The Hoof of the Horse Podcast

In this podcast I met with hoof-care innovator Derek Poupard, at Godolphin Stables in Newmarket. Derek tells us about his journey from Summervelt in South Africa to Virginia, USA, onto Dubai and finally landing at Godolphin in Newmarket, England. We also discuss some of Derek’s fantastic hoof care ideas, and had a bit of a debate about barefoot racing. I enjoyed learning about Derek’s career leadi...

In this week’s podcast we take a trip to Iceland to meet Geert Cornelis, who appears as a photo subject my latest book. We talked all about the Icelandic Horse (don’t call it a pony!); what Icelanders do with a bad-tempered horse; accessing farrier education; how Viking “businessmen” shaped the country; shoeing to enhance the gait of a horse; the obstacles we need to overcome as farriers, and much...

Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoofcare Essentials Foundation and their partners. You can find more information on the HEF website www.hoofcareessentials.com I met Renan Modesto on a trip to South America for my photography book The Farrier, in March 2020. Renan is a vet turned farrier, working in Brazil, whose mentor Kako Moraes is an old friend of mine. I saw him shoeing with Kako while...

In this episode, I become the interviewee to talk about my latest book project, The Farrier. To make this book I travelled 6 continents, over 20 countries, and photographed more than 60 farriers - so I had some interesting experiences and learnt a lot along the way. I hope you enjoy hearing about how this book came together, and that you will join us later in the week for the official global launc...

This episode was recorded with the Rushes, a father and son working together as farriers, who I have had the pleasure of knowing for many years. We made this episode a few days before lockdown occurred in the UK in March 2020, and while we had a lot of laughs together while recording, we do discuss some more serious topics too. This was recorded in the forge at Redwings Sanctuary, one of the large...

Rodney King is from the South Island of New Zealand, where he began teaching himself farriery. Within 10 years or so he was working at the biggest equine hospital in the world. I felt that that alone was worth interviewing Rodney to hear about. We also discussed how taking the AWCF exam can change your perspective towards horseshoeing, the tangibility of credentials as a farrier, and where it can...

How can getting out of your comfort zone help to broaden your horizons in farriery? Greg Murray has some great advice for farriers looking to travel with their work and experience more of the world, as well as sharing some of the challenges that you might face while doing so. We also learn about when he had 1 apprentice and 600 horses to shoe; the experience of working as a farrier on 5 continents...

This week's podcast is with Lindsey Field, an avid investigator of the equine foot. We had a great discussion about hoof dissections; seedy toe vs. white line disease; along with a debate on barefoot trimming and the benefits of horseshoeing. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoofcare Essentials Foundation and their partners. You can find more information on the HEF website www.hoofcareessen...

This week’s podcast is a special episode about the ancient tradition of farriery, and the folklore and myths of horseshoes. Horseshoeing goes back around 2000 years, so many superstitions and legends have been attached to the horseshoe over time. Listen on for an exploration of my 7 favourite myths. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoofcare Essentials Foundation and their partners. You can...

I spoke to Dr Andrew Watts, an Equine Veterinarian, during my visit to Australia & NZ in 2019. In this podcast we talk about his time serving as Senior Principal Veterinary Consultant for the Prince of Dubai; the potential impact of ammonia on keratin; different treatments for canker; the development of his product Hoof Gold and how it may increase hoof growth; improving farrier-vet relationships,...

My guest this week is Bruce MacDonald, a New Zealand based farrier who has a wealth of knowledge and stories to share. We discussed many different areas, including how to find education in a country with no farriery school; when motorbikes replaced horses; farriery competitions and travel; shoeing with heels (caulkins)on every horse; the risks for a farrier using their hard-earned cash to build an...

This week’s podcast is with Pär Hopman who is Chairman of the Board at the oldest farriery school in the world Biologiska Yrkeshögskolan Skara (BYS), where he himself previously studied to become a farrier. We discussed the history of the school; Par’s transition from trimming cattle to horses; the different methods of training farriers in the UK and Sweden, and the difficulties that can arise the...

Dr Jenny Hagen is a farrier and Associate Professor of the Institute of Veterinary Anatomy at Universität Leipzig, where she trains new farriers and undertakes her research into the effects of trimming and shoeing on equine biomechanics and locomotion, amongst many other interesting studies. Jenny and I got together at Hoven I Centrum (Hoof in Focus) 2019 event in Denmark to discuss her work. List...

I had the pleasure of working in partnership with Colin for a number of years in Newmarket, before his wanderlust took him on to new ventures in Abu Dhabi. Colin began his career as an army farrier in his homeland of South Africa, has taken part in international competitions, shod racehorses on multiple continents, and became the first South African AWCF. It was great to catch up with my old frien...

I visited Ryan Harris-Hayes, a farrier and proud member of the indigenous Maori people, last year on New Zealand’s North Island. In this podcast we discuss Ryan’s lifetime of working closely with horses and how he has forged his own path in farriery, as well as rural life in NZ, horseback hunting and gathering, shepherding, Maori heritage, and much more. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoo...

This is a great "outside the box" episode. I spoke to Michael Fruin, a master farrier and hoof specialist, after his fantastic lecture at the Australian Farriers Conference 2019. It was great to hear about Michael’s journey from working at an ancient forge in England, to his current appointment as a zoo farrier in Australia and his contributions to animal welfare. Through his career he has provide...

In this episode I speak to Doug Bradbury FWCF, who received an MBE from the Queen in 2017 for his lifetime service and contributions to the farrier profession. Throughout this working life and well-earned retirement, he has curated an incredible collection of farrier history at his museum, with his son and grandson continuing the family business. A great man with great stories. Thank you to this e...

In this episode I speak to Dr Sarah Hobbs, Reader in Equine & Human Biomechanics at the University of Central Lancashire, and a former tutor of mine when I was studying at UCLAN. We discussed how Sarah has applied experience in the fields of engineering and human physiology to equine sciences; her work in leading equine research groups worldwide; how technological advancements are pushing equine b...

Brian is a farrier, and Co-founder of the Australian Brumby Research Unit, with a PhD specializing in the feet of feral and wild horses. In this episode we discussed how his experience in biomechanics and physiotherapy led to a career with horses; his research into Brumby horses in the Australian outback, with Chris Pollitt; his journey from barefoot trimmer to farrier; studying the natural hoof i...

Simon meets with Sarah Logie, a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, at this year’s Farrier Focus show. They discuss her thesis on Seedy Toe; a new program of farriery exam mentorship & tuition; working in Scotland’s wet and cold environment; hoof wall structure; and much much more. To learn more on the Farriery Tuition program discussed here, email farrierytuition@gmail.com or go to face...

In this episode Simon caught up to Link Baumann, at the Equine Podiatry & Lameness Conference earlier this year. They discuss Link’s career as a farrier, starting at age 14; his work in establishing the EPLC; rehydrating the horse’s hoof during dry weather and droughts; managing relationships with other equine professionals, and much more. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoofcare Essential...

I have some exciting news to share in this podcast, something I have been working on with the help of Sam Fowler, a farrier and videographer based in Norfolk. So I sat down to talk with Sam about his work, and to let you all know about this project we are launching together. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoofcare Essentials Foundation and their partners. You can find more information on...

A continuation from Part 2 of Simon's conversation with Professor Chris Pollitt, discussing his life, work and scientific findings. Their discussion includes some technical questions on laminitis; Brumby Week; the weight-bearing qualities of the hoof wall; the anatomy of the horse’s foot, and much more. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoofcare Essentials Foundation and their partners. You...

Simon meets with Professor Chris Pollitt at the Australian Farriers’ conference, beginning a two-part discussion on Chris's research on laminitis; equine medicine; how rider-horse communication can lead to better farriery; and more. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoofcare Essentials Foundation and their partners. You can find more information on the HEF website www.hoofcareessentials.com...

In this episode Simon speaks with Paul Summers, who is head farrier at the Singapore Turf Club. Paul has worked with horses for most of life, starting at age 11. The discussion includes plating racehorses; tropical fetlock disease and canker; improving integrity and transparency in horse racing; working as an ex-pat, and much more. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor the Hoofcare Essentials Founda...