HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-03-18, Page 42Page 26 - Farm Progress '98
AKESHORE
Steel & Supply V
"Serving the Farm Community"
•Welding Repairs
•Custom Fabricating
•Huronia Welding Depot
with Customer Owned Tanks
•Portable Welding Out -of -Shop
•8 ft. Press. Brake
396-3300
located at Conc. 9 & Hwy 21
5 miles north of Kincardine or
2 miles south of Tiverton
Doug Clark, a professorial farrier — a physical-
ly grueling profession. (Kew photo)
Welcome to our
6th Annual Customer
Appreciation & Information Day
March 24th/98
in conjuction with
Cook's (Div. of P&H)
and Brussels Agromart
(Terra Group)
74,
s••
HARD! Sprayer Clinic 3:30 - 5:00
Save 15% off, Genuine HARDI parts
-What's New & Upcoming -Gary's Helpful Service Tips
Supper Time: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Information Meeting: 6:30 - 8:00 - Topics
•Bt. Com with Gene Stacking
•Marketing of Non -Genetic Altered Soybeans
Feature Speaker: Humourist Eleanor Wood,
"The lighter side of Agriculture"
Reps Available - seed, chemical and equipment
- PARTS FAI
March 23rd to the 28th =
• and spin you own discou
' .._-
at our Parts Fair. Spin .
rw 3.20% off your parts * !
.purchase •-w•
~,
�McGAVIN
FARM EQUIPMENT
WALTON
887-6365 or 527-0245
'Prostituting'
his body
for a buck
by Rick Keit
ray, hearing ath-
letes expressing
awareness for the
needs of their bodies is not
unusual, but Doug Clark is.
not an athlete in the true
sense of the word.
Clark shoes horses for a
living. He is a professional
farrier.
Hunched over in an
unnatural position,
cradling a horse's lower
leg on his thigh while trim-
ming its hoof, he is the
first to admit the profes-
sion is physically grueling.
"Basically what you're
are doing is prostituting
your body for a buck."
Although some people
still associate the job of
shoeing horses with a
blacksmith's work, Clark,
gr»»»»•»»»»>�
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Over 25 years' experience
519-482-7898
C}inton
FARM & MUNICIPAL
DRAINAGE
Specializing in:
• Farm & Municipal Drainage
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For Quality. Experience. & Service call:
Wayne Cook
(519) 236-7390
(WARNER R.R. 2 NOZurich, Ont.
L 1 M 1 T E I
30, who studied in the
United States to learn his
trade, said that is no longer
the case.
Today, he said, black-
smiths, while using similar
tools and procedures, do
most of their work making
ornamental ironworks
while farriers work almost
exclusively with horses.
In 1994, Clarke spent
12 weeks in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma, studying
at a centre that he said
attracts students from all
over the world. In addition
to his diploma from
Oklahoma, Clark is a grad-
uate of Ridgetown
Agricultural College. He
said he could have taken a
horseshoeing course at a
community college in
Ontario but opted to go to
the U.S. because of the
school's reputation for
hands-on training with a
variety of horses, includ-
ing mustangs from near -by
ranches.
The course was every-
thing he hoped for, but
admitted in the early going
he had doubts about his
decision to pursue a career
as a farrier.
• "In the first month or
so, the tools didn't seem to
feel right in my hands and
I had to work with a few
'rank' horses. 1 can
remember thinking: 'I
have a lot of money invest-
ed. I hope this is going to
work out."'
Despite his early appre-
hension, Clark graduated
on Nov. 11, 1994.
He said the course,
including tools he pur-
chased while attending
classes. cost $10,000.
Clark carries all the
tools of his trade on a plat-
form, which, when pulled
extends out the back of his
pickup truck.
Use of the platform,
which is mounted on
rollers. allows him easy
access to a welder, drill
• see 'Farrier', page 27