Western Canadian Farriers Association May 2017 Newsletter

Photo by Kristin Kremp

Board of Directors

President: Iain Ritchie (604) 786-1531Vice President: Spencer Hazelwood (403)559-6533Treasurer: Mary Blackstock (604)-462-8572Secretary: Marie Leginus (604) 838-5380Newsletter: Sherry Payne (403) 586-1055Vancouver Island: North- Mark Hobby(250)703-3311 South- Ben Yager (250) 889-3776Fraser Valley: John Dixon (604) 831-3011 Heather O’Brien (604) 329-2468Okanagan: Adam Dagenstein (778) 808-2431Northern B.C.: Calvin Read (250)698-7387Northern Alberta: Greg Torunchuck (780)886-9182Southern Alberta: Kim Lacey (403)391-6903Saskatchewan : Paula Morch (306)960-9366Manitoba : Patrick Cleaver (204) 794-5247

Presidents Message

Hello everybody, Spring has sprung down here in the Fraser Valley.... Allergy season is in full swing, there is horse hair everywhere in my truck and laundry room. Rick Higginson is putting the finishing touches to the brochure for the annual WCFA Fall Conference which will happen in October. Ever since I've been a member of this association, I've always tried to thank those responsible for running it and those that organize the numerous events held each year.... This is a social organization run by volunteers, each who do a terrific job. I want to take this opportunity to thank another member who has given up a ton of his time recently to help out this association. Bruce Hague volunteered at last years’ Fall Conference (after having his arm twisted by Steve Dixon) to design and build 4 coke burning forges. Most of us wouldn't have a clue where to start a project like that, but Bruce had these fires planned out in his head and within weeks of starting had a couple of ‘em roughed out! As of right now there are two completed forges at my house and two at his, all of them awaiting blowers which I think he's delegated to me to go find! Next for the fires we probably should buy them a trailer and decide where they should live. So, huge thanks to Bruce for the time and effort over the last 6 months for building the WCFA coke fires! I'd also like to take a minute to say congrats to our new 2017 Canadian Farrier Team. John Dixon, Sara Vanderpol, Justin Fountain, Jack Ketel and with Jonny Edwards as alternate. 3 of the team are from BC and are members of this association. It's going to be a great honour for these guys n gals to pull on the Canadian Team apron in England. Good luck at Stoneleigh in September...... I'll see you all there!

Take care over the summer everybody,

Iain RitchiePresident WCFA

Upcoming Events

July 4-7 CanIronBlacksmithing Conference hosted by K.P.U. at Cloverdale Campus www.caniron.ca for more details

August 2 Black-Gold Matchplay ContestContest for Division 1 and 2 competitorsBeaumont ABFor more info, contact Jason Wrubleski (780-984-1347) or Greg Toronchuk(780-886-9182)

September 9&10 Double B Ag. Festival Farrier Clinic/contestBeausejour, Manitoba See Facebook page for details and specimensJudge-Chad Lausen

September 27 Jean Marie Denoix SeminarKleider Animal Hospital, Langley BC $95.00 (lunch included) bring memory stick to get lecture notes. Contact (604)-888-7565

October 12 A.F.A. Tester Standardization K.P.U. Farrier Barn, current testers and CJFs welcome, no chargeAttendees will bring a shoe display, do a quiz on the latest edition of the study guide and shoe a pair with one keg shoe and one hand made in 60 minutes. Contact Gerard Laverty at glaverty97@gmail.com

October 13-15 2017 WCFA Fall Conference & CompetitionChilliwack, BC Speakers Travis Koons and Mitch TaylorJudge Travis Koons

November 27-December 1 Pre-Certification ClinicKwantlen Polytechnic University, BC Clinician-Dusty FranklinContact Gerard Laverty for more info (604-598-6177) glaverty97@gmail.com

December 1-2 A.F.A ExamsK.P.U. If not registered in clinic but would like to take shoeing part of exam, please contact Gerard Laverty no later than October 1st to confirm horse (604-598-6177) glaverty97@gmail.com

High Country Horseshoes Auction ItemGet Creative!Donate your handmade item for the auction at the WCFA Conference in October. 1 st prize will be awarded $200.00, donated by High Country Horseshoes

Canadian Farrier Team Update

If you have never been to or competed in The World Horseshoeing Classic, held at The Kentucky Horseshoeing School, it is a bucket list item!

Kentucky was a fantastic time for the team. They competed against 14 other teams in a three day competition format. Every round was live shoeing. Day One Tool & Fullered shoeingDay Two Draft shoeingDay Three Roadster shoeing

The team ended up 6th place overall after these three days of competing.

“I am very proud of the effort and job the team has done this year. They have every reason to hold their heads high. Well Done!”

-Matt Kuechler -President of Canadian Competitive Farrier Society

Kentucky was the last competition, for the team from 2016. The new team will be picked at the Master Cup in Quebec, hosted again by the AMFQ. The event is being held in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec on May 5-7, 2017. You can check out details on their Facebook page! (La coupe des maîtres The Master Cup)

Looking forward to the upcoming year for the 2017 team!

It takes an incredible amount of volunteer time and sponsor support to keep this team going. Without our sponsors this team would not exist. The donation of time and dedication is too great to properly and continually acknowledge individuals from those that support the team financially to those that donate time and effort for coaching, facilities to practice, horses to work on, and much more.

In an effort to share the understanding of where the funds are used for the team included in this article is a budget report, recapping the costs during the 2016 and the income received.

The costs represented are only for team members. Please be assured that monies donated, only directly cover costs for the team related to the competition arena.

2016 Canadian Farrier Team Budget Report

Sponsorship Money Collected:FPD $5044.00Professional Farrier Supply $2500.00WCFA $4500.00OFA $4000.00AMFQ $1275.00Hall Knife & Forge $ 500.00C. Brassard (neckless sales) $1095.00S. Bruce (Rumble in the Broncs) $ 275.00Total Sponsor Funds $19,189.00

Expenses:NAFBAE (Stoneleigh) $1739.61Flights for England $4829.28Hotels in England $2944.91Vehicle in England $2301.52Kentucky Entry Fees $2103.09Team Uniforms & Embroidery $2236.84Auction Item S/H $ 200.00S/H Expenses $ 437.16Total Team Expenses $16,792.41

Values here are represented in Canadian Funds.These expenses represent the costs for the 5 team members only.

Contra Sponsorship Values:

Back On Track $1600.00Flatland Forge $1500.00FPD $1000.00Silverback Chaps $1000.00Renegade Tools $1000.00Foreman Tools $ 750.00Total Contra Value $ 6850.00

Trade Designation

Late last fall I sat down with the manager of Industry programs and standards, apprenticeship and student aid to see how we could move forward with making farrier a real and recognized trade. At that time, there was a moratorium on new trade designations within the province of Alberta. In late April I reached out to my contact to see how if anything has changed in our government and unfortunately the moratorium is still in place. In the meantime, he did suggest that we work on gathering industry support. I am not sure if that means signatures on a document suggesting the organization of our trade but I will get him to clarify what exactly that entails. We will need to look at what is currently available for training as well as what is available for continued training. This will be taken into consideration as to how the training will work once the trade designation takes place. Our industry needs to demonstrate that there will be growth and that we are in fact a viable occupation. We need to show that a standardized skill set will improve our trade and participation in the designation process will occur (i.e. new farriers working towards becoming a designated farrier in the province of Alberta). I was kind of hoping to be able to dig into this a little more but since our government is sitting stagnant I guess it’s a bit of a waiting game. I will keep up with any updates or new business. Until then stay safe and have a great spring!

Greg Toronchuk

AFA Cultural Exchange I’d just like to take a minute to say ‘Bon Voyage’ and good luck to our Southern Alberta Rep Kim Lacey! She leaves on June 13th for her AFA Cultural Exchange, beginning in Scotland, and continuing throughout the UK for the summer. A lot of hard work went towards her goal of being accepted for the exchange, including passing her CJF last spring. We know you will have an awesome time Kim; it’s a trip of a lifetime! Make sure to take a ton of pictures, because I’m expecting a lengthy article on your trip for the newsletter when you get back!

WCFA Clinic in Kelowna

Early this May we had the pleasure of hosting Jack Ketel, who traveled from Kelowna to Prince George to share his knowledge with local farriers and horse owners. We were scheduled to start at 9:00, but as per usual with things in the horse industry we got off to a slightly late start. Jack started off with a presentation and shoeing demonstration focusing on laminitis and founder. For the 2-hour presentation horse owners and farriers were invited to attend. We had a good shoeing candidate in a previously foundered horse with chronic lameness issues and several degrees of rotation. Jack trimmed and built shoes for the demo horse just as he would for any horse in his practice. Following the demonstration, we had a quick break for lunch. After, horses were brought in and every farrier in attendance was able to trim and shoe a foot, as well as do some forging under Jack’s watchful eye. The way this clinic was structured worked well and had great feedback from those in attendance: starting the morning off with a focused topic allowed horse owners as well as farriers to attend and helped to break down the barriers between client-farrier communications. The hands-on afternoon portion pushed the farriers out of their comfort zone by having an assigned foot to trim and shoe. Having multiple

farriers working on the same horse made for a great peer-learning environment. Jack did an excellent job of spending time with each farrier and adjusting to each farrier’s skill level, ranging from bar shoes to fitting clips. I believe each farrier walked away with new skills and tricks to add to their toolbox. Overall the clinic was a success, we were able to recruit a few new members and make the WCFA presence known in the north. Thank you Jack Ketel for your knowledge and time.

-Russell Floyd CJF

2017 Wildrose Blacksmithing Championships

First off, I would like to thank everyone who came out to the Wildrose Championships in Barrhead this year for the reset. It was a welcome sight knowing I wouldn’t be putting new iron on every horse this month! This year marks the third annual clinic and competition held in Barrhead. This year the contest underwent some major format changes, the biggest of which was bringing in the coke forges from the Stampede for the open competitors. Divisions 1 and 2 still worked out of free standing gas units. Divisions 1 was given a Division 3 coach in the shoeing class in an attempt to ease some of the stress involved with competing for those with less experience. They also were able assist Division 3 competitors in their individual forging class by running the coke forges for them. All competitors shod one foot this year in order to help out with horse numbers. Score sheets were simplified down to basic shoe making skills; forging, flat, and nail fit. We also had a banquet this year. It was really nice to not have to order pizza at 10 pm because we missed the kitchen! Thursday March 24 was a hands-on clinic with our wonderful President, Mr. Ian Ritchie. First thing in the morning we realized that although our wonderful VP Spencer Hazelwood had hauled up the fires from Calgary, we both neglected to ensure we had fire tools. So an impromptu fire tool jackpot ensued in classic winner-take-all fashion. Tools were judged on durability, usability, and artistic interpretation. Some of the tools were quite unique. Jack Ketel and Justin Fountain took home that hat full of money. Ian built the specimen shoes and shod the hind end of a horse for Division 1 and 2 competitors. Once that was finished he built the TBA shoe for the open shoeing class. Friday the 25 we kicked the contest off bright and early at 8:00 am with the eagle eye class for all divisions. We continued rolling through the classes all day with a short break for lunch. We finished up with the 2-man class in the afternoon and were loaded and cleaned up that evening. I was very pleased at how smooth the day went, having to run 2 go rounds for all the Division 3 folks and the 2-man. Thank you everyone for all your help. This year boasted the highest entries yet! There were thirty competitors, with thirteen in Division 3. This was also the highest payout to date with over $3000 going to the top three in each Division and class prizes. Folks came from all across Canada this year which was absolutely fantastic to see. Other than the local paper, the contest was also featured in the Western Producer, a nationwide agricultural publication, in March. This year was also the first time we had a money clip awarded to the best shod foot. Aaron Steeves did a fantastic job, winning the money clip in memory of Al Preston.

Division 1 Champion: Jess Fairbanks, Kyle Fraser, Daniel Pickering.Division 2 Champion: Keith Oram, Spencer Wall, Joseph Gobel.Division 3 Champion: Matt Findler, Justin Fountain, Aaron Steeves.2-man winners were Justin Fountain and Spencer Wall.

Thank you once again to all of the sponsors that make this possible: Delta Mustad, WCFA, Canadian Farrier Supply, The Shoe Box, Khan Forge, Renegade Tools, Barrhead Ag Society, Barrhead Neighborhood Inn, Alberta Center of Equine Podiatry, Chad Lausen Farrier Tools, Daniel Lybbert CJF, Jason Wrubleski CJF. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported this contest. Without you this would not be possible. I also need to give a big shout out to my wife and my mom. Without them it really would be a wreck and none of the number crunching would ever get done. I am planning on keeping this format for the 2018 Championships which will be held February 9 and 10 with Randy Brassard as the judge and clinician. Don’t worry muffin, we are putting in exhaust fans so the doors can stay closed and we can be warm!

Until we meet again, happy travels and safe shoeing everyone.

Kris Kremp CF

Cody Gregory Clinic

Despite the Saskatchewan weather, the Cody Gregory clinic held at Tonita Farrier Supply in Saskatoon went off without a hitch. The clinic was organized by Sam Morrison and Laurie Tonita and was held on April 14 and 15, 2017. Nineteen people took part in the clinic including five farriers from Manitoba. There were plenty of horses to work on, giving everyone a chance to get under a horse and shoe at least two feet. Feet were shod with plain stamped, concave, and fullered hand made shoes, along with some keg shoes. Shoes were supplied by Delta Mustad. Delta representative Bob Bachen was on hand for the clinic both days and graciously provided some sample products and supplies for the clinic. With the large number of participants and the inclement weather, a tent was rented to help keep everyone (horses included) out of the wind and rain. Laurie’s new shop was full of forges and anvils, and horses were shod just out front under the tent. Cody started out the clinic with some basic shoe shaping and keg shoe modifications. He then built a ring which he forge welded, creased, and pulled clips on to demonstrate a very effective forging exercise. In addition to demos of plain stamped shoes, a roadster, and a tool and fullered shoe, Cody also made a navicular shoe out of 7/16 by 7/8 concave for a horse with caudal hoof lameness. That particular shoe was built for a horse with navicular issues. On Saturday, Cody made a side bone shoe for a horse with a rotational limb deformity. The horse was landing pretty hard laterally on both fronts then smacking down on the medial heel during the weight bearing phase. For the other front, Cody modified a keg shoe utilizing the same principles as the handmade side bone shoe. All in all, it was a very beneficial and worthwhile clinic. I believe all clinic participants went home a little wiser and rejuvenated for the upcoming busy season. An excellent lunch (as always) was provided both days by Laurie’s wife, Shelley. Coffee, drinks, and desserts were also provided to sustain us

throughout the busy two days. Masterfeeds donated five bags of feed. Half a dozen horses were provided the first day by Sam Morrison and friends. The second day, Scott Sigfusson brought nine horses for us to work on. Thanks also to all those who helped keep the tent staked down to prevent it from blowing across the Saskatchewan prairie. Plans are in the works for a fall clinic.Todd Bailey, CF

Alberta Farrier Championships

It was another successful contest in Strathmore Alberta this April! There were a record number of entries, and this year there were two clinicians/judges: Travis Buck and Dean Sinclair. On Friday morning, two clinics were held simultaneously, one for the novice and division 1 with Dean Sinclair, and another for division 2 and 3 with Travis Buck. After lunch, the novice and division 1 began their classes, while Travis Buck and Dean shod a horse for the div 2 and 3 competitors. On Saturday, the division 2 and 3 competed all day, and the novice and division 1 contestants came back for another clinic with Dean and Travis before the judging started. Thanks to Deanna Neal and Melanie Lausen, the competitors enjoyed a delicious hot lunch on both days. Big thanks to Doug Neal and Chad Lausen for their hard work in organizing and keeping the contest running , it’s a big task that couldn’t be done without dedication and hard work! Also, thank you to all the others who volunteered, either by helping set up, handing out steel, bringing in and holding horses, cleaning up, scribing, and all the other tasks that add up. Every little bit helps to keep the contest running smoothly. Thanks goes to all the sponsors: Hoof and Nail, Mustad, Kevin Bacon, Lausen Land and Cattle, Hall Knife and Forge, Back on Track, Kahn Forge, Cor Vet, Lausen Indoor Arena, Lausen Farrier Tools, Marie Leginus and Yuka Kabota. Everyone walked away with at least one prize, which was an added bonus to the knowledge and experience gained!Results:

Novice- 1st:Anna W 2nd:Jesse Langford 3rd:Nick Baer

Division 1- 1st:Jared B 2nd:Julie Erkamp 3rd:Daniel Pickering

Division 2- 1st:Daniel Alyward 2nd:Bradford Trennery 3rd: Joseph Goble

Division 3- 1st:Colain Duret 2nd: Matt Findler 3rd:Justin Fountain

Quarter Cracks

Written by: James Findler & Marie Leginus

Definition: A vertical crack in the hoof wall that is parallel to the hoof tubules, originating at the coronary band.

Anatomy: The structures involved are the hoof wall, the coronary band and the lamina in the affected area.

Clinical Signs: - The horse may or may not be lame; it will depend on the severity of the crack. Early signs that a horse may develop a quarter crack may show the hoof wall shoved upwards in the affected area, and/or a hairline crack that is minimal. -More severe quarter cracks will have a distinct crack line in the coronet, and may be bleeding as sensitive tissues are involved.

Causes: -There are two types of forces that act upon the hoof as its being loaded, and when it is loaded; the ground reaction force, and the horse’s gravitational force upon the hoof and limb. If these forces aren’t distributed evenly, due to conformation or improper trimming, there will be negative effects, and possibly quarter cracks.-Conformation is an important factor, as a lot of horses have deviations within the hoof and limb. Horses that are base narrow, toed in, or have angular limb deformities would be more prone to quarter cracks as they have uneven stress placed upon their hooves.-Imbalanced hooves can be a problem as well, due to uneven loading and stress. A horse left consistently high on one side, or one area will have excess pressure and upward forces and eventually the strength of the hoof in the affected area will break down. -Injury or trauma to the hoof capsule and coronary band that is deep enough to damage the sensitive structures making up the hoof wall will affect regular hoof growth.

Treatment: -There are different ways to treat quarter cracks; some may work for certain horses, while others may not. - Determine the cause of the quarter crack; is it conformation related, trimming related, or is there an old injury in the area.- Unloading the affected area is important and making sure the hoof is properly balanced. - Stabilizing the hoof capsule with a bar shoe, straight, heart bar, Z-bar, or G-bar. Each shoe will have varying effects, and one may be better suited than the other for each horse. -Using equilox, or superfast to stabilize the crack is important. This restricts movement and helps the sensitive tissues heal, which lets healthy hoof grow.- Applying a piece of perforated aluminum plate within the equilox or superfast is an option. This can be screwed, or not screwed on (depending on the case). -These cases need to be constantly monitored, and restricted movement is helpful.-Shortening the shoeing cycle for at least the affected hoof to a 2-3 week basis will show greater results.

James Findler Clinic

Feb 25th saw 25+ farriers from all over BC gather at Queen Margarets School in Duncan for a clinic with James Findler on quarter cracks and open toed shoes. Abi was the focused horse for quarter cracks, presenting with full vertical cracking from her coronary band down. James spoke on the importance of balancing the horses’ conformation. He resected the quarter crack to remove all the dead hoof wall, following the pathways and fully removing them to rid bacteria from the healing process, putting a drain in that treatment can follow and flush behind the patch, heartbar shoe and pad.   James suggests this horse been seen at 3 weeks to reset, medial float and balance the front growth, with the patch ideally making it to the 6 week mark before its removed and reset. This horse will be turned out in a gravel paddock/walk in shelter and hand walked and will return to flat work when knitting has started at the coronary band. This patch job ended up being super human strong. When I would go to see her fronts every 3 weeks to trim and reset the patch showed no signs of letting go. As her hoof grew out and the patch reached the ground surface I would rasp the aluminum excess away. Still holding strong. We finally took this patch off on May 24. It had held true for nearly 13 weeks! During this time the horse gained great comfort, spent more time being wild and successfully went back to work.  Thank you to James for his time, education and opinion on how best to treat Abi. It was a great success!

2017 WCFA Fall Conference and Competition October 13, 14 &15

Another year is slipping by and the Fall Conference and Competition will be upon us before we know it. Our Speakers this year are Mitch Taylor AWCF, CJF.APF. and Travis Koons CJF. These are two highly skilled and knowledgeable farriers that you don’t want to miss! They have some excellent topics that they will be speaking on. Travis will do a two part lecture series on Full Circle Horseshoeing, balancing hooves, life and family. Mitch Taylor will be lecturing on Structure and Function of the lower leg, and then a live leg dissection. On Sunday he will lecture on Equine locomotion with high speed videos. We are going to continue with the Tradeshow starting on the Friday evening from 7 to 9:30pm. We will combine the hospitality suite into the Trade show and have the ability to order a meal and have it in the Trade show. The Trade show will also be open on the Saturday from 12 to 2:30pm. This will free up Sunday for demos. I have been trying for years to rent Heritage Park arena on the Sunday for demos but the Mane Event starts the following week and it hasn’t been available. This year they have shifted things around for us and we will have Demos in Heritage Park on Sunday from 12:30 to 3:30 pm. This way we have good light and don’t have to worry about the weather.Travis Koons CJF will be our Judge this year and he has selected shoes for the Competition that you can use and need in your everyday shoeing. He is asking each division to make similar shoes with increased difficulty for the higher division. Hopefully if all goes well you should have the new Brochure in this Newletter. We will have the Brochure and the Specimen shoes on our website www.wcfa.ca and on our Facebook page. Any questions about the Conference or Tradeshow you can contact me at rickhigginson@gmail.com or contact Jamie Poulos for questions about the Competition at (604) 760-8965.Mark your calendars now and plan on coming to Chilliwack in October. See you then, cheers.Rick Higginson

Travis Koons and Mitch Taylor

Hello,I am Travis Koons. This is a brief description of who I am and why I am one of the luckiest guys alive: I am the father of two wonderful, healthy, and smart children. Cadence Koons is my beautiful little cowgirl who just wants me to spend all my time with her. Caleb Koons is my little cowboy who likes to boss everyone around and break stuff! My lovely wife Nicole Koons runs the show and keeps us all in clean clothes and out of serious trouble! My dad, Keith Koons is one of the greatest horsemen to swing a leg over a horse or crawl under one. He taught me to trim, shoe, break, train, ride, and just plain survive horses. My mom, Eileen Coronado is also a great hand with horses. She taught me the finer points of horsemanship including breeding horses for conformation and performance. She taught me foaling and the ground-up approach to making a good horse from the day it hits the ground. As a farrier I have had an amazing journey! I had the honor of learning from the legends of the trade. The list is too long to include in entirety but to name a few, Bob Marshall, Craig Trnka, Shayne Carter, Jim Keith, Dallas Morgan, Jim Poor, Jay Sharp, Jim Quick, Austin Edens, Bill Poor, Mark Milster, and Roy Bloom have had an enormous impact on me. They are due a debt of gratitude for what they have done for Farriery. The focus of my farrier practice is to try and execute the basics of horseshoeing as simply and perfectly as possible. This has served me and the horses I care for well over the years. As a competitor I have the fortune of being included in some of the most accomplished teams in American horseshoeing history. I was on the AFT in 2006-07. I was a proud member of the WCB team from 2008-10, 2012-13, and as the alternate in 2017. Here are a few of the “magic moments”:

-2007: Won the 4 man draft shoeing at the Calgary Stampede WCBC-2009: Won the AFA Convention 2 man draft shoe making

-2010: Won the 2 man light draft shoeing at the Calgary Stampede WCBC-2011: Vector NACC Champion at the AFA Convention-2012: With the WCB Team, won the World Horseshoeing Classic-2014 AFA Clinician of the Year- 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 WCB National Champion-4 time West Coast Triple Crown Champion

I consider myself lucky to be asked to judge my fellow farriers and to be able to share with farriers, veterinarians, and all equine professionals as a clinician. I am honored to spread knowledge that has been handed down to me. I would never have guessed that shoeing horses would take me around the globe and introduce me to many amazing people. It is a rare and unique profession that is both honoring and humble. It will give back as much as is given to it. I am lucky to have met people who influence me to give it all I have.

Mitch Taylor A member of the American Farrier Association Hall of Fame, Mitch Taylor began his farrier training in 1975, has been an AFA Certified Journeyman Farrier since 1982, and earned the AWCF in 2013. After receiving his primary farrier training at Colorado Mountain College, Mitch served his apprenticeship in Southern California, specializing in jumping and dressage horses. As a professional farrier, Taylor has shod horses across the USA, shoeing in a wide variety of disciplines. Combining his academic background with his passion for farriery, his practice has ultimately has specialized in the treatment of lameness and foot imbalance in horses. Mitch received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Western State College of Colorado and did his post-graduate work in Equine Physiology at the University of Kentucky. While working on his Master Degree at UK, Mitch worked as an assistant to James Rooney, PhD, the former Director of the Maxwell Gluck Equine Research Center and noted equine biomechanics author. Taylor’s Master’s Thesis was published in the Journal of Animal Science. Since that time, Mitch has continued to pursue his interest in equine research by continually investigating equine biomechanics and how that is affected through various shoeing modalities. Mitch is a frequent speaker at Veterinary Conferences, lecturing on Equine Anatomy and Biomechanics. Among those conferences are the N.E. Association of Equine Practitioners annual conference, the Brazilian Jockey Club, the International Veterinarian and Farrier Conference in Bergamo,

Italy, The school of Veterinary Sciences in Upsalla, Sweden, the University of Hanover, Germany, the University of Pretoria School of Veterinary Science in Pretoria, South Africa, and the Florida Association of Equine Practitioners, The Laminitis Symposium in West Palm Beach, Florida, Tufts University Veterinary School of Veterinary Science, Cornell University Veterinary School, and the Colorado State University Veterinary College. Over the past 30 years, Mr. Taylor has lectured and judged at numerous farrier events worldwide, speaking on equine anatomy and biomechanics, physiological foot preparation and shoeing modalities, while often judging horseshoeing competitions as a noted authority on correct shoeing technique. Some of the most notable events have been at the Werkman Spring Games, in the Netherlands, the Mustad Farrier Conference in Melbourne, Australia, in Segovia, Spain, at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Turkish Jockey Club, in Stoneleigh, England, Mexican National Horse Congress in Mexico City, and the International Farrier Conference in Bergamo, Italy. Since 1989, Mitch has been the Director of the KHS in Richmond, Kentucky, and in 2007 and 2011 received the AFA’s Educator of the Year award as well as the Clinician of the year award for 2012. Most recently, Mitch was named the Rising Star Instructor by the Kentucky Association of Career Colleges & Schools for 2015. Among his many successful students, Mitch is proud to count at least 10 students who have qualified as national horseshoeing team members, as well as students who have earned positions with various US Equine teams, leading veterinary hospitals, University Veterinary schools and shod Kentucky Derby Winners.

Transitioning to the New Societies Act

At the next Annual General Meeting on October 14th in Chilliwack the WCFA must vote on an amended constitution. The new Societies Act came into effect on Nov. 28, 2016. After that date, but before Nov. 28, 2018 the WCFA must file a Transition Application online. Before filing, the following amendments must be made:

1. Constitution - Amend its constitution to include only the Name and Purpose (Item #1 & #2) Incorporate Copy of Resolution of October 21st, 2011 into main body of Constitution

2. Bylaws –Schedule B must be typed out in full with the original variations made by the WCFA ie. Addition to Part 4

Addition to Part 5Variation to Part 9, deletion of Items 49 & 50Variation to Part 10Item #3 of the present Constitution must be relocated into the Bylaws as Part 12

3. Statement of Directors and Registered Office – must be current4. Annual Reports – for 2016 must be filed first

The WCFA, at this time, can also make further amendments as needed. Two possible amendments would be:

1. Part 2 Sentence 10 Type of Membership2. Part 8 Seal – delete completely

Please read over the downloaded WCFA Constitution on the website. If you have any questions or suggestions email WCFA@shaw.caThis is your association and your constitution!!The WCFA also has to decide whether or not they will be a Member-funded Society or a Non Member-funded Society. At present we are a Member-funded Society and my recommendation would be that we stay a Member-funded Society.Member-funded Society - to designate WCFA as a “member-funded society” requires a special resolution of the members. You cannot be a “member-funded society” if you receive public donations or government funding of over $20,000 over the course of two years.

a. No restriction of assets on dissolving associationb. One director is sufficient – no residency requirement

c. No restrictions on number of board membersd. No public right to copies of financial statemente. No disclosure of remuneration

Non Member-funded Society

a. Assets must be transferred to registered charities or community service cooperatives upon dissolution of association

b. Three directors, one of whom is a resident of BCc. Majority of board must not be employed by societyd. Public right to financial statementse. Remuneration to directors, employees, etc must be disclosed