Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2010 | Page 107
the rider
Island Life - April/May 2010
Richard "fire welding a shoe
Hazel working the forge
Keeping up family traditions
“IT is my aim to train the first ever female
It is technique as much as physical
to Newcastle-under-Lyme. “We’ve got
world champion farrier,” says Simon
strength that is vital, according to Simon,
to the stage where we know what each
Legge, master farrier at Brickfields Horse
and seeing Hazel underneath a horse,
other need without asking,” says Richard.
Country.
paring its feet, you can’t help marvelling
“We’re a good team. He’s good with
Meeting his latest apprentice, Hazel
at her mastery of the art – so far. “The
nervous horses and I’m good with those
Hufton, you get the feeling he might just
apprentices always come back fired up
with attitude problems.”
do that. Tall, blonde and slim, she exudes
when they’ve been to college,” says
health and determination. She has been
Simon. Hazel is six months behind his
horses in a day, more in the longer
with him for two months, and when we
other apprentice, Mike.
summer days. “The way we work, with
met was just about to go off for her first
stint at college.
Simon Legge took over the training of
Richard and Simon shoe six or eight
two of us in the van, one in the forge and
apprentices when his father, Phil, died last
one floating, we’ve got a lot of repeat
“I got this job because I wrote letters
year. Phil is still sorely missed. “Not a day
clients but are able to take on more.”
to farriers all over the country, from the
goes by that you don’t think of him,” says
highlands of Scotland, to here.” Simon
Simon. “You’re doing a foot and you hear
has given Simon a new passion for taking
replied and asked Hazel down from her
him say ‘You want to pull that toe back
part in competitions. “Richard and I try to
home in Leeds, along with another girl
more on that one!’”
do as many competitions and courses as
and some boys, for a trial. “She wasn’t
Until his father’s illness, Simon had not
The need to pass his teaching exams
possible on the mainland, to keep up with
the most technically able,” says Simon,
qualified to train apprentices. “When he
new techniques and better our skills,” he
“but she was the most keen.”
was diagnosed, he said ‘Somebody’s got
says, describing the combination of time
to take the reins and get on with it’. So I
pressure and knowledge required for a
constantly amazed by her dedication.
went and did my exams, which was pretty
competition. Richard recalls: “In my first
Despite having another job, at the local
nerve-wracking.” Now Simon is the only
one Simon and I were given the same
pub, she is still to be found in the forge
farrier qualified to train apprentices on
horse. The horse was good as gold for
at Brickfields long after the working day is
the Island. He took on Richard, who had
Simon to do the front leg, but had to be
over, practising her skills.
Since she has been with him he has been
been apprenticed to Phil, and who has
held by four stewards by the time I got to
For there is far more to being a farrier
just qualified as a fully fledged farrier.
shoe the back!”
than most people imagine. “You have to
“I only wish Phil had lived to see me
As for Hazel, they both reckon she’ll do
know everything about the horse from the
qualified,” Richard says, reflecting
well. “Hazel is a lot more driven than I
knee down: all the ligaments, tendons,
the huge affection he felt for his late
was when I first started,” says Richard.
bones,” she says. “You have to want
employer. However, he has developed a
Which is quite a tribute from someone
to do it, be really committed. It’s four
good working relationship with Simon,
who is no slouch when it comes to
years of training. Sometimes you’re out
who shares his late father