JOHN McLoughlin is a seventh generation farrier. His grandfather had five forges in Dublin, his father had a forge in the back of Temple Street Hospital and his last forge was situated on the Strawberry Beds Road in Castleknock.

John’s forge is at his home in Beeches Walterstown, Nurney, Co Kildare and after 40 years, the Master Farrier says that he is still learning.

“You learn something new every day when you work with horses, they can teach you a lot,” McLoughlin told The Irish Field. “When you break it down, it’s quite simple; the three things you need to be a farrier are: you must get on well with horses, you must be able to get along with the customers and you need a good pair of hands.

“Patience is essential. Horses have a good memory, you are going to be back to shoe them again in six or seven weeks so if you make the experience good for them they will make your life easier next time.

“I’m a big believer in listening to the horse. I like to give them the benefit of the doubt. There have been times when I’ve put a horse back in his stable and said, ‘not today, he’s upset. We can try again later’.

"There’s no point in making them more stressed. It could be something small like their pal being turned out in the field in front of them, sometimes people don’t think but little things can upset even the quietest animal.

“Years ago I was shoeing a pony who was over 20 years old; I had shod him all his life and he was always as good as gold. I normally shod him on the side of the road outside his field, but that day it was raining hard so his owner put him in the stable. I put him up against the wall and began to work; well he wasn’t having any of it and was impossible to shoe.

“Instead of insisting and getting into it with him I stood back and thought about it; I turned him around so he was looking out the half-door onto the road and he stood like a lamb; he had his routine and knew it well, he wasn’t going to let me change it.”

Tragic accident

“I was 15 years old when I was due to start my apprenticeship with my father, but the week I was due to start he died suddenly under a horse in Clem Magnier’s yard. John Boyne Snr took over as my trainer and I began my apprenticeship with him in 1975. At that time, Bord na gCapall ran an apprenticeship programme which lasted three years, so I qualified in 1978.

“I remained working with John Boyne for a few years and during that time shod some pretty well-known horses including Rockbarton, Boomerang and Heather Honey. By the 1980s I had built up my own round in north county Dublin and it has just grown from there. Back then I shod for the Sallyview Estate Stud which had about 500 animals so I went to them two days a week.

“Over the years I’ve kept my clients pretty much within a 30-mile radius. Thankfully I’ve always been busy. I think that if you build up a good reputation then you will be in demand.”

McLoughlin has found people have become increasingly more impatient over the years and feels that Ireland has fallen behind in terms of regulating who can shoe a horse. “These days I find people are very impatient; they want everything straight away and won’t wait. People are willing to compromise on the farrier they use just to have their horse done quickly and as a result the quality of work, and eventually their horse suffers.

“In the UK, it is against the law to shoe a horse if you aren’t qualified. But here and in the USA, the rules are far less strict, anyone can pick up tools and have a go. We are very behind in regulating it here.

“These days the Irish Master Farriers Association apprentice course is run in RACE in the Curragh and it takes four years; in the USA you can pick up a certificate after six weeks’ training. I’ve had seven apprentices over the years and managed the international senior team for 19 years; we travelled all over the world and were highly regarded.”

Proud moments

“It’s not an easy job but it is rewarding. I shod my first winner when I was 15 years old. My Dad allowed me to put back shoes on Zulu Queen and she won in the Curragh. I’ll never forget that day.

“One of my proudest moments more recently was in 2008 when I was asked by FÁS to select two apprentices to travel to Holland for the Euroskills competition. It tested apprentices who are learning all sorts of trades, from car repair to hairdressing and even cooking against each other in National teams.

“Young farriers from all over Europe took part and Ireland’s team of Paul O’Reilly and Ruairi Brennan won the silver medal, with Paul winning the individual bronze. I had selected the two lads from all who had applied so I was so proud when they did so well.

“It’s not just me that has made a successful career in horses. My brother Ken, who lives in Tipperary, was the farrier in Ballydoyle for years, first with the late Vincent O’Brien and then with Aidan [O’Brien] so he has worked with some amazing horses over the years.

Like everything, times and technology have changed in farriery. “Times have changed and these days you can choose from 10 different kinds of machine-made shoes, when I started you made all your own shoes. A good farrier has to know a lot about how horses move. They have to be able to balance a foot and know how to correct a problem.

“There is a science to shoeing; a good farrier can look at a lame horse and know how to fix it, you develop an eye for it. I’ve learned a lot from the trotters, they don’t have a natural gait when they pace so the farrier must be able to correct any interference like brushing or overreaching. They may use lighter shoes in front and longer ones behind. There is always something new to consider.

“I have seen more impatience with regard to foals too. Most of the time, about 90% in fact, a problem will correct itself with time, but I find owners are too quick to treat and they have farriers glue on foal shoes when a lot of the time if they just left them be nature would take care of it.

“All a good farrier needs is a rasp, a knife and knowledge, the rest of it is all just show. There have been fantastic developments over the years but most of the time it’s best to go back to basics.

“A confident, competent farrier can shoe a normal horse in an hour, or an hour and 10 minutes, any longer is probably because they don’t know what they are doing. It is the duty of the owner to make sure that the farrier they use is properly trained; even if you have to wait a couple of days, in the end it’s worth waiting for.”