My awesome apprentice, Riley and I were recently invited to take part in a product demonstration at Goodlands Farrier School, educating students who had enrolled in a three day Pre Certification Clinic hosted by farrier and FITS assessor Steve Riggs, who travelled to WA from QLD.
Based in Serpentine, Goodlands Farrier School provides education and assistance to anyone with an interest in farriery and pulls together a list of guest speakers from industry bodies, veterinarians and specialist farriers to help educate young apprentices for a well rounded understanding of caring for horse feet.
The three day course developed by Steve Riggs, started with an outline of the different pathways available for farrier education. Industry discussions were well represented by Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA), a few working farriers and different equine suppliers.
Riley and I had a slot to demonstrate the use of the Glu-Shus and some of their unique products - all of which are stocked with F1 Farriers First. The demo included the fitting of a bar insert and cushion for helping relieve pain for a laminitic horse.
After lunch, Steve Riggs demonstrated shoe board shoes and their components required, followed by a shoeing demo focusing on what examiners look for. Lastly, Lynlea from Murdoch University discussed communication skills and conflict strategies within small business.
Steve Riggs is an assessor for the FITS program and they can be called upon to assess farriers anywhere around the world, so it was huge honour to be part of his clinic. The introduction of The Farrier's International Testing System ( FITS) is giving farriers the opportunity to up-skill and be assessed on an international level, which should have beneficial flow-on effects for the industry and all horses.
It was an awesome day. Riley and I loved being part of the training of upcoming farriers in Western Australia and showcasing the awesome products we sell and supply Australia wide through our online store https://
