Farriers practicing their craft on the racetrack backstretches of America — sometimes derogatorily termed “platers” — are often considered to be less effective than their sporthorse counterparts on the other side of the stable gate.
The reasons for this misconception are twofold, explained journeyman farrier Pat Broadus.
First, racehorses coming off the track are usually at the end of their shoeing cycle, or even overdue, so those individuals tasked with taking over the horses' care do not see the feet at their best. That image of long-toed, uneven hooves is then perceived to be the fault of the farrier at the track, when in reality the horses' feet may have simply overgrown the shoes due to the time it takes to find retiring racehorses a new home.
Second, the lack of a standardized test to acquire a racetrack farrier's license has been a growing problem for several decades. As it stands in most states, all it takes to be licensed to shoe racehorses is a currently licensed farrier to vouch for the newcomer. The pitfalls of this system are easy to see, with unqualified individuals able to acquire licenses and begin caring for racehorses' feet without the necessary education to do so safely and successfully.
Licensing for racetrack farriers hasn't always been that way.
The Journeyman Horseshoers Union, founded in 1874 as one of the oldest labor unions in the United States, initially helped farriers collaborate with the Teamsters, those driving teams of horses over long distances. The JHU developed tests for farriers, including forging custom shoes as well as exams on equine anatomy and physiology.
When the Teamsters switched from horsepower to engines, the JHU found a new home on the backstretch of the racetrack. In its heyday, the JHU required a five-year apprenticeship with a veteran racetrack farrier in order to be eligible to take the licensing exam.
The difficulty of the test and strict requirements of the JHU meant that racetrack farriers were considered to be at the very top of their profession from the 1940s through the 1960s.
By the 1970s however, the power of the JHU had started to decline as right-to-work laws began to grow in number. The apprenticeship requirement was decreased to three years, and continued complaining about the testing, as well as a lack of qualified examiners, eventually helped wipe out the exam altogether.
The American Farrier's Association, established in 1971, has since moved to the forefront of farriery qualifications. The AFA has developed four levels of testing for farriers, with “journeyman” the highest qualification, and in the minds of many, that has helped sporthorse farriers shift to the forefront as the “best” of their profession.
The most unique aspect of the AFA testing is the written portion of the exam, which tests a farrier's knowledge of anatomy, structure, how shoeing affects a horse's motion and stride, and different lameness issues.
“They're getting $350 to $400 to shoe show horses, so what's happened is the talent level at the racetrack has decreased,” explained Pat Broadus, who added that racetrack farriers may shoe horses for $200-$250 apiece. “The people that come out of school or have a lot of talent are drawn to show horses because they make more money. It's a better lifestyle with weekends off and you don't have to travel as much, so we're really losing a lot of talent in the younger people coming up.”
Since racetrack licensing boards do not require AFA certification for farriers seeking a license, and licensing is contingent upon the validation of other working farriers, it's been hard for racetracks to strike the right balance between ensuring a high level of competency, fulfilling the demand for horseshoers, and avoiding right-to-work lawsuits.
In 2016, The Jockey Club attempted to refine a standardized farrier's test that it hoped would be adopted nationwide, much like model rules for other aspects of racing. The standardized farrier's test was developed by the Shoeing & Hoof Care Committee of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, chaired by prominent owner Bill Casner.
However, debate amongst trainers and currently-licensed farriers about the test's format and who the examiners would be kept the project from getting off the ground.
“For the most part, racetrack shoers stay quiet and stay in the background,” explained Pat Broadus. “Most of these guys have businesses built, and they help bring somebody else along.
“Still, a lot of racetrackers were looking for something to validate themselves, to prove they could get things done on the big stage. It was up to them, because the test had been gone; you couldn't take a test and be validated anymore.”
Tired of hearing that racetrack farriers were not as good as their sporthorse counterparts, Broadus decided to pursue the AFA's top-level journeyman certification. In April of 2021 he became the first racetrack farrier to earn that distinction in nearly 40 years.
Eric Gillaland was the lead examiner for several parts of Broadus' testing.
“For him, coming from the racehorse background, is a little different from the majority of the AFA,” Gillaland said. “For the journeyman test, you have to make a bar shoe to fit a pattern. The first time he did it, he did it in aluminum, and we weren't sure about that. Everybody else does it in steel. But he did a beautiful job. He's talented enough that the second time, he just did it in steel.
“His method was also very different on his live horseshoeing. We use plain stamp shoes, which are definitely not a racehorse thing, because there's no traction at all in those. He made templates, then walked to the truck and didn't have to walk back and forth to the horse 10 times to see if it fit. Watching him go through stuff, the efficiency that he has, most of the racetrackers probably have to be efficient to get so many young, excitable horses done each day.”
Broadus has now inspired other racetrack farriers to pursue their AFA certifications, spending multiple hours of his own time each week helping them study.
“I was a farrier for 28 years before I took the test, and I'm a much better farrier now than I was then,” Broadus said. “But at the end of the day, it's not about me. I stepped up and did it first, but if no one else does it, it doesn't mean anything. That's the reason I'm so proud of these guys going up there; they're leading the way.”
Broadus' father, Sonny, was the president of the Arkansas branch of the JHU, and was an examiner for some of the final JHU exams given in that state.
“We had a lot more quality horseshoers back then,” Sonny Broadus said. “There was no such thing as a superstar. There were just craftsmen, and everybody kind of followed their lead.
“The trainers knew a lot more, too. Trainers would walk around the barn area while you were shoeing a horse. He might stand there for 30 minutes, talking to someone else while he watched you shoe a horse, and you might see him three or four times in a week. If he liked what he saw, he'd come back and ask you if you had room to add his horses to your schedule, and you'd work something out.”
The elder Broadus is extremely proud of his son's passion to help improve not only his own craft, but that of those around him. He hopes Pat's dedication to continuing education helps show today's trainers the importance of testing farriers.
“Every trainer should want his farrier to at least be qualified, and that's what the journeyman's test with the JHU stood for,” said Sonny Broadus. “It told you he was qualified; he's not a genius, but he's not going to hurt you, either.”
Gillaland agreed that trainers should want their farriers to be able to pass the competency exam, but acknowledged that the AFA hasn't been as proactive as it could be about educating trainers and horse owners about the certification process.
“The AFA is an excellent organization, but the downfall is it's run by volunteer farriers, and the reason we get into this is we're hands-on people,” Gillaland said. “We're not sit-downers, so to do other stuff to promote the certification, it doesn't really fall into the realm of understanding.
“It really comes down to, I think, the majority of people are not that involved in certification because their owners don't ask for it. Whoever their farrier is, that's who they think is best.”
The AFA's website does a good job explaining the different levels of certification the organization offers, and Gillaland hopes Broadus' actions help inspire trainers to begin talking to their farriers.
“If these trainers knew what was involved in studying for and taking the test, they'd start asking their farriers whether or not they were certified,” Gillaland summarized.
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