Horseshoes, hand grenades and broken anvils

Dardanelle, Arkansas -- The old saying is "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." Well, close didn't count in this game of horseshoes, and no matter how close you toss a hand grenade to an anvil, it's not going to break the anvil. It was a cold wet morning when farriers began to pour into the Arkansas Horseshoeing School as fast as the rain was coming down. It was time for the American Farriers Association (AFA) certification, and what a tense morning it was.

With coffee cups and water buckets blowing steam like an old iron horse climbing an Arkansas hill, the sound of hot steel and cold hammers colliding with the force of forearms was all that could be heard. Smalltalk began with few farriers as most were making final touches on their shoe board modifications.

The AFA is a nonprofit organization with a certification program for farriers. Not all farriers have to be certified to shoe horses, but if you choice to be, you can either be a certified farrier (CF) or a certified journeyman farrier (CJF). The test for CF consists of three parts, the written examination, shoe board modifications, and the practical.

The written examination is a thorough test that covers the anatomy of the hoof and leg, types of shoes and basic horseshoeing principles. The shoe board modifications must be shaped to match a hind and front pattern supplied by the AFA.

Each shoe is different, being that they each have a different modification that is required by the AFA. If the farrier passes the shoe board he or she is required to make their lowest scored shoe in 30 minutes on the spot. To pass the practical the farrier must shoe half of the horse in one hour and score at least the minimum amount allowed on different segments such as trim, shoe fit, nails and finish.

To become a CJF the farrier must also complete three parts to pass, a written examination, bar shoe and practical. The written examination is more in depth than the CF test, and the farrier must score an 80 the same as the CF.

The farrier must make a bar shoe with a toe clip in 35 minutes. The bar shoe must fit a pattern, be fullered and have proper nail hoes to pass. The practical is very intense. The farrier must shoe a horse all the way around in two hours. He or she must make handmade shoes for each foot with clips.

The farrier will be scored similar to the CF test, and the total score on each segment must be equal to or greater than the minimum score to pass.

Yogi Berra once said, "Baseball is 95 percent mental and the other half is physical."

Some would argue that Yogi's philosophy didn't always make sense, but in my opinion it was spot on. To a farrier trying to become a CF or CJF, it's no different. The farrier must be physically able to shoe a horse, so there's half. The farrier must also be mentally prepared and clear minded -- there's the other half.

Countless hours have to be spent at the fire and anvil, many nights must be spent in the book and long days must be spent under horses. Close doesn't count in this game of horseshoes. If a farrier makes a 79 on the written test, better luck next time. If the heels of the horse are not covered, even if it's just a hair short, close but no cigar. If the nail doesn't fit properly into a shoe on the shoe board, sorry but the nail hole is pinched. Men and women work so hard to accomplish this certification, and mainly it's just for their own satisfaction.

Some will pass, some will fail, but one thing they all have in common is grit, determination, self-motivation and a passion for shoeing horses. I said earlier that no matter how close you get a hand grenade it doesn't have the force to break an anvil, but if you build a fire in a man fueled by determination, self satisfaction and want to, he can break one with nothing more than a two-pound rounding hammer.

Obviously it was an accident, but he got another anvil and went back to work. He passed.

A man crawled under a horse to sand feet with less than 30 seconds to go. He passed.

A man worked on his shoe board from the moment he arrived, straight through lunch and up to the last second before shoes had to be turned in. He passed.

I have seen and studied many sporting events in my life, and they all amaze me. Watching the AFA certification was just like watching a championship game. It took hours of preparation, a great deal of mental toughness and pure willingness to be a winner. When it was over men and women were either filled with triumph or heartache.

I had the opportunity to attend the AFA certification because my dad was doing his shoe board and practical. He had previously passed his written exam. The first day he worked non stop until time to turn in the shoe board. He passed the shoe board and had to do a square toe for his modification, he passed it too. All he had left was his practical the next day, and with confidence in himself he passed. When he passed, I was filled with pride and joy.

Now I know the pride that he said he felt when I graduated college, when my brother became a firefighter, when my sister finished a marathon and when my mom took a team to state in softball. Congratulations dad you earned it.

When asked how it felt to be a certified farrier, he grinned and simply said, "It feels good."