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