SOME of the country’s top farriers showcased their skills under the guidance of master US farrier and judge Craig Trnka, from New Mexico, as part of the Scone Horse Festival.
Thirty competitors, ranging from first and second-year apprentices to experienced farriers, took part in the National Title Farrier and Blacksmith Competition, hosted by the Professional Farriers Association of NSW.
Event organiser Mick Fitzgerald said the competition included blacksmith skills such as forgery, with competitors then having to fit their shoe to a horse’s hoof.
Mr Trnka has been a farrier for 35 years, and is one of only a few to win a world championship.
He has quite the following in the US, making YouTube videos to demonstrate different techniques.
Mr Trnka can make a pair of shoes in 15 minutes.
“For the last four years, every shoe I’ve put on a horse is handmade, because each foot is different and you want a closer fit,” he said.
