Page 205 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
and lashes out with a graceful rear leg. But, as farriers will tell you, this is all part of the game, and the game is competitive farriery – one of the most unusual “sports” in which the Army indulges. To the dedicated, the heavy, rhythmic chime of metal on metal, is music to their ears, but to the casual observer it can be something more of a violent assault on their eardrums. And what about the horses? They seem indifferent – most of the time.
This has always been the sight and sound of farriery competitions at the School of Farriery at the Royal Army Veterinary Corps Training Centre and Depot, Melton Mowbray, where the coming together of those skilled in the craft has always been considered very, very serious business. There was more than an air of disappointment in the voice of the School’s Farrier, Sergeant-Major William Green, when he admitted: “I could have done better.” He was talking about his performance in the School’s open competition that year (1967) which attracted some of the country’s best civilian farriers.
To put things into perspective, Sergeant-Major Green, the only soldier placed in that particular competition, came fourth. But it was a near thing. Only one point separated him from the winner, a young man who shod the Queen’s horses. The judge, Mr M J Clark of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, said he had never seen such a general high standard and remarked that he thought that it was so good, the horses enjoyed it too!
Organised annually by the Corps, the competition was in two parts. First is the purely military event held at Wellington Barracks in London. It was there, in 1967 that Sergeant-Major Green, the aforementioned tough 36-year-old Scot who had shod horses from Perth to Hong Kong, won first in the first-class farrier section. The second part, the open classes at Melton Mowbray, attracted four military competitors and nineteen civilian farriers from village practices all over the country. Everyone was determined to win. And so, the normally relatively placid atmosphere of the School of Farriery, turned high-octane – the noise and excitement bringing the fiery forge alive. Ironically, there is a sign nearby encouraging motorists to drive slowly because of “horses at work,” but on competition day the peace was non-existent thanks to the clang of hammer on anvil that emerged from a long shed where the horses stood on one side and furiously engaged farriers on the other. To help any layperson looking on, Major Scott C Moffat, honorary organising secretary, was around to explain the task:
“Competitors are given certain tasks to do within
a time limit. The judge looks for a foot prepared to receive the shoe and a shoe that fits the foot the competitor has prepared. One of the criminal actions is to shape the foot to fit the shoe. The shoe should be made to fit the foot.”
It was the belief of the earlier mentioned judge, the well-respected Mr Clark from Oxford, that: “A well-made and well-fitted shoe is an extension of the foot.” This from the elderly, strict, fair, popular father figure whose words reflected a passion for his craft and came to be cemented into the psyche of many a trainee farrier.
Each competitor had a ‘striker,’ to help with the heavy work. Although it was only the competitor who was judged, a good striker was of great value. The trust between the two in an environment where heavy hammers were crashing down within inches of vulnerable limbs, was absolutely essential. Speedy farriery has its dangers but a large part of the military farriers’ training at the School covers safety precautions, including a universal rule that no one is to get between the fire and the anvil. Also, nothing should be left lying on the ground to injure or frighten the horse and always to use long-handled tools.
The Army entry was small, that year, due to the absence of members of the Household Cavalry who were busy with parades. And one competitor retired at the last minute with a bad back. Farrier “Tex” Gamble, of the School, won the Wellington Barracks competition for second- and-third-class farriers, which was a commendable effort as he had to only been shoeing for seven months. Sadly, for him, the battle on his home ground proved too tough. The more experienced Sergeant-Major Green won the task to make a surgical shoe – a procedure that is usually executed under the supervision of a veterinary officer to correct poor gait.
The competition was not only a test of skills but also an inspiration for international visitors including two Ghanaian soldiers on course at the School. They were in training to support their home Force which, they said, had around three hundred horses and ten farriers which highlighted a reality that horses were still an important element in Army life in some parts of the world, even in the late 1960s.
And the horses?
According to those present, the horses certainly took it all very nobly. One did get a little restless and spectators were warned to give him a wide berth. Major Scott Moffat was on hand to put onlookers at ease: “A ‘green’ horse is a bit chary of this sort of thing but the military horses are shod
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