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Roland’s nags and nail: ‘agony aunt, confidant and life coach!’Roland finds out this week that part of his job requires him to be an agony aunt, and this he finds not quite so easy!
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Roland’s nags and nail: ‘understanding the complete art of shoeing’
Our apprentice farrier is mastering the art of hot shoeing and is realising it is not an easy skill to master
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Roland’s nags and nail: ‘a never-ending journey’
Roland faces some tough mock exams in preparation for his finals next year and is pleasantly surprised by his results
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Roland’s nags and nail: paying by time spent, rather than for a set of shoes
Our apprentice farrier considers a radical new idea in terms of how to charge a client for shoeing their horse
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Roland’s nags and nail: reflecting on my previous lifeApprentice farrier reflects on his previous life as a corporate businessman
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Roland’s nags and nails: ‘I’ll pass on cake’
Our apprentice farrier muses on the effect the weather has on hooves and explains why he declines tea and cake at certain stables
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Roland’s nags and nails: ‘I don’t care what I look like’Our farrier's apprentice is on the verge of resorting to a muscle top as the summer weather takes its toll
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: ‘being an apprentice is a painful journey’As if shoeing horses in this heat wasn't enough, our apprentice farrier managed to knock a nail into his knee
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: back after a gruelling few weeks at collegeOur apprentice farrier may have finished another college block, but there's no let up with plenty of challenging homework and more showing in the scorching weather
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: serious eye candy
Roland is back at college for block five and has noticed that his contemporaries are now looking chiseled, wiry, rugged and weatherbeaten
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: only 18 months until I’m my own bossOur apprentice farrier is starting to think about how he will market his business and gain valuable clients when he is working for himself
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: a good opportunity to modernise the apprenticeship system
Roland Thompson reflects on the apprenticeship system and whether the NVQ module is really necessary
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: the art of making bar shoesApprentice farrier Roland Thompson has been practising making bar shoes ahead of Devon County Show later this week
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: concentrating on the competitions
Moulting horses and flies are marking the start of Roland's summer, while he also has a number of competitions to prepare for
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: a run on stud holesRoland is thinking of ways to make putting in studs easier, and is disappointed with the score that OFSTED gave to the Farrier Training Agency
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Roland’s nags ‘n’ nails: lacking co-ordination
Roland is struggling to develop the skill of 'ringing off' protruding horseshoe nails and fears he is impressing no-one along the way
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Roland’s nags and nails: injuries and weight lossRoland has been in the wars this week, but is loving being able to eat exactly what he wants
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Roland’s nags and nails: mock exams and Baltic weather conditionsRoland is slightly concerned that his profession is coinciding with a mini ice age, but found the mock exams he has done recently very beneficial
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Roland’s nags and nails: ‘I’m not the only one finding it tough’
Catching up with fellow students at the Shire Horse Show provides a welcome boost to Roland's confidence
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Roland’s nags and nails: there’s nothing like a good frog trim
Roland reflects on a few unusual things that only those who work as farriers or with horses will experience
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Roland’s nags and nails: ‘I fear I might get mud fever myself’
As hunting winds down, Roland is enjoying a slightly quieter time at work and is looking forward to warmer summer days
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Roland’s nags and nails: my uphill battle with making shoesIn this week's blog, Roland is already getting butterflies about making shoes in his final exam
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Roland’s nags and nails: health and safety or red tape madnessFarrier's apprentice Roland reflects on a talk by a health and safety executive from Germany
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Roland’s nags and nails: facing the shoe-fitting challengeFarrier's apprentice Roland is finding fitting shoes a challenge and isn't enjoying a forced return to 'smoking'
