Illegal farriers taken to court for a second time

THE Farriers Registration Council (FRC) has vowed to keep taking a pair of brothers from Wales to court after they were caught performing illegal farriery for a second time.

But the convicted men claim they are being treated unfairly.

David and Paul Grunewald, both of Llanharan, Mid Glamorgan, pleaded not guilty at Barry Magistrates Court on 19 May, but were found guilty.

Although neither brother is a registered farrier, an FRC investigator saw them shoeing horses in Dinas Powys on 17 October 2008.

Under the Farriers Registration Act 1975, it is a criminal act for anyone other than a registered farrier, apprentice or vet to fit a shoe.

The Grunewalds were prosecuted for the same offence in August 2008 (news, 18 September 2008).

Their father is a registered farrier and David and Paul have worked with him for 13 and 18 years respectively.

Vicky Jones,from the FRC, said that it cannot recognise the brothers’ experience because it was gained illegally.

She added: “Under the Act there is no further action we can take, except taking them to court, but we shall keep on doing so if members of the public alert us to any continuance of them working.”

Each brother was fined £250 and asked to contribute towards costs of £750.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (25 June, ’09)

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