CHAIRMAN of the Irish Master Farriers Association (IMFA) John Dooley spoke to The Irish Field this week about how farriers are coping during these uncertain times.
John is completely self-isolating from his family and grand-children. He is continuing to visit just one stud and has told the rest of his clients he won’t be available to do their horses for the foreseeable future.
“I just won’t take the risk. It’s not fair on anyone else to be going in and out of different yards and coming into contact with people in each yard. Even if it is just one person,” John said.
“Work has definitely slowed down a lot. I’ve made the decision to only visit one stud farm that I work for as those horses need regular hoof care,” John explained.
“It’s a welfare issue at the end of the day and that’s what it comes down to. Foals are being born every day and they need their feet looked after.
“If regular trimming and hoof care is not kept up for foals, yearlings and two-year-olds the effects on them in the long-term will be tremendous. They just need to be done and that’s that,” John said.
“Obviously you can’t go in and work on foals or young stock without a handler. There are five separate yards within the stud and basically one person is selected to hold the horses while I work on them. I go in, and only come into contact with that one person, do a batch of horses and go straight home after. Then I’ll go back in a few days later and do the next batch of horses,” John said.
“You just need to trust people, that’s all you can do. I need to trust that that person isn’t going out and coming into contact with other people and that they are following all the guidelines regarding hand sanitation. And they have to trust me that I’m doing my bit too. It’s the responsibility of each individual to do their part.”
With regards to competition and leisure horses John says it’s completely up to owners on what they do with their horses. The point can be made that owners should not risk riding their horse during these times in case they have an accident and require assistance from an ambulance. Leisure horses can have their shoes taken off and let out into the field for a break until Covid-19 is under control. If owners would prefer to keep their horses in work, it is possible for farriers to work on older and quieter horses without assistance.
As well as following all HSE guidelines the Irish Master Farriers Association (IMFA) are recommending their members follow the guidelines set out by the British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association (BFBA) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Farriers must be mindful of their responsibilities as individuals whilst continuing to provide hoof care services and must adhere to the strictest biosecurity measures and the government guidelines on social distancing. Unnecessary travel should be avoided and farriers should consider each appointment according to the following system:
Red
Farrier should attend - crucial hoof care: to not attend a regular hoof care appointments would have serious detrimental effects, promote discomfort and cause pain. This includes care of foals.
Amber
Farrier should consider delaying where possible – advisory hoof care: where the timing of regular hoof care appointments is an important factor in maintaining soundness. Consideration must be given as to whether the timescale between appointments can be extended without the equine becoming a ‘red’.
Green
Farrier should not attend - non crucial hoof care: these include equines whose hoof care cycles can be easily extended without any long-term detrimental effects.