ºÙºÙÊÓƵ

The ºÙºÙÊÓƵ veterinary hospital has some of the most advanced medical equipment available to help animals overcome health challenges.

But even in the midst of all this contemporary technology, the sounds and sights of a long-forgotten medieval world come ringing through.

Just like blacksmiths in more ancient days, campus farrier Marc Gleeson swings his hammer down and pounds out steel horseshoes in a hot, fiery place. Gleeson, who works in a steel shed behind B Barn at the large animal wing of the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, uses tools similar to what blacksmiths carried on their aprons 800 years ago. Sometimes it is true -- there is nothing new under the sun.

"As far as the construction and application of horseshoes my business has remained relatively unchanged for centuries," said Gleeson.

Except today a vast amount of veterinary knowledge is incorporated into farrier work. At ºÙºÙÊÓƵ, Gleeson sees horses that need corrective shoeing because it will improve their health and performance.

"At the hospital I look at radiographs and advanced imaging of the horses leg to see how to best help the foot with a new shoe," he said.

Years ago at age 34, Gleeson attended a farrier school after seeing a book on career options at a community college. Having always been around horses he thought that it would be rewarding to work in this field. After graduation from the farrier school, Gleeson trained under the direction of former campus farrier Kirk Adkins. Now Adkins teaches an academic course on the basic aspects of equine foot care to ºÙºÙÊÓƵ students.

Now 45, Gleeson shares the campus farrier position with William Merfy, who has been at ºÙºÙÊÓƵ for six years. The two of them shod about 1,000 horses a year. The trade pays well.

"Some farriers make as much as $1,000 a day. One thing about this job is that it is constant. The average horse needs a new pair of shoes about every eight weeks, he said.

"The demand for good farriers is high and you can find yourself working seven days a week if you want that much work," he said.

Farriery is physically demanding work. Working with 1,000-pound animals is not easy; half the time the shoer is bent over working on the hoof, and the other half he is molding hot steel on a large anvil. In addition, he says, you must always be aware of horse kicks and bites. Gleeson views his work much as an artist does. Knowing the anatomy of the lower leg is the basic building block of horseshoeing. He shapes the foot by first removing the old shoe and trimming the foot very carefully.

"The most important part of getting a new pair of shoes is the trim," Gleeson said. "Appropriately sized shoes for the horse's body coupled with the perfect fit is the challenge. The trim is what determines how the horse travels -- how the foot lifts off the ground and returns is where the art of horse shoeing comes into play."

His skill comes in balancing the "patient" for optimum performance and soundness.

As he was working on a five-year old thoroughbred racehorse, Gleeson was using a sole knife to cut away dead material and exfoliate the area. He said keeping the area clean is important. Healthy hooves can reduce the potential for lameness.

He forges the new shoes using a propane heater that makes the steel shoe pliable. He carefully shapes the shoe using a 100-year old anvil where he flattens the edges and smooths the surface. Like getting a new pair of shoes, Gleeson tries several fits before he gets it right. When satisfied, Gleeson uses six nails per shoe to hold it in place.

The final step is to file down the entire hoof so that no sharp edges are exposed.

"None of my friends are envious of my work. It's intensive, often very hot and my patients are big and sometime not very friendly," said Gleeson. "There are much safer and easier ways to make money than doing this!"