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Show Wednesday, March 28, 2007 D1 Expressions Basin Life no horseS The art of traditional horseshoeing hoof, By Mary Bernard Express Writer Anyone who rides knows that the feet are the foundation of a horse. Routine shoeing and trimming of a horse's hooves are critical to the balance and well-being of an animal. A good horseshoer, or farrier, can evaluate eval-uate a horse's gait, assess problems prob-lems in motion, and minimize flaws in a horse's conformation. The Uintah Basin is home to one of the best horsesho-ers, horsesho-ers, at least that is according to a jury of his peers. Dennis Manning, Ioka resident, winner of the 36th Annual American Farrier Association - the Vern Hornquist National Award, was judged the best at the Albuquerque, N.M. competition competi-tion this month. In the 30 years that Manning has practiced his craft, he has won awards, judged competitions and taught clinics throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. With this latest horseshoer's award, Manning is invited to judge at the International Farrier's Competition to be held in Lexington, Ky. in 2008. He was inducted into the Horseshoeing HallofFameinl994. "I make every shoe I put on a horse," says Manning. He started start-ed making shoes by hand, the 'old-fashioned way,' more out of pragmatism than anything else. "By the time I finished re-firing, re-firing, shaping and fitting the machine-made shoes to a horse," Manning says, "I figured I might as well make my own." Basically, Manning says he learned too much to go back to the machine-made-shoes. -He i& a student of 'horse biomechanics,' biomechan-ics,' or the action of a horse's foot under the stress of motion. "I absorbed as much information informa-tion as I could," said Manning. Handmade horseshoes are made of steel or aluminium, that are heated and shaped to fit the horse's hoof. Handmade or machine-made horseshoes are nailed to the hoof to protect the horse's feet. Nailing on the shoe "is the most important part in relationship relation-ship to the function of the foot," says Manning. Just as people's feet vary, so too, do horses feet. "There's a good deal of science to horseshoeing," he said, pointing point-ing to the underside of a hoof. "You've only got a sixteenth of an inch leeway to nail on a shoe, either way you've got trouble. You want the back of the foot to move properly." Driven too shallow, shal-low, a nail can cause the hoof to crack; driven to deep, a nail can cause lameness or infection. Manning's explanation of the critical nature of shoeing is not lost on the listener. The horse being shod has physical damage from incorrect shoeing in its early life. It has taken Manning two years of regular corrective shoeing to get this mare's feet sound. "Improper shoeing does as much damage as injury," Manning explains. Shoes of different dif-ferent shape, material or thickness thick-ness can alter the horse's gait and ultimately, affect the bones in a horse's foot. "In shoeing a horse it's best to stick to the basic principles," Manning warns. "Gimmicks cannot make up for a lack of skill." Before Manning begins to shoe, he trims the excess growth of the hoof by cutting it away using pincers (nail clippers) to the ideal length and trims inside the sole of the hoof with a knife. Small bones inside a horse's foot are confined by the hoof wall. Proper trimming of the hoof alleviates stress on the tendons and bones within the foot. Once the foot is trimmed, Manning measures foot shape to determine the shape of the shoe he will make. Placing a strip of metal into the forge, he proceeds to heat and pound the metal into the shape of the shoe. Shoeing itself is a centuries old practice, perhaps going back to the days of the ancient Greeks. The methods used in this country are typically those used by the English and Scots. Not all horses wear shoes, but here, in the Uintah Basin, landscape conditions demand a well-shod horse. Horsemen "'"throughout the area havecome to appreciate the art and exper-. tise of Manning's horseshoeing mastery. iv, l it"! - f J act -gjvr f : xx t ... M r riii i 1 ;C " ' f h 1 rr - 1 J .7 1 ... - J f 1 -.J' M Manning fires up the forge and drops in a strip of metal to heat. Manning receives First Place Finish in National Competition. rn XX J ,-i1.IB&t'Sv. ' . . x I J, ?- s . 1 ! . S V 1" f: One last check of the fit before nailing the horseshoe to the hoof. J!) Turning and pounding, the metal strip slowly takes shape. The shape of the horse's hoof as seen from the bottom. Manning trims the excess growth of the hoof. Community Calendar Don't face cancer alone. Call 800-ACS-2345 or log on to www.cancer.org 247 for information or to find free services available in the Uintah Basin. January through August The Utah Field House of Natural History is hosting the Range Creek Archaeological Exhibit from , now through August. Please call the museum muse-um for more information at 435-789-3799 or stop by 496 East Main, Vernal. March 2 - March 30 "They Dared to Dream" art show opened on March 2 at the Western Heritage Museum and will be on display dis-play through March '30. Western Heritage Museum is located at 328 East 200 South, Vernal 789-7399. The museum is open Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.) and Sat. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March-April The Heat offices in Roosevelt and Vernal will be open Tuesday Tues-day through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is still money available for those who have not yet applied. The program will end on Friday, April 27. Please call 722-5218 in Roosevelt Roos-evelt or 781-2021 in Vernal for information or to make an appointment. ap-pointment. March 28 Friends of the Utah Field House regular monthly meeting meet-ing will be held at 7 p.m. in the Field House multi-purpose room. Contact Linda West 789-4313 or llwesteas-ilink.com llwesteas-ilink.com for more information. informa-tion. Mini-Conference will be held at the Golden Age Center in Vernal. For questions and to RSVP for lunch, call the Golden Age Center at 789-2169. 789-2169. Lapoint Elementary School will hold "Night of a Thousand Stars." This family literacy night begins at 5:30 p.m. with a dinner and choice of workshops. March 29 "Richest Man in Babylon," begins its final six-weeks session at the Uintah County Library, with succeeding meetings on April 5, 12, 19, 26 and May 3. The financial workshop begins each of those evenings at 7:00 p.m. Call the Library at 789-0091 for more information. March 30 GED test to be given beginning begin-ning at 6 p.m. Friday and continuing Saturday morning morn-ing at the Uintah School District Office. Those wanting want-ing to take the test need to fill out an application at Ashley Valley Education Center, 250 S. Vernal Ave. The test fee is $55 with retakes at Illsub-test. Illsub-test. For more information, contact David John or Shela Swain at 781-3100 ext. 2841. Community dance at the Golden Age Center, 155 South 100 West, from 8 to 10 p.m. every Friday night Kay's Band provides the music. March 30, 31 Bull Riding at Western Park Indoor Arena at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for kids, and free for children 4 and under. Tickets are available avail-able at IFA, Davis Jubilee, The Bull Ring or Ponderosa. There will be Muttin' Bustin' for the children. April 3 "Love and Logic Parenting" at Uintah County Library, 7:00 p.m. Call 789-0091 for more information. April 4 Karen Coombs will teach "Vital Records - Birth, Marriage & Death" at the Family History Library at 5:15 p.m. Reception for Uintah River High School students and families at Western Heritage Museum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. X j I L Mmm fwrwikmfi jk for Ytr 1100 West Highway 40, Vernal Utah Phone: (435) 7834525 Open Monday through Saturday 9:C0amto6:C0pm -Closed on Sunday |