September 2009

CPD - Steering Group Chairman's Update

So why CPD?  After all when you complete the DipWCF you are as fully equipped to be a farrier as it is possible to make you – or are you?  The answer of course is no.  Your farriery skills are, like all skills, perishable.  CPD means just that…… continuous professional development which will enable you to develop and progress from the foundation of the Diploma.  The craft is constantly moving and evolving and it is easy to be left behind.  The best farriers are those who spend a lifetime learning the craft – there is always something new, some new way of looking at and dealing with a problem.  Horses like people are all unique with no two exactly alike.  Confirmation, hoof, and lower limb anatomy all vary, and methods of dealing with them vary too.  It is only by being constantly alert to the subtleties of difference and developments in farriery techniques that the fledgling farrier accumulates the knowledge to develop his or her skills to best advantage. 

The CPD Informer was a separate magazine and was proving costly to distribute separately, so the CPD Steering Group decided to amalgamate the information into the Forge. This was decided for two reasons.  First it makes more sense to have farriery material in one publication rather than two, all material is ready to hand inside one paper, and second it is more cost effective to run the papers as a combined unit.  You will have all seen the August Issue which included the dedicated section on CPD and this has been a very positive move forward.

The Diary section of the Forge will include all the details of farriery CPD events.  There you will be able to check on what is happening in your area and plan which event would most suit you. You can also look at the website farrierycpd.org which shows you in electronic form the courses and events which you can go for.  The points system will enable you to record attendance but the record is only a record – what is important that lessons are learnt and incorporated into your skill sets.  

The other key point about CPD courses is that they enable you to meet and exchange views with other farriers.  Farriery tends to be lonely trade.  Single practitioners work with horses and while they may and hopefully will interact with owners and vets there is relatively little scope for meeting other farriers in the usual course of work. CPD venues encourage interchange and sharing of experience, enabling the younger farrier to take advantage of the knowledge of more senior members of the trade. They also provide a social venue which is an added attraction.  

CPD events will be advertised in the Forge and on the CPD website. There is a link to this under CPD Events on the left. 

Commodore Richard Bridges,
Chairman CPD Steering Group