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Article as seen on
the front page of
"The
Kootenay Western Star"
Have Trailer Will Shoe
By Dale West
One cannot
miss Bradley SaintJohn as he comes down the street, his workshop
trailing behind him. Looking like a cross between a horse trailer
and a stable, it's rather attention-getting. The additional sound of
jangling metal horseshoes, coming from within draws anyone who is
sight compromised. Filled with an assortment of equipment that lets farrier Saint John take his services right to the horse's mouth, er,
hooves, this is one impressive outfit. Saint John, himself, has the
final word on the coolness of the rig: "It's mine and I get to work
in it!"
His love of horses goes back to his youth, spending summers
on the farm in Maple Creek, Sask., driving cattle, branding, gelding
horses, delousing cattle — and quite enjoying it. He wanted to be a
blacksmith, but somehow, ended up living on the West Coast, living
on a 55-foot clipper-bow sailboat, and feeling somewhat out of place
– the only sailor wearing a cowboy hat.
He decided to alter course,
changing sea tacks for steel tacks, enrolling in Kwantlen College
and, in June of 2002, becoming a certified farrier, by Kwantlen
College. He completed his
transformation by recently moving from the Coast to the Kootenays —
Robson to be exact. Meanwhile, his mobile workshop contains
everything a blacksmith might want: a forge, a generator, a drill
press and a MIG welder. A place has been prepared for an acetylene
unit. Strategically placed magnetic bars keep hand tools easily
accessible. If anyone
wonders whether the sailor can completely taken out of the cowboy,
the answers sits in the bow, er, front of this trailer — a marine
head.
A farrier
making house or horse calls is not unique. Most, however, come with
their equipment in truck that must be unloaded at the end of the
week for a weekend of pleasure use. "I just unhook on Friday and
hook up again on Monday." Rolling out to a job, Saint John arrives
ready to nail on store-bought shoes or create them from scratch. He
does hot and cold shoeing, makes heart and bar shoes, flat, rolled
and rocker shoes, flat and wedge pads and clips, studs and chalks.
With all his tools close at hand, he can create a custom shoe in 15
minutes. But mostly what he does is keep horses plodding along
happily. Not all horses need shoes, he noted, but if a horse is
regularly ridden, a farrier and a good set of shoes can be a horse's
best friend. "A horse's foot is an extremely dynamic living
structure," Saint John said, living but not perfect. Each foot can
be different. Shoeing a horse, then, can help correct an alignment
problems, putting a horse back in balance — and out of pain.
Trimming is of equal importance. Imagine growing out your finger
nails then putting all your body weight onto them, he explained. An
untrimmed horse will experience similar pain. "Above all else, I
like to see the horse made to be as comfortable as possible, and to
move with an effortless gait."
To learn more
about Saint John's services, surf over to
www.1stchoicehorseshoeing.com
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