Pennod 5 Ceffylau Cymru

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-'No hoof, no horse',

-as the old Welsh saying goes.

-The horseshoe protects the hoof

-and stops it from wearing.

-In this programme, we'll see forges,

-steel and hammers...

-..and we'll hear the stories

-of three farriers, or blacksmiths.

-Our journey begins

-with David and a Lampeter woman.

-There are

-almost 2,900 farriers in the UK...

-..only around 50 of whom are women,

-including Cathryn Gardner.

-Originally from

-Ffald-y-Brenin farm, Llanwrda...

-..she's worked as a farrier

-for around five years.

-Are there links to horses

-in your family?

-Yes. Horses are in my blood.

-Mam and my brother ride.

-It goes back to my grandfather

-and great grandfather.

-My whole family ride horses.

-Your grandfather kept sheep,

-cattle and horses on the farm

-Did you help your grandfather

-on the farm in those days?

-Yes, when I was young we'd drive

-sheep from the mountain on ponies.

-How many of you did that?

-How many of you did that?

-

-Four or five.

-I'm sure you enjoyed it.

-Growing up, Cathryn spent a lot of

-time with her grandfather...

-..on his farm near Hirwaun.

-William Gwyn Davies

-was a champion ploughman.

-Horses were in his blood and ponies

-were a vital part of farm work.

-Cathryn always took a great interest

-in whatever we did on the farm...

-..in every season.

-She was always here for lambing,

-earmarking and shearing.

-She was interested and passionate.

-She had the eye to take in

-whatever we did with the stock.

-Some people see one animal

-and that's all they see.

-Others, like Cathryn, see one animal

-but they see beyond that.

-Something special.

-It takes someone...

-..with a natural affinity

-with animals...

-..to be able to see

-all these things.

-That's what I believe.

-Cathryn spends a lot of time

-on the road.

-Today's first job

-is at Brenig Stud...

-..with the horses of sisters,

-Emma and Sian Williams.

-These hooves need a trim.

-They don't need shoes.

-This is a quiet one, Cathryn.

-Yes. He's used to being shod

-when he goes to shows.

-It makes a big difference.

-Young ones who haven't been

-shod before can be a challenge.

-Yes. A bit be wild.

-How do you

-deal with the tricky customers?

-I remain quiet and calm around them

-and take my time to do the job.

-You need patience to do this job.

-Cathryn's been your farrier

-for a while now.

-Yes, for five years and she's great.

-We think highly of her.

-We found her after Cemaes

-stopped working in this area.

-We've held onto her services.

-It's hard to find a good farrier.

-Horses played a key part

-in Cathryn's childhood in Llanwrda.

-When she was a teenager...

-..she got a part-time job

-at Caeiago Horse Riding Centre.

-She returns there today

-as their farrier.

-What's your first job today?

-What's your first job today?

-

-To remove the old horseshoe.

-Talk me through the process.

-Talk me through the process.

-

-First, I remove the old horseshoe.

-Next, I clean the frog.

-The frog is this area here.

-Yes.

-Then I clean the hoof.

-I use a rasp to smooth the edges.

-Why do you do that?

-Why do you do that?

-

-To make sure the foot is level.

-It's physical work, isn't it?

-Do you need muscles

-and strength to do this job?

-A lot of people

-assume a farrier has to be strong...

-..but it's about skill

-and technique.

-Cathryn was inspired

-to be a farrier...

-..after a period of work experience

-with the blacksmith, Hilary Kaye.

-She did an apprenticeship with

-Kelvin Lymer from Sandpitt Forge...

-..who was a Team GB farrier

-at the Beijing Olympic Games.

-Cathryn spends part of her time

-working for him in Worcester.

-How did you go about

-getting an apprenticeship?

-I wrote to over 100 farriers

-across the country...

-..and only three replied.

-Only three out of 100?

-Yes, and Kelvin was one of them.

-I had a week-long trial

-with Kelvin...

-..and I started my apprenticeship

-the following week.

-How long was the apprenticeship?

-How long was the apprenticeship?

-

-Four years and two months.

-These are new horseshoes.

-Did you make these?

-Did you make these?

-

-No. I had to buy these.

-There are so many horses here,

-there's no time to make the shoes.

-Rather than the horse

-coming to the farrier...

-..the farrier must often

-go to the horse these days.

-Cathryn has customized a vehicle

-to suit her needs.

-It even has a forge, which looks

-like a red-hot microwave.

-That's hot!

-That's hot!

-

-Yes. Extremely hot.

-Have you ever

-suffered an injury at work?

-Yes, I've injured myself

-lots of times!

-I buy half the shoes I fit

-and I make the rest myself.

-You're shaping the shoe now.

-You're shaping the shoe now.

-

-Yes - to the shape of the hoof.

-You're checking to see if it's

-the right shape for the hoof.

-Yes, then I'll cut out

-a gap for the clip.

-The clip needs to sit here.

-Does this process hurt the horse?

-No, the horse feels nothing.

-It's important

-to get the right angle, isn't it?

-Yes. I follow the angle of the hoof.

-What happens

-if the angle isn't right?

-You'll see a lot of blood!

-We'll know in no uncertain terms!

-What are you doing with these nails?

-I'm bending them over.

-This is what we call a clench.

-The clench makes sure

-the shoe stays firmly in place.

-You've finished

-working on Serafina...

-..and there are

-three more horses to go.

-On to the next one.

-What does the equine world

-mean to you?

-It means a lot.

-I enjoy working with horses and with

-different people across the country.

-It's not a job.

-It's my passion.

-It's a way of life.

-Elgan Harris

-is an extremely hardworking farrier.

-He travels the country

-looking after hooves.

-He puts on demonstrations at shows

-and he competes too.

-He's also a member

-of the Wales Farrier Team.

-Elgan was trained by Jim Blurton,

-from Forden Farriers...

-..near Welshpool, Montgomeryshire.

-Our journey in his company begins

-at Min Y Llyn Uchaf farm, Forden.

-This is a whopper of a hoof, Elgan.

-Yes, it's pretty big.

-This is a shire horse called Daisy.

-Your wife is holding her head,

-so what's Daisy's story?

-Last week, she pulled up

-and she was stuck in a wire fence.

-As you can see,

-the wire is still stuck in the shoe.

-I need to reposition the front.

-I couldn't do it last week

-because it was too sore.

-You can see where the wire cut in.

-You can see where the wire cut in.

-

-Yes - I can see the indentation.

-It could have been nasty.

-This horse has had a narrow escape.

-It's a good hoof.

-It's a good hoof.

-

-Yes. I had to cut it here.

-The wire went straight through.

-It's a good, strong, solid hoof.

-Tell me about the rhythm you hit.

-I often see farriers go

-tap-tap-bang, tap-tap-bang!

-It's just something you pick up on.

-There's no reason for it?

-No. It's just for show.

-Nailing the shoe in place

-is a very important job.

-It's a vital part

-of the farrier's bread and butter.

-If the nails aren't right,

-that shoe will soon come loose...

-..and the farrier

-will have to come back out.

-How long a guarantee

-does a good farrier give?

-A couple of weeks.

-You can see

-where the wire entered the hoof.

-Yes, and that's why

-there are three nails there.

-There's a weakness there

-but she has a strong, thick hoof.

-It's only slightly damaged.

-It'll be fine.

-Daisy's been done.

-She's outside, grazing in the field

-and enjoying the sunshine.

-It isn't a bad life for a farrier.

-It isn't a bad life for a farrier.

-

-Not when the sun's out.

-It's been a tough winter,

-what with all the rain we've had.

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-Welcome back to Ceffylau Cymru.

-As we saw before the break...

-..I'm spending the day

-with the busy farrier, Elgan Harris.

-Where are we now?

-Skelwith Stud,

-just outside Llanfair Caereinion.

-I'm here to take a look at a cob.

-I need to assess him and, luckily,

-there's room to do that here.

-Let's take a look at him.

-You removed an ordinary shoe

-from its hind hoof...

-..but you're replacing it

-with something different.

-Yes. Take a look at the hoof.

-You need the two sides of the hoof

-to be a mirror image of each other.

-It's straight on this side

-and curved on the other.

-I want to create that shape

-on the other side.

-I'll fit him with a bar shoe...

-..to will help him across the heel

-and with added depth there.

-It will help him straighten up.

-Symmetry is important in a cob.

-Symmetry is important in a cob.

-

-Yes. Symmetry is everything.

-Symmetry - that's it, to be honest.

-I'll work on that.

-After a couple of sessions

-and about three months...

-..he'll go back to normal shoes,

-all being well.

-There's more to a farrier's life

-than a hammer and steel.

-Elgan often works with vets

-for the horses' benefit.

-Competitions and exhibitions...

-..are also

-an important part of his life.

-It's good for the art of farriery

-for people to see what you do.

-There's so much more to it

-than taking a shoe out of a box.

-This is a normal horseshoe

-and this is a bar shoe.

-The difference between them

-is obvious.

-The idea is to give added support

-by having a wider shoe.

-The aim of this is to help the foot

-adjust to be as it should be.

-A bar shoe offers additional support

-for the foot than a U-shaped shoe.

-The objective is to change

-the shape of the foot a little.

-Yes - I want to help the foot

-be as it should be.

-If I used a U-shaped shoe,

-the foot would improve, over time...

-..but this will speed it up.

-Did you make them?

-Yes, I made them.

-I'd measured up

-and, luckily, they fit.

-The edge of the shoe

-sticks out further than the hoof.

-That's where the foot should be.

-That's where the foot should be.

-

-The other foot is fine.

-Are you pleased with that?

-Are you pleased with that?

-

-Yes.

-I'll give it six weeks...

-..see how the rear shoe helps

-and take it from there.

-Cemaes Evans

-comes from Ceredigion...

-..and he did his apprenticeship

-in Talsarn.

-He now lives on Cathedine Fawr farm,

-near Llangorse Lake.

-He has a smithy on the farmyard.

-You often see him on stewarding duty

-at the Royal Welsh...

-..and he judges shoeing competitions

-at local shows.

-Can I have a look

-at your horse's foot?

-He has a nice, round foot.

-It's not too long.

-It looks nice.

-With the shire,

-I was looking for the bevel shoe.

-They say a mouse should be able to

-run around on a bevel shoe...

-..because it sticks out so much.

-South Wales Shire Horse Society Show

-Abergavenny

-I joined Cemaes in his smithy

-to learn how to make a horseshoe.

-Hold it and hit it in the middle.

-Hit it like you mean it!

-Lift this arm.

-Whoa! Steady.

-It's like Mr Bean

-trying to make a horseshoe!

-We need three holes on each side.

-Where should it go?

-About an inch and a quarter

-from there.

-Hit through it?

-Hit through it?

-

-Yes.

-Whoa! Not there.

-There.

-Should I keep going?

-We must heat it back up.

-It's gone cold, so I need more...

-More speed.

-More speed.

-

-More speed? Alright.

-This is a coal forge.

-You don't see many of these today.

-The age of coal is nearly over...

-..and so is the time

-where farriers make their own shoes.

-They buy them from factories.

-In more modern smithies,

-you see gas forges.

-Yes, that's right.

-I have to take the fumes

-and everything here.

-How long does it take to heat metal?

-Not long. Coal is faster than gas.

-If you don't keep an eye on it,

-the metal will burn.

-With gas, you can leave it

-in the forge all day.

-You can't do that with coal.

-Like this?

-Like this?

-

-No - the other way around.

-Have I gone through?

-Probably.

-It's stuck.

-It's stuck.

-

-Tap it.

-BLEEP

-What was that naughty word you said?

-Did it go through? No.

-I'm like Benny Hill!

-How long does it take you

-to make a set of shoes?

-About 45 minutes.

-Thinner shoes, which are ideal for

-a Section C pony, take 30 minutes.

-There are four irons

-in the fire at a time.

-Put it down, heel first.

-Do I hit it here?

-Hold it at an angle.

-Hit the end.

-Like this?

-Yes. Down you go.

-Hit it like you mean it.

-Not there - on the end.

-Is that enough?

-No. Carry on.

-That's it.

-You use all sorts of tools

-and this box is really interesting.

-Did you make it?

-No, it was made

-by John Thomas, Llwyn Bustach.

-It's an offcut

-of the coffin of an old lady.

-This box has a bit of history.

-No wonder

-he's known as John The Box.

-At an angle?

-Yes - hit it!

-Tap it out.

-What sort of apprenticeship

-did you have?

-It must take time to train.

-I was very lucky.

-I had an apprenticeship

-with Price of Talsarn.

-I learned to shoe,

-which was great.

-I also learned to weld, fabricate

-and do some ironwork.

-I learned all the blacksmith skills.

-What aspect of your work has given

-you most pleasure over the years?

-I've been fortunate enough to meet

-people from all over the country.

-My shoes have travelled

-as far away as South Africa.

-I supply a lot of shoes for the boys

-in London and Yorkshire.

-I've met a lot of people

-through my work.

-How long have you been a farrier?

-I started in 1972.

-You've got more brains than me

-to do the maths, David!

-You don't look old enough!

-You're meant to hit the shoe!

-That's what I'm trying to do.

-I promise!

-I'm getting the hang of this!

-Now then, David.

-Hit it!

-Whoa! You're all over the shop.

-Hit it there?

-Hit it there?

-

-Yes.

-Stroke it out.

-Should've gone to Specsavers!

-I'll heat it up for you again.

-David Oliver, the blacksmith!

-Not a chance!

-OK, David?

-Lovely, David.

-I'd like to say that I did

-all the work on this horseshoe...

-..but, unfortunately, a monkey

-could do a better job than me!

-This is the finished article.

-David Oliver's horseshoe!

-Thank you, Cemaes.

-Thank you, Cemaes.

-

-You're welcome.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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