Horse shoeing and training in Ethiopia

Hey Guys
My name is Alex Ridgeway, I am a Farrier in Newmarket, England but I'm also the global farrier project coordinator for the international animal welfare charity the Brooke.
In this video I head out to ethiopia to learn more about their farriery skills whilst assisting one of Brookes consultants with some farrier training sessions.
I thought I would take this opportunity to document my trip in order to raise awareness of some of the incredible work Brooke and all its teams do out in some of the worlds most challenging environments.
I hope you enjoy this 3 part series and would love to hear any questions, tips or general feedback in the comments below.
A little about this channel:
I created this channel to share some of my experiences working with horses. I aim to create entertaining videos as part of my farrier vlog, but I will let you be the judge of that!
I am also producing educational videos about horse's Anatomy, How to’s, and I hope to produce videos all about different pathologies and how to better care for your horse. We have also opened a fully functioning Farriers Forge just outside of Newmarket, England. The plan is to encourage certain horses to the Forge, this will allow us to custom make and create specific shoeing plan to best suit these horses and to maximise their true potential.
Please check out some of my other videos. I hope you enjoy the videos and they can bring you some value.
I would really appreciate you're feedback and if you can offer support by subscribing even better ( it’s completely free!!!) Thank you!!👍
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Horse shoeing in ethiopia

[@paulalastnamegoeshere5535]

That's amazing! Bless you!

[@Bullfrogerwytsch]

i'm grateful that this kind of work is being done. I look forward to an update at some point

[@kathyraidt16]

Thanks for helping so many working burros and horses with your educational tools and thinking "outside of the box."

[@bmc06239]

i cannot watched the last two videos because i understand the raw emotion you must of felt seeing the butchery in the first video from Ethiopia. Alex your cause was noble and i commend you. I'm still waiting to send you an article i wrote. An excerpt: Every horse is born with an adult hoof deformity in that the hoof is "rolled-up” to protect the mother. This foal hoof creates an unnatural but faster hoof-fall. As the horse ages and gains weight the hoof must "unroll” and the horse must transition into the hoof-fall of an adult. This process with average movement takes years to complete in the wild. These first years of life are critical for the horse to change the hoof, stretch soft tissue, develop bone density and establish and reestablish muscle memory. Most hoof deformities that cause lameness later in life are often hooves that have not “unrolled” correctly. Most of these problems can be foreseen within the first few years of the horse’s life. Other hoof deformities that cause hoof lameness are the result of metabolic conditions, overgrowth and lack of movement or from trying to overprotect the internal structures of the hoof. One key to understanding, preventing, and reversing all hoof deformities in adult horses is in understanding how to “un-roll” foal hooves. You can find my email link on my channel for the full article...bruce

[@payntpot7623]

Thank you for posting your experience. An eye opener to many of us I am sure. Let us hope this story grows in the telling and more can be done to support ongoing help for these animals. Personally, I feel the idea (long term) of teaching them to make their own horse shoe nails is preferable to importing them as It would create a new industry and employment. However, my only knowledge is what you have shown us in this series of videos. and I am sure the problem is quite a bit more complex.

[@125ams]

I used to work in Ethiopia about ten years ago and the state of horse care was truly dreadful. Thank you for helping.

[@melhayley6738]

Great vlog Alex, we tend to forget the suffering that some animals have to endure, it doesn't cross my mind when the farrier turns up every six weeks, but watching this got me thinking those poor donkeys and ponies that had used tyres cut up for shoes. Thanks for showing us this and taking your time to educate them on where to put the nails correctly 😃

[@Open2OpenUT]

You’ve made such a difference hopefully the lads will keep up the good work in the future. 👌

[@TheMonkeybusinezz]

There’s a lot of judgement in this comment section, but with so many people below the poverty line, it’s easy to say ‘get more horses to pull the load and don’t overwork them’. I’m sure they would do that if it was an option, even just for the practical reason to be faster. Their choices are a lot harder than ours, along the lines of ‘do I feed my horse or my child’? I like the approach of the charity to use local farriers and materials, teach them what they can even just for small improvements. It’d be easy for Alex to go in and give a few horses some amazing shiny shoes, but that’s not sustainable, even though it would be fun and satisfying to watch. Imagine one of them with those shiny bejewelled pink shoes that some people put on here in Europe 😂😂

[@FITHERTRAINING]

Great work! These horses are thanking you a thousand times over

[@rainyjay4232]

amazing work that these Farriers did over there. I hope it will catch on and maybe we get some nails over.

[@thebouncinghearts]

Great video Alex, thank you for uploading, love your enthusiasm.

[@AlexRidgewayFarrier]

Thank you 😁 glad you liked it.

[@davne3224]

Thank you for this interesting video! I watch some videos from another organization (Equiwent) which is dealing with similar problems in romania. They have a system that if the horses, animals are in good shape (meaning enough food, people are friendly to the animals, dont hurt the animals) they teaching them how to properly care about horses and give them shoes for free. They have some mobile vets and farriers which help the people but only if the people are willing to learn. I think it is a pretty good concept. Maybe this System could also work in ethiopia :)

[@grahamscott1547]

Wow,absolutely amazing. Making change! Great man. Wish there were more like you!

[@deannastoppler1091]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Really appreciate the videos.

[@wellshodgarage2752]

What if they took the carpenter nails and flattened them with a press of sorts made out of a car jack? I know it would weaken the nail but since they are predrilled car tires now the nail should do much better. Also I think they will be the highest priced in town now with less soreness and keeping the wheels on their transportation. Overall thrilling

[@LRY34567]

Lovely work

[@johnpalmierifarrierservice4771]

Great job Mr.Alex, why can't we send these guys some better supplies, used rasps, shoes etc.

[@AlexRidgewayFarrier]

Hi John, what I believe is a much better approach is to teach them to make or source the tools themselves. That way if a tool breaks or needs replacing, they have a solution that is sustainable

[@RedMoonsEcho]

Alex Ridgeway Farrier then hurry up and teach them. The problem isn’t only the shoes. They are working those horses to death and with little food. Those fat woman need to give some of their food to the damned horses

[@Wakeupgrandowl]

@@RedMoonsEcho Those 'fat women' are probably fat from a diet of goats milk products - you'll also see them working very hard in every scene they are in. Much harder than fat people in Western countries. They are also 'fat' because their husbands take pride in them being so and actively push them to keep weight on. I too, want to see these animals have the charmed and healthy life we value in richer countries but you can't expect the poorest people to give more to their animals than they give themselves. It's like this is every impoverished area in the world - including the West.

[@konnen4518]

@@RedMoonsEcho typical response from a person living a privileged life in the west relative to one of the poorest in the world. You know poor Europeans also used to overwork their horses a few generations ago. The almost the whole Ethiopia used to run on these horses carriages not long ago and you can only find a few of them now cause people are switching to the 3-wheeled motor vehicles which they call “Bajaj”. Don’t come on here riding your high horse, no pun intended

[@AndersonCattleCo]

Very interesting thank you for sharing your experience

[@kenbrundage5528]

The mules in MLK''s poor peoples wagon train, as it passed through Leesburg VA. where often shod with tires, but the (flatter) side walls, not the treads.

[@maddcom8814]

Thanks bro...i hope u have a great day....god blees u... 🤗🤗🤗👍👍🤝🤝😊😊

[@feefee6889]

GREAT!!!!

[@Shadeskast]

Great start fellas. I think it’s a up hill battle. I’m sure time is money and the old ways will creep back in.

[@josebullero]

Good job.... Good film...👍👌✌💪

[@horsegirl07]

Can you explain why these horses even need shoes? I’d think it has to do with their work load and maybe the terrain but, are they really that necessary? I thought with a dryer climate makes for stronger hooves. I’m sure that’s not always the case though.

[@horsegirl07]

I watched more and you explained a bit horse they ware their feet, so it does make sense. I hope they continue to use the techniques you taught them.

[@leelindsay5618]

They say in the video how the rock hard ground filled with stones wears away the hoof too fast.

[@PrestigeLoft]

THOSE ETHIOPIAN HORSES LOOK LIKE THEY ARE STARVING

[@ritah.6752]

Full of parasites as well!

[@Murphycats]

It is so sad to see all the bloody sores on these animals, not to mention the ribs and bones showing. Glad at least their feet will hopefully get better care.

[@sunnahberkuda8574]

Semangat salam dari Indonesia

[@caiomarcio5422]

Deus o abençoe

[@uzzie88]

The guy in the red t.shirt pushes the guy in the overall out of the way for blocking the camera at 4:32 :-D

[@dougburright7275]

Wow! How did these guys learn to shoe the animals, in the first place? Their minds and methods must be erased, to benefit the animals in the future, and replaced with modern techniques! Poverty is obviously a problem, and the animals' health must improve for the things that you showed them to "stick". This is just heart wrenching to see, and so much needs to change, for there to be success in the future for the animals! Crazy! That is really animal abuse, what the Ethiopians are doing!

[@leelindsay5618]

This should help speed up the farriers and make the trim safer for horse and farrier. I found the video with the chinese farrier and the bench: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIfTqmSYjNijpMk

[@leelindsay5618]

The chinese man's tools are quite extreme, but ideas can be found in the most interesting places

[@genesis8203]

🙏🙏🙏🤔👍🇧🇷

[@franciscorueda5188]

Looks like the shoe needs to be more flat

[@hasdrubalsosamarquez5430]

What good is teaching them without the proper tools??? Where are the farriers that are willing to donate some of their decently "used" tools? I'm sure they can forge metal and replicate the tools given if needed.

[@bradcampbell5766]

If they have more donkeys and horses to share the work, and they took better care of the hooves doing regular trimming, then there would be no need for shoes at all. Why overwork the animals? Take better overall care of them, and they give you more...

[@JR-hu6nu]

Thank you for your good work... but "tomorrow" they will maybe arrive in EUROPE, as the best farriers ... you gave them hope! Horses will be the loosers! Uupsie! Sorry!