The Farrier Project

Hosts Jay Tovey and Mark Trussler welcome farrier Sarah Logie, based near Inverness since 1997, who recounts a highly nomadic childhood across the UK and abroad (including the US, New Zealand, Hawaii and Fiji), later settling into horses and ultimately farriery. She describes returning to school for exams, early horse experience through endurance horses, and choosing farriery for its mix of art, science, horses and independence. Sarah details her 2001–2002 start and apprenticeship with Highland farrier Robin Pape, his open-minded, safety-focused, observation-driven teaching style, and the huge travel patch they covered; she also discusses challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated trade. She outlines further development via BFBA exchange (2006), mentoring from multiple farriers, and completing Diploma (2006), Associate (2012) and Fellowship (practical 2016; theory 2017). Sarah explains her blunt, structured online tutoring begun in 2019 and expanded into a full associate course from 2022, reaching 105 students across roughly 11–12 countries, alongside a book and upcoming diploma-focused materials, and closes with a tip to stop, look and think and seek perspective in bigger environments.

Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey interview farrier Nigel Perrott from Somerset, who qualified in the early 1980s after an apprenticeship in Essex with Melvin Baker and training influenced by Colin Smith. Nigel discusses his work mainly on hunters and endurance ponies, his start in competitions at Bath & West, England team experiences and pressures, his first major win (Bath & West cob shoeing in 1984), later winning the Bath & West Hunter Cup, and 28 years running the Bath & West farriery competition, including safety incidents and show memories. He explains hunting involvement as a former field master, balancing it with business and training four apprentices, and outlines his role since 2009 as Irish team farrier across major championships and Olympics. The episode then focuses on hunter shoeing principles: evolved for grip and durability, tight accurate heel fit, nail placement and number, conservative trimming with minimal sole removal, frequent shoeing cycles, managing interference with three-quarter shoes, dealing with corns, and selective use of modern glue-on options like EasyCare.

Hosts Jay Tovey and Mark Trussler interview Devon-based farrier Brad Greenham about his background, training, and career. Brad describes starting an apprenticeship at Cockington Forge, finishing his training in Gloucester and Dorset, qualifying in 2004, and building a practice in Devon, including an early 200-horse riding stables account and a high-volume “numbers game” approach he later regretted. He discusses how farriery can crowd out hobbies, rising client demands and social media’s benefits and risks, and the value of working with others. Brad explains taking ATF status, then pursuing AWCF and rapidly completing his FWCF within 12 months, crediting mentors including Sarah Logie, Simon Moore, Andrew Casserly, Jay, and others; study changed his trimming and balance assessment. He describes burnout, a recent stress-related health scare, reducing coffee, and having his partner manage bookings and invoicing, concluding that relieving stress is his top tip.

Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey open The Farrier Project and discuss demanding Clydesdale and Highland Show competitions before interviewing retired Scottish farrier Sandy Beveridge from Carluke, who trained with Jim and Allan Ferrie and quickly achieved Dip, Associate and Fellowship (1984–1988). Sandy explains he retired at the end of October last year due to the physical toll of the job, reflects on training apprentices and clients’ reluctance to change farriers, and shares his main tip: pace yourself over a career. The episode centers on Sandy’s rotating, spinning “globe” sculpture made from 194 horseshoes welded using a harrow disc, including shoes from notable farriers (some deceased) and a few from abroad, created to raise money for Cancer Research UK after losing his father to cancer. Supported by the Worshipful Company of Farriers, the project has raised about £13.5k with Gift Aid, will appear at Focus and Olympia in London, and viewers are directed to donate via the WCF Facebook link, QR code, or in person.

Hosts Jay Tovey and Mark Trussler interview Hereford College farriery lecturer Danny Bennett about UK farrier education, sponsorship, and how colleges rise and fall based on staff teams and management support. Danny describes his roles at Myerscough and Hereford, Hereford’s near-loss of FRC approval around 2016–17, and how Dean Bland helped rebuild admin frameworks alongside renewed senior leadership backing. They discuss teaching to the syllabus/“standard,” how exams can lag industry progress, and the four-part training landscape: colleges, ATFs, EPAOs, and apprentices. Danny outlines ATF CPD days, competitions, and “meet your next apprentice” initiatives to build relationships, plus digital revision resources. He explains Hereford’s redesigned block system (20 weeks total, more frequent shorter visits) improving student progress, and reviews Trailblazer/EPA changes, VetSkills communication limits, written exam issues, appeals, resits, and ongoing debate about shoemaking’s role in assessment.

Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey interview farrier Jeff Townsend-Berridge, known as the “Glue Guru,” about his background and expertise in glue-on shoeing. Jeff describes growing up in the New Forest around horses, early trimming experience, mentorship with Colin Smith, and how a disrupted UK apprenticeship path led him to Kentucky Horseshoeing School, where he fast-tracked through training, later worked and taught, earned his CJF, and stayed in the US for five to six years. He explains how seeing Steve Norman glue shoes on Thoroughbreds inspired him, defines direct vs indirect gluing, and discusses choosing methods based on horse type and performance needs. He covers composite shoe types, costs and stocking challenges, foot preparation and management (clean, dry, suitable environment), common failures like sole pressure and over-gluing, key products (Equilox, JMeg, Third Millennium, Hoflox, super glue), and advises staying composed when gluing goes wrong.

In Part 2 Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey interview farrier Paul Duddy about learning through mistakes, asking questions, and the value of clinics and competitions. Paul explains how competitions build confidence and skill for young farriers, shares memories from Calgary and other events (including injuries, disqualifications, speed classes, team wins, and placing top 10), and describes what good judging looks like: seeing past “bling,” prioritising fundamentals like nail fit, levelness, clips, safe trimming, and soundness, and following the judge’s specimen and feedback. He discusses his transition into teaching at CAFRE, the college’s origins as an upskilling route for largely unqualified cold shoers, and current teaching plans to make theory more practical and accessible. Paul also addresses possible Irish legislation and urges farriers to join associations, keep learning, and only enter the trade if they truly love it.

The Farriery Project hosts Jay Tovey and co-host Mark Trussler introduce guest farrier Paul, who grew up in Strabane, Northern Ireland during the Troubles and is a fifth-generation farrier who started in the forge at 11 before his father died when he was 15. Paul describes the highly competitive Irish National Stud apprenticeship in Kildare, annual training blocks in England, and qualifying via a demanding exam, then progressing through Irish competitions at the Dublin Horse Show and later realising in England he needed to raise his level. He explains how the Troubles disrupted travel and business, recounting early hardships building a practice with minimal resources, and emphasises resilience and the value of difficult standards like the diploma. Paul also discusses running, cycling injuries, a 2019 brain micro-bleed likely linked to stress, subsequent anxiety, and advocating for men’s mental health and seeking professional help.

Mark Trussler and co-host Jay Tovey welcome Fred Cox to The Farrier Project to discuss his background, training, and specialist stud-farm farriery. Raised around horses in Oxfordshire and a former youth polo player, Fred began a farrier apprenticeship in Lambourn under Gary Pickford, initially disliking race-yard work before finding his niche on stud farms. After qualifying in 2009, he worked a year as a qualified farrier for Pickford, then left to build his own business combining hot-shoeing with expanding Thoroughbred stud work, including weekly work and a regular France trip; he now works with two qualified assistants. Fred pursued further exams to become an ATF, took an AWCF prep course, failed then passed the practical, and has passed the fellowship WCF practical while planning his study, though accreditation changes currently prevent him taking apprentices. The episode focuses on Thoroughbred foal management: high-volume trimming on a four-week rota, fortnightly early assessments, handling protocols, record-keeping, trimming to the short axis early, and approaches to angular and flexural deformities using trims, acrylic extensions, cuffs, wedges, and veterinary collaboration. Fred’s tip is to know strengths and weaknesses, keep learning, and work with others.

Jay Tovey and co-host Mark Trussler continue their chat with farrier Alex, focusing on foot balance, conformation assessment, and trimming and shoeing plans with an emphasis on the caudal hoof. Alex describes his influences from Stefan Wehrli and Dr. Rick Redden, explaining trimming in multiple planes (landing, standing, and breakover phases) and using heel rockers to increase caudal weight-bearing without lowering key angles, sometimes adapting in three planes for medial-lateral differences and shunted heels. He outlines how he evaluates balance by observing gait, checking limb alignment, feeling for flares, assessing sole depth and symmetry, and using the central sulcus as a reference, plus strategies like floating overloaded areas and narrowing the shoe’s ground surface. Discussion covers toe flare and heel distortion, environment and breeding differences between Germany and the UK, common conformation issues (offset knees, club feet), early foal management, skepticism about forcing level landing, approaches to flares and dorsal dressing, breakover mapping and toe support, shoe thickness choices, and advice to stay open-minded, keep learning, and collaborate with vets and colleagues.