxed and comfortable. I like loving on them and becoming their friend. I do not want to knock on them. I am not being paid to beat on their horse. If a horse is being disagreeable and hard to work with, I want to evaluate why he is behaving this way. If you beat on them, it makes them afraid of you and everyone else. It is better to have them respect you out of love.”
She has a special headstall that she can use on fractious horses, if needed. It has a metal bar that works like a chain. She said, “Not every horse will respond to it and I prefer not to need it.” She added, “Donkeys are quick learners; if you make friends with them they are easier. Minis can sometimes require two people to trim them.”
Rachelle said that some men think that a woman is not strong enough to do farrier work, but “I’m not holding the horse up” she explained. “Men can hurt their backs doing this and if a horse kicks, it hurts a man just as much as it does me.” She has had some injuries, though. one horse surprised her by biting her, leaving a wound that required 26 stitches.
Asked for some advice about hoof care, Rachelle said that she recommends regular hoof cleaning, applying thrush buster for thrush in the wet season, and using hoof dressing in the dry summer. She also recommends letting pasture water troughs overflow in the summer, so that the horses will have to walk through the soft mud to get a drink, thus moisturizing their dry feet.
Asked for advice about pursuing a farrier career, she recommends attending a good, accredited farrier school, and keeping up with the latest science and studies about hoof care.
Rachelle owns Happy trails Farrier Service, 11785 Hwy. 100e in regan, tn 38638. She can be reached at 731-431-6924
Our Buddy & Veteran Franz Robinson needs us NOW.
Our Buddy & Veteran, Franz Robinson is in a bad way. All farriers who know him need to rally with us to see what we can do for him and his family NOW!
Josh LaRose, Christina White, Santiago Jaramillo, Franz Robinson, Mr. Wilson & Link Casey on Certification Day.
We want to reach out to let them know we CARE! Thanks to Lillian Moore for keeping us informed.
Sincerely,
Link Casey, Ginger & Ralph, Ronney DeBoard and Ken & Kathy Rushing
Get Your "Rebel" Out!
by Barry Denton of Arizona, Courtesy of Bit & Bridle Magazine
The Calgary Stampede disqualifies Tuf Cooper for spanking his horse at their rodeo. What many non-horsemen do not realize is that horses will occasionally take advantage of you in a high pressure situation. This appeared to be the case with Tuf and Topaz, but the rodeo officials in Canada saw it differently. Pretty ridiculous in my book, but Tuf will have to be a little more controlled next time around. Perception instead of substance seems to prevail these days thanks to an over sensitive and self-aggrandizing media. Tuf Cooper, being the class act that he is, left the rodeo without incident. It would have been a great time to make a statement, but he did not.
Where is P.T. Barnum when you need him? At ESPN’s annual ESPY’s ceremony Caitlyn Jenner has received the “Arthur Ashe Courage Award”. Courage award for what? The big question is, will Caitlyn be back on the front of the “Wheaties” box? While I am well aware that she was on the cover of Vanity Fair how do you explain this to your kids? Do you advise your young boy to work hard to become an accomplished athlete so that he can eventually become a woman? It appears to me that you have to make pretty big bucks to afford sex change operations. Hopefully this will become part of Obamacare so everyone can afford to have it done.
In San Francisco, California which is a sanctuary city an illegal alien- repeat felon, guns down a thirty two year old woman for no reason. He did not even know her and just fired randomly. He was in San Francisco because it is a sanctuary city. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors does not seem to have a problem with this. They seem to think it is fine to support illegal alien repeat felons that gun down innocent folks. They appear to have no interest in changing any law that might prevent this from happening again. For that matter they are not following federal law in regard to the illegal aliens. Now tourists will be flocking to San Francisco to get gunned down on vacation. It may add to the adventure.
Many of you horseman know about Traveller, Robert E. Lee’s great gray horse that he got in 1861 in Greenbriar, VA as a four year old. The horse was of Gray Eagle stock and won first prize at the Lewisburg Fair in 1859 and 1860. The horse was high spirited and quite a handful, but the two became great companions throughout the Civil War. The great grey horse outlived the general by several years and was well provided for until his death. Since I am a direct descendant of Robert E. Lee I have made a lifelong study of the General and came to realize what a remarkable human being he was. Before you label me a southern sympathizer I also had a northern civil war hero in my family. His name was Captain Thomas Finney a hero at the Battle Of Little Round Top in Gettysburg and also an interesting character. General Lee was the first general asked by President Abraham Lincoln to head the Union Army. Lee replied that he would have to wait and see whether his home state of Virginia voted to secede or to stay with the union. He told Lincoln he could not fire upon his relatives and neighbors. Lincoln understood and agreed to wait to see what Virginia would do. When Virginia decided to secede from the union General Lee resigned his commission.
The story of General Robert E. Lee keeps getting more interesting and there are many volumes written to find out about it. However, after Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina decided the Confederate Battle Flag should no longer fly over the state capitol, the extreme leftists want to erase the history of the Civil War. They claim that the battle flag is a symbol of racism. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The flag honored those that fought and struggled during the long war that pitted families and friends against each other. After the American Revolution it is the most significant war the United States has fought. Now we have left wing fanatics trying to erase it by digging up old generals and destroying monuments to the great men and women that endured the War Between the States.
The left wing fanatics may want to stop and think that the great Arlington Cemetery is built at Lee’s home. Do they want to dig up and dishonor all the war dead?
If the left wing extremists want to talk about hate and racism they may want to discuss getting rid of some RAP music. When I think of people I consider racists I think of Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, and Adolf Hitler to name a few. I do not think of the Confederate Battle Flag. Perhaps if you do, you may want to read some history before it is erased by these fanatics. These are the same fanatics that say the Holocaust never happened. Why is America giving any credence to these nuts? Do not wait for your lily livered politicians to do it because they won’t. Get your rebel out and stop this nonsense.
Future Equine Flexion Therapy Classes with BWFA's Dan Marcum
Dan is now taking deposits for the EFT class for October 23, 24, & 25 at BWFA Headquarters in Georgia. Dan will also be hosting a class in Wyoming.
Only 6 students per session. Call us today to reserve your spot at the Georgia class at 706-397-8047.
Email Dan directly to inquire at the Wyoming class at Marcumeft@gmail.com.
