Staffordshire farrier wins The Horse Trust open farriery competition

Staffordshire farrier Richard Slater, 24, was overall winner at the Horse Trust open farriery competition.

The event, run since 2007 by Buckinghamshire charity The Horse Trust, took place over the weekend of 6 November at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.

Jeannette Allen, chief executive of The Horse Trust, presented Richard with The Horse Trust Rose Bowl trophy.

Richard, from Swinnerton, Staffordshire qualified as a farrier in 2009.

“I’m really, really pleased I won,” he said. “It’s different from many of the other farriery competitions as you have to make shoes from scratch using traditional methods. I learnt a lot from taking part.”

The competition has two classes — hunter and therapeutic shoeing. Richard came second in both classes and won overall.

He also won the best dressed foot award in the therapeutic shoeing class and best specimen shoes award in both classes.

Although Richard has forged a successful career in farriery, he initially planned to be an engineer: “I have a diploma in engineering, but I decided I would prefer to work outdoors and do a more physical job. I tried farriery and fell in love with it. If a horse comes in lame and walks out sound it’s an amazing feeling.”

For more information about The Horse Trust, visit www.horsetrust.org.uk or visit the charity’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HorseTrust.

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