About Farrier - Ray Delaney

Being raised in both in Dublin Ireland and the United Kingdom and having been around horses from 5 years of age I developed a wealth of knowledge in many disciplines in the equine industry, thoroughbreds, both flat and steeplechase including point-to-point eventers. At the age of 15, I entered a five year term as an apprentice jockey for Palmerstown Stud, Nass Kildare, the beautiful 800 acre estate and racing stable of Anne Bullitt considered to be Ireland's first female breeders of Thoroughbred race horses. Anne's farther was William Bullitt, Franklin D. Roosevelt's first Ambassador to the Soviet Union.

While in my apprenticeship, daily duties were to exercise, condition and manage 5 track horses that had upcoming scheduled races. This also included breaking and training seasonal colts and fillies, stand in assistant to the stud groom and assisting farrier.

It was the dawn of the "internet-age" and upon arriving in the United States I got a little side tracked in professions and went on to become an Allaire and Lynda Wydman certified web designer/developer/coldfusion programmer, holding the lead developer position in a internet department for a 60 million dollar e-commerce ministry in California. I have been a certified web designer and developer for 12 years developing site NationalHorseBreeders.com, please read my design portfolio at raydelaney.net, but had lost sight of my passion for horses in the interim and getting caught up in a new country and computer world I realized computers were not what I really wanted to do and decided to go back to what I truly have a passion for, horses. So I made an easy decision and decided to research various farrier schools and farrier programs in the USA and settled for Shur Shod.

Shur Shod Horseshoeing School is owned and managed by Max Williams and Kelly Case. Max Williams achieved the highest level of certification possible under the America Farrier's Association Certification Program. He also holds a Master's Degree in Equine Science with an emphasis on hoofcare and horseshoeing. Combined with these professional certifications and 40 years of farrier experience, teaching certification in several states, shoeing horses on two continents and demonstrated forge and shoeing techniques while touring Australia, he was my choice to be certified under as he is one of the best farriers in the USA.

Shur Shod Horseshoeing School was awarded the School Of The Year Award at the 2007 Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association Conference.

I am now Shur Shod Master Farrier School Certified and B.W.F.A certified, (B.W.F.A Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association)

My personal goal is to continue my farrier education/passion and if possible, work closely with some of the finest farriers and barefoot/ natural hoof care practitioners in the USA in all disciplines. As we say in Ireland, "don't be shy in coming forward", if you're a professional master farrier or hoofcare practitioner and wouldn't mind having the company of a fellow farrier ride-along with you for a day, I sure would appreciate the educational invertation.

My own personal beliefs regarding applying shoes vs. natural hoof care. I believe there are barefoot/ natural trimmed horses that do so much better shod for both comfort and competitive levels, just as I also believe that there are shod horses that would do much better with the natural hoof. I believe both the shod and natural hoof method, are and can be, extremely beneficial to the individual horse in it's environment and circumstances, I am not here to argue or get into a debate as to what is the correct method, shoes vs. natural hoof care, I have been very fortunate, in that I was given the opportunity to choose my profession (Farrier), be it shod or be it natural hoof, my obligations are to the horse and making them as comfortable as possible.

Hobbies/ Interests:

• All aspects of farriery, farrier science, barefoot and natural hoof care, theories methods and principles.
• An enthusiast of the quarter horse, cutting and reined cow horse, reining and many other equine disciplines.
• An enthusiast of great thoroughbreds - (Red Rum) and great races, Aintree Grand National, 2¼ mile (3,600 metres) course, where challengers face 30 of the most testing fences in the world of jump racing. etc .. As a young boy, I had the pleasure of seeing Red Rum exercise on Portmarnock Beach as I was walking to my school, I saw him 2-3 times, an amazing sporting legend!
• Extensive knowledge and experience regarding farm and farm management with horses, sheep, cattle, poultry etc... managing a 1000 head sheep, 100 head cattle and a 34 thousand battery hen operation, also owning fullblood cattle.
• Ranching and rural living/ranch lifestyles etc...
• Web design and development, coldfusion programming.
  
• A keen dog enthusiast, IKC (Irish Kennel Club) life member, breeding, showing, hunting, racing etc... having being around dogs and the showing of dogs from the age of 5, and having family members responsible/ founders of terrier breed clubs in Ireland, (Peter Delaney) The Irish Terrier and (William Delaney) The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, I am a keen dog enthusiast having bred and have shown breeds, Wire Fox Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers along with being involved with Whippet racing and in general enjoying the many hunt terriers and hounds, Jack Russell's, Lurchers, Redbone Coonhounds etc...
  
• I was also an Irish licensed Falconer/ Austringer for 20 + years, owning and flying (Spars) Sparrowhawks ... both nest and (wild caught) passage birds with excellent success and enjoyment all round. My favorite Falconer/ Austringer book, A Hawk for the Bush by Jack Mavrogordato.

Other interests and hobbies ... to many to mention, wine making (country wines), fishing, dirt bikes, hunting etc...

Miscellaneous:
I have also worked for Walt Disney productions, working with top Disney special effects team to produce the Walt Disney movie soundtrack, Jungle 2 Jungle with actor, Tim Allen, my involvement, working close with UK Reggae band Maxi Priest to help produce the Walt Disney sounding song and video called "It Starts in the Heart". by Maxie Priest, for the Tim Allen movie, Jungle 2 Jungle.

Next Generation:

My son Aidan Delaney, age: 9