Mullins Farrier Podcast Brian Mullins

I first met Douwe and his wife Naomi on my first trip to Stoneleigh.  He was one of the judges that year and understandably quite busy. So while we made plans to do the interview then, it didn't work out. Last year, however, Douwe was back, but this time as part of the Dutch team and he had a little bit more time, so he made it happen. You'll hear us briefly allude to it in the conversation, but there is a great story that exemplifies how tough and determined Douwe is as a competitor. 
Through Danny Bennett's military-like leadership as the chief steward, he might have even been in the military now that I think of it, the volunteers worked diligently to get the competition arena set up early on the afternoon before so the teams could practice. Team Holland was one of the first to arrive and take advantage of this.
Douwe was building a shoe with a striker and something went wrong with the rhythm, causing his hammer to recoil off the sledgehammer and hit him right in the face below the eye. I just happened to be watching as it occurred. Everyone stopped and held their breath. Douwe's striker looked horrified. Douwe touched his face and asked, Is there blood?
His partner shook his head and said no. And Douwe said, "Okay, good. Let's go" and carried on. Needless to say, if I ever end up in a bar fight, I hope this man is on my side.  During our conversation, we touched on several topics, including how he and his wife Naomi run two separate shoeing businesses, where they specialize in different areas and use different shoeing techniques. We talk about their bad run of luck after the previous year's Stoneleigh with a house fire, and we talk about his unique side hustle that brought him to North America long before he started competing on this side of the pond.  Anyway, it's always a pleasure to run into this man and I'm glad we were able to do this.
I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Welcome everyone.  I'm trying to recall the first time I met this gentleman. I've known him by reputation for years and unfortunately missed a clinic he had put on up in Ontario here a few years back. Everyone who attended had great things to say, so I suffered a sufficient dose of FOMO from missing that one.
I finally managed to catch up with Derek Poupard at Stoneleigh last year, and with the help of my esteemed assistant Jamie Hughes, we scheduled him for an interview.  The farrier world seems to attract innovators, and Derek is among the more successful of those. His creation of the 3D pads has created quite a stir throughout the farrier world. 
We discussed how his shoeing career took him all over the world. And how his 3D pads are only one of his many inventions. And, he's still innovating, so there will be more to come. Derek's enthusiasm and creative spirit were quite infectious. It was a great pleasure to get to spend some time with this inspiring man. 
I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. 
The show is sponsored by OutWest Designs and Fabrication your choice for Farrier rigs
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Today's guest has played an important role in having me over to Stoneleigh the past couple of years, so I could interview farriers from across the pond, promote the BFBA's  Focus Convention, and of course, spend some quality time with my podcast bro, Danny Bennett.
As you will hear, Ben is a busy man with a lot of irons in the fire. From his position as a consultant for Team GB and one of the lead farriers for the London, Rio, and Tokyo Olympics, to his tenure as the president of the BFBA, working with his talented team to grow the BFBA Focus into its largest event ever in 2023, And his work running his farrier practice near Banbury in Oxfordshire.
He's a hard man to pin down for any length of time.  It only took me two trips across the pond to snag him for an hour and have this conversation. One of the highlights for me is when we really dig into his thoughts on shoeing the hind feet of performance horses for their various disciplines. The result was a lot of practical takeaways and concepts to ponder. Ben's time spent under the tutelage of Haydn Price, as well as his tenure working as a consultant for Team GB, has offered him a very unique vantage point to see these concepts at work in the real world.  Anyway, I learned a lot from this gentleman, and I hope you too enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

I finally got to meet the legendary Sarah-Mary Brown at this year's International at Stoneleigh. Because he was so busy being the chief steward, Danny Bennett left me in the capable hands of Jamie Hughes to arrange guests and keep the interviews coming. I was listing off my wish list of potential guests to Jamie and when I said Sarah Brown, he stopped me instantly and walked away. Seconds later, he came back with Sarah in tow and she agreed to do the interview.  As you will hear, Sarah has an infectiously positive attitude when it comes to all aspects of farriery. Whether it's learning, competing, or pursuing higher level exams, her enthusiasm is quite apparent. Anyway, it was an honour to get to sit and chat with this very talented woman.
I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. 
The show is sponsored by OutWest Designs and Fabrication your choice for Farrier rigs
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Today's episode is another one that came out of my visit to the World Championship Blacksmiths competition in Calgary, Alberta.
I got to meet Todd for the first time in person while we were both in the periphery of the WCB tent watching as the competitors had their goes. Todd agreed to do an interview and we found a quiet spot up on the balcony of the farrier's lounge and as soon as I pressed record, music started playing and announcements were made in the speakers overhead. I apologize for some of the noise. As you will hear, Todd and I had a wide ranging conversation, covering everything from his apprenticeship with the infamous Poor family, his multiple experiences as a member of the American Farriers team and the WCB team,  and his decision to step back from competing to focus on his young and growing family. 
For Todd, it has been an incredible journey, and it isn't over yet. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 
This episode is brought to you by OutWest Designs and Fabrication 
Until the end of March 2024, mention the podcast and receive $500 off your farrier rig at Outwest Designs and Fabrication https://outwest.ca/
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Welcome, everyone. This interview comes to you once again from Calgary, Alberta at the World Championship Blacksmith's Competition.  As I'm sure you've already gathered, I collected a lot of great interviews from my short visit there.  I came home with a memory card full of them and this one is no exception.  It is unique, however, in that this is the first interview I've done with a blacksmith and as you will hear, blacksmiths can be just as passionate as we are discussing the nuances and intricacies of doing what they do with metal. As you will hear, Dustin donated his beautiful wrought iron hammers as the top ten prizes for the competition.
We do a very deep dive into the unique processes that Dustin uses to create these beautiful hammers, and how he tries to stay as stubbornly close to the traditional methods that would have been used way back when. I'm fairly certain that a lot of you traditional shoemakers out there will find yourselves in agreement with many of Dustin's philosophies.
For me, his willingness to unselfishly share trade secrets put Dustin in a league with many of the great shoeing mentors that we know of out there. Anyway, I had a great time getting to know this gentleman, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.  
This spisdoe is brought to you by OutWest Design and Fabrication 
Buy The Show A Virtual Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/mullinsfarrierpodcast
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