Forging Basics 101 with Roy Bloom

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Dan
Farrier technique

Using the hammer to line up the forepunch- more efficient and also a way to avoid heat build up in the punch, helping to prevent damage to the tool.

Roy Bloom clinis

Roy creating the toe bend, working on the face of the anvil to avoid stock distortion. Balanced stance helps to manage hammer strokes.

Roy Bloom, APF, CJF recently did a hands-on clinic with a group of farriers in Amarillo, Texas. Organized by John Harshbarger of Ranchers Supply, the group gathered at Garry Smith’s shop and Roy worked through the fundamentals of making a plain stamped shoe, use of the creaser, drawing clips and other forging steps.

Roy has a number of forging videos (Hot Iron Productions) available to the market and has been on the road for over 20 years sharing his experience and techniques. The net result of this educational effort is the improvement in skills and understanding of steps involved in basic forging projects. There are not many areas in North America that haven’t benefitted from Roy’s expertise. Keep the FPD calendar bookmarked to see when and where Roy and other clinicians will be performing in the future.

Forging tool

The new Nail Layout Tool from Bloom Forge makes locating the toe nail position a piece of cake. You can find this handy tool at FPD dealers.

 

 

The group attending the hands-on came from far and wide- Texas, Arizona, Ontario and elsewhere to draw from Roy’s expertise to improve their skills. FPD is fortunate to have a long list of farriers like Roy to help with the continuing education effort that has tremendous benefits for farriers, the horses they work on and the industry in general. You can find many examples of the work done by this group by visiting the FPD website and exploring the Natural Angle, video and the recently added webinar archives. Don’t pass up a chance to participate in these live events hosted by FPD dealers throughout North America.

Tools for farriers

Roy demonstrates the proper position for the fire tongs to have a secure hold when forging the branches of the shoe on the anvil horn.  Better grip & leverage when stock is locked against the base of the tong head.

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Farrier Gathering – Nakina, Ontario

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Dan
farrier trip to OS

September sky at O’Sullivan Lake. Looked like everything was on fire.

I guess there is no reason to pretend this is a story about horseshoeing. It does involve farriers so it belongs here…. right?

All the focus was on the shore lunch prep. Allen Horton was the supervisor and Matt, Mike, Wade and Roy were ganging up on the cook stoves. Dave and Chris had been on the summer sausage detail.

This month a group of farriers and a few other friends met in Thunder Bay, Ontario and went on to O’Sullivan Lake near Nakina, Ontario. I’ve plugged the camp before – O’Sullivan’s Rainbow – but it is such a good camp and lake I’ll do it again. If you are ever considering a trip to a Canadian lake and spending your time fishing and exploring, this camp is a good place to do it.

 

You would think Dave Farley would manage a smile with this fish in his hands but I think he was a bit too cold at the moment.

 

Everyone was coming from really hot, humid weather and were ready for a break. What they didn’t expect was such a dramatic break, with temps only reaching the upper 40’s to low 50’s with strong winds and sporadic rain the first couple days. The group didn’t back off and sit idly in the cabins. Everyone put the layers on, some wishing for more, and piled in the boats and began one of the most productive fishing weeks we’ve had with a group. By mid-week the temps were rising and the sun was shining, at least off and on.

 

Roy’s walleye and the honey pecan recipe- no leftovers.

Everyday we met in the mid afternoon for our main meal of the day, organized by Chef Roy Bloom. The man’s chef, he is. Forget about deep frying your fish- check with Roy for his grilled fish recipes. You may never take cooking oil to camp again, except a few ounces for the shore lunch. You will want to be sure you have mountains of butter though. You can’t cook without it if you follow Roy’s lead.

The trip ended with very good weather- still much cooler than what waited for most of us at home. I think everyone was ready to get back to the work and folks waiting at home but they went with a fresher spirit than they came with. That’s what it’s all about.

Mike Chance didn’t have any trouble breaking out a smile- but the temperature was probably 20 degrees warmer at this point in the week.

 

 

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Farrier Product Distribution Sponsors New AFA Contest Division

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Dan
Farrier competition shoe

The Beveled Front Shoe, one of the Kerckhaert-Liberty Intermediate Division specialty forging shoes for the AFA’s 2014 Reno, Nevada convention.

FPD will be sponsoring the new Kerckhaert-Liberty Intermediate Division at the American Farrier’s Association National Competition in Reno, Nevada, February 26-27, 2014. We appreciate another opportunity to be involved in the continuing education and improvement of skills that come as a result of participating in events like the annual AFA competition.

The Journeyman Front shoe, one of two in the Intermediate Journeyman Class.

According to the Rules Committee, to qualify for this new division you must have never entered the AFA Competition, other than in the Two Person Draft class or working as a striker. You can enter the Kerckhaert-Liberty Intermediate Division for as long as you want until you win the overall. Winning the overall automatically moves you up to the Open Division the following year. Judges for this division in 2014 as well as the open division are Travis Koons, CJF, Gerard Laverty, CJF, TE, and Gene Lieser, CJF.

Liberty

Liberty Nails will be used in all Kerckhaert-Liberty Intermediate Division classes. Liberty is producing a full line of American and European style nails.

 

 

 

 

This is an exciting opportunity for many farriers to start building their skills in the forging arena. The Division pays back 100% of the sponsorship money plus 65% of the entry fees so there is excellent pay back for the division.Shoes for the various classes can be found on the AFA website. The shoes are all illustrated in the Bloom Book of Shoes that is available from FPD dealers. The only exception is the Deep Seated Bar Shoe that will be plain stamped rather than fullered as shown in the Book of Shoes. All shoes will be punched for Kerckhaert’s Liberty Horseshoe Nails, the fastest growing brand in the market today.

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On the Road in Idaho – Farrier Product Distribution

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Dan
Idaho landscape

This is a typical scene in southern Idaho- except where there is no irrigation and you would see almost no green fields. You can see in the foreground how dry it really is in this region. No water, no crops.

A recent sales trip to visit farrier suppliers in the West took me through southern Idaho, from one side of the state to the other. For anyone coming from the East, it’s hard to grasp how tough the environment is in this region. You can go miles without seeing any sign of crops and then pass through some extremely lush hay, potato and grain producing areas. This brings home the whole notion of how critical water supplies are for the Western states. Without irrigation, there aren’t many square miles that can produce even the most basic crops.

Roller motion

I’m going to call this the Roller Motion system. Saw it in a lot of different fields and pastures. Going to have to research to see how and when this design came about. It must be very effective and reasonably easy to set up.

It’s fascinating to see all the varieties of irrigation systems, many supplied by water from the Snake River. The river originates in Western Wyoming and travels 1,078 miles to end up as the largest tributary of the Columbia River. It is definitely a lifeline for the region.

What’s fairly certain is that without irrigation it would be difficult to keep our industry going strong in environments like southern Idaho. The equine industry is dominated by the western disciplines and trail and pack horses. We’ve found that most of our customers look for strength in the shoes first and foremost with traction right there at the top of the features list. This is a strong area for shoes like the Kerckhaert Standard, Standard Extra, Triumph steel as well as Pride sliding plates and other shoes for the event horses. If you see how much rock and gravel surface they have to deal with you would appreciate the need for good steel materials in the shoes on horses working outside the arena.

Horses in pasture

Here’s a simple pasture irrigation system. You might be able to see the horses to the center left. Thankful, I’m sure, that someone has worked this out for them. What’s challenging for the horse owner in this region is so much hay gets shipped out of state that it can drive local prices up and affect the activity of the horse industry negatively.

The farriers of this area have to deal with the dry nature of the region and combined with the extreme heat of the summer, it creates some very hard feet. The bonus may be the hoof is stronger and less susceptible to damage, but trimming and nailing is no walk in the park.

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The Kriz Farm Farrier Operation

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Dan
Farrier work at Kriz Farm

This is another amazing mound of steel and aluminum. Located at the Kriz Farm in Bethany, Connecticut.

We recently did a Facebook post with an image of a horseshoe pile at the Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School in Ardmore. Very impressive image. That sparked comments from folks and questions about the horseshoes piled up outside the Kriz Farm shop. We were able to reach Joe Kriz, Jr. and he sent us a couple images. It would take someone with a good math background to figure out which is the largest. Joe informed me that this pile was started in 1955 after a flood took the original Kriz pile down the Naugatuck River. So who knows how big it might have been. My guess is the Kriz mound has fewer practice shoes in it. Suffice it to say, they are both quite amazing and represent two sides of the industry. Those that are working and sweating to learn the trade and those that spent decades working and sweating applying their skills and making a living.

Farrier Shoes at Christmas

Seems there may also have been a Christmas tradition that included the shoes and they were decked out for the season. I also think the pile has grown compared to the first image.

The Kriz family of Connecticut is truly one of the icons of the farrier industry. There have been many articles written about the family and those that had an opportunity to meet them can appreciate their dedication and passion for the trade.  A video was produced by Peter Hvidzak and can be seen at this link – Joe Kriz, Sr. This sharing of Mr. Hvidzak’s video was put together by Fran Jurga of Hoofcare and Lameness who has followed the family throughout her career in the farrier industry. It will give you a sense of the impact the Kriz family has made in the equine industry.

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Derby 2013 Farrier Activity Begins

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Dan
Amato-Amato

Mr. Ray Amato puts the finishing touches on the front foot of one of Todd Pletcher’s horses. His son, Ray Amato, Jr. is waiting to work the hind feet. This is the Ky Derby scene that most people never see.

Today was the first really busy day of 2013 at Churchill Downs and we were on the backside tracking down some of the leading race track farriers in the country and checking on shoe choices for Derby and Oaks entries. This is an annual ritual for us and gives us the opportunity to see what some of the top farriers and top trainers in the industry are doing on the hoofcare side. What we can see so far is that there will be a tremendous number of Kerckhaert race plates in the chase in two of the most famous races in the industry. Kerckhaert has become a well-known name in racing world-wide since beginning production of innovative, high quality racing plates a number of years ago.

hoof

Verrazano’s solid looking hooves. One of the leading contenders for the 2013 Ky. Derby crown is bathed after the morning work. He’ll be one of the shoeing jobs coming later in the week for Mr. Ray Amato.

Two of the busiest farriers this week are Mr. Ray Amato, Sr., and his son Ray Amato, Jr. They are hard at it taking care of Todd Pletcher’s Derby and Oaks horses as well as the rest of the string of horses he has at Churchill this week. Busy could be an understatement. Pletcher has 5 entries in the Kentucky Derby and 4 in the Oaks. Ray Amato has been with Todd Pletcher for 18 years, and is hoping to continue with him until Pletcher reaches the 25 year mark and what is undoubtedly a certain induction into the Racing Hall of Fame. Perhaps most significant is that Ray is 80 and is planning to continue on for years to come. A true gentleman and craftsman, he has recently been recognized in national circles as one of the true Hall of Fame status farriers. We’re excited about the decision by Mr. Amato, one of the legends of the trade, to begin using the new Kerckhaert Legendary XT front race plate. He’s been a big fan of our Tradition series and feels that this new shoe will be a great front shoe choice for his path forward.

farrier bull

From left to right- Steve Norman, farrier for three Derby winners, Tom Curl, often called in for therapeutic work, and Jim Jimenez, farrier for last year’s Derby winner gather near Todd Pletcher’s barn to visit and check in with Ray Amato.

We’re also following a number of other guys that are also well respected for their talents and skills and are dealing with contenders in the big races. Jim Jimenez , Steve Norman, Todd & Chad Boston, Jim Bayes, Jr., Pat and Chris Broadus are among the names we know well for the work they do each year. This group has quite a list of Derby and Oaks winners under their belt. We’ll be getting info and pictures of all of these farriers and others that are involved in the Derby and Oaks quest as the week progresses.

kerckhaert race plate

A Kerckhaert Tradition race plate being nailed on Derby week.

Stay tuned for more details- it’s shaping up to be a great week.

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Farriers in WCB Competition – Madison, WI

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Dan

 

Farrier Competion
Early morning preparation of the coke fires for the WCB competition rig. Craig Trnka has been working for months to get this mobile rig set to go for the first event of the season and it looks like his work paid off for competitors and spectators at the event.

The first competition of 2013 for the World Championship Blacksmiths was held April 19-21 at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, Wisconsin. It wasn’t exactly the spring weather hoped for, with cold temperatures and blowing snow on day one, giving way to some sunshine and warmer weather day two and finishing with another cool, blustery day on Sunday. Nevertheless, the competition went forward. This was the unveiling of the WCB’s competition rig on wheels. Months and many dollars have been spent building a tractor trailer unit that contains the coke forges, all the anvils and stands, various other equipment and tenting that attaches to the hydraulically lifted sides that open to reveal the forges – five to a side. I’m certain Craig will tweak as needed but the setup worked well for the competitors as well as many spectators that dropped in while at the event.

Live shoeing

Travis Koons, CJF (left with red shirt and headband) overall winner of the open division is striking for Cody Gregory, CJF FWCF, who placed second overall- illustrating the main ingredient of the competition, the sharing of knowledge and skills to help everyone improve and succeed. Trey Green, CJF works on finishing a shoe to the far right.

Live Shoeing

These were the shoes that were involved in the live shoeing class, one shoe plain stamped with Masselotte toe clip to be nailed on the foot and one Sidebone specimen shoe, judged on forging quality. The plaque was presented to Josh Stanley, CJF AWCF for his Madison victory.

Farrier Product Distribution has been a supporter of the WCB since its inception. We have seen first hand the positive efforts of Craig Trnka to form a viable group that is all about sharing their knowledge and improving the skills of the farriers in the trade. We are the sponsor of the Liberty Live Shoeing competition that is held on the final day of the competition. Liberty Horseshoe Nails have been rapidly increasing in popularity among the WCB members and farriers throughout the industry.

In addition to congratulations that go to Travis Koons for winning the overall, we also want to congratulate Josh Stanley, CJF, AWCF who won the Liberty Live Shoeing class on the final day of the event and Ben Bright who won the overall award for the novice division. This event had 49 competitors in the open division and 30 in the novice division. The novice division winner was Ben Bright who fought off a determined effort by all the others participating in the forging classes of their division.

Shoe and Liberty nails

Liberty nails being driven in the live shoeing class. Consistency and high quality are a couple of the many comments on the nails.

Josh Stanley
Mark Schneider, was working as the striker for another competitor and is focused on helping him in his go on the shoeing.

 

Liberty nails in line

Liberty nails are used for forging classes as well as the live shoeing and this farrier has a line up of nails where he can easily get to them to check fit in shoes.

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Farrier Modifications of Horseshoes

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Dan
Farrier Forging Tools

Tools of the Trade – a group of Bloom forging tools used to make various shoe modifications.

We recently had Mike Wildenstein come by the shop and spend some time doing some shoe modifications using Kerckhaert Standard and Standard Extra shoes. There are a lot of shoes in the market now with modifications that are already built in to the shoes but we think it’s important that the skills necessary to modify shoes are not neglected.

Horseshoes

The Kerckhaert Standard and Standard Extra have a generic shape and work well for modifications. Both shoes have good heel width for doing various extensions and work in the heel area. The Extra is especially good as the overall width of stock provides excellent support and strength for larger horses and rougher terrain.

Forge and truck

Mike Wildenstein brings another shoe out for the series of modifications he was demonstrating.

The modifications covered a whole range of extensions, clips, breakover aids and traction devices. The work was filmed and will be added to the growing list of titles on the FootPro Information Series for Professional Farriers that can be accessed via the FPD website or on YouTube. Mike’s goal was to not only share the steps involved in creating the modifications but provide a brief explanation of why they would be useful for certain conformation problems, terrain and other factors that come into play when determining how to shoe the individual you are working on.

Standard Extra with Heel Extension, most commonly used as lateral extension on hind foot.

 

Shoe Modification

Rocker Toe Modification on Standard, using FootPro rounding hammer. This is a strong breakover enhancement choice.

 

 

 

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Farrier Team Surprises FPD in Baton Rouge

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Dan
Shoe board

The 2012 AFA Team-(l-r) Chris Overly, Daniel Jones, Team Manager Conrad Trow, Justin Fry, Cody Gregory and Bryan Osborne surprised FPD with a custom shoe board to express their appreciation for support FPD and Bellota has provided in the past year.

The 2012 American Farrier’s Team presented FPD with a great shoe board to show their appreciation for support FPD has provided in the past year. FPD has always been a strong supporter of the AFA and the competitions held each year at the convention. This team has been a great example of the work ethic and dedication it takes to perform at the top levels of the competition world. Managed by Conrad Trow, these guys have been outstanding ambassadors for the American Farrier’s Association.

Congratulations to the 2013 AFA Team, selected in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Josh Stanley, Chris Gregory, Mark Schneider, Lamar Weaver, Justin Fry and Mark Lieser.

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Farriers Gather for World Horseshoeing Classic Contest

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Dan
anvil work

Mark Lieser (in foreground) and Jake Engler from Texas, working on draft shoes the second day of the competition.

The World Horseshoeing Classic contest was held recently at the Kentucky Horseshoeing School in Richmond, KY. Fifteen 4 person teams competed over the three days of the event, setting a new entry record for the contest.

FPD was glad to be able to help with the sponsorship of the event giving direct financial support and providing Liberty nails for the live shoeing work.

Draft shoe application by Team Wales on second day of competition.

World Horseshoeing Classic results:   1. Team Wales    2. Team Cat 6   3. Team WCB          4. Team Calgary Stampede   5. Team Vettec   6. Team AFT     7. Team Ib Jessen                   8. Team Pro Farrier Supply   9. Team Montana Farrier Supply   10. Team Anvil Brand Ranch   11. Team  Fruit of the Bloom   12. Team Texas   13. Team The Edge   14. Team Justin Tools   15. Team Billy’s Boys

 

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