Tom Ryan FWCF
Tom lives in Bedfordshire, UK, with his wife has two adult sons and three grandchildren.
Now retired, Tom comes from a long line of farriers and blacksmiths, his father, grandfather and great grandfather were all farriers and blacksmiths in the West of Ireland.
He started working for his father in 1967. During this time Tom attended Hereford School of Farriery for several months each year. Instructor Wally Inwood would come and visit Tom at his father's forge in Clophill, Bedfordshire. During this period he attained the RSS qualification (Registered Shoeing Smith with the Worshipful Company of Farriers), now replaced by the Dip WCF.
In 1971 Tom started his own farriery practice which he ran until 2021, during this 50 year period he gained the AFCL (Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers), now called AWCF. Presently, Tom now holds FWCF qualification (Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers).
Tom's interest in laminitis developed through daily contact with equines with this condition and puzzling over all the differing and conflicting points of view expressed by all those around him. The results of his research into hoof growth led to him formulating the Dorsal Wall Lifting Theory for equine laminitis in 1998 and a vertical grooving procedure which is still helping many laminitic horses today.
Tom has served on the Farriery Craft & Executive Committees of the British Farriers and Blacksimiths Assocition (BFBA).
Tom’s hobbies include photography, computing and flight simulation, he is combining these interests in the building & flying of a home flight simulator cockpit.
Contact
Telephone: +44 (0) 1234 70 88 45tom@equinehoof.co.uk
Tom's Learjet45 Home Flight Simulator
A short video showing his home cockpit.
Fun Photos
Photos mostly taken by Tom
Home
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Articles Published
| Publication | Date | Article | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peerj.com | 15 June 2018 | Review of data on hoof growth in normal and laminitic equines suggests a new etiology for acute laminitis | |
| Forge | December, 2015, Vol 2 No 5, Page 4, | Quarter crack, a case history. ( Overall Winner of the Stromsholm Educational Award 2017 ) | |
| Connemara Chronicle | Volume 42, 2015, Page 211 | Barefoot - The long view | |
| Forge | June 2013, Page 8 | Hoof wall separation syndrome in Connemara ponies | |
| Connemara Chronicle | Volume 40, 2013, Page 183 | Hoof wall separation syndrome in Connemara ponies | |
| Connemara Chronicle | Volume 38, 2011 | Foal limb development | |
| Connemara Chronicle | Volume 37, 2010, Page 147 | The Equine Foot | |
| Forge | February 2010, Page 4 | Demystifying Club Foot | |
| Forge | October 2009 | Minimising hoof distortion in laminitis | |
| Forge | August 2009, Page 12 | Distortion - the hidden menace in laminitis | |
| Horse Health | February/March 2006 (issue 2), Page 20 | What do we know about laminitis? | |
| Hoofcare & Lameness | (issue 72) | Deep Cleft Thrush Infections | |
| Horse & Hound | 28 November 2002, page 19 | Best foot forward | |
| Forge | December 2000 | The Dorsal wall lifting theory | |
| Forge | October 2000 | Laminitis induced by heel trimming of upright feet | |
| Horse & Hound | 16 November 2000, page 50 | Growing Pains | |
| Horse & Hound | 25 May 2000, page 60 | Cracking up | |
| Horse & Hound | 23 December 1999, page 64 | The full picture | |
| Horse & Hound | 9 December 1999, page 64 | Cover story | |
| Horse & Hound | 5 August 1999, page 70 | Bearing up | |
| Horse & Hound | 7 January 1999, page 69 | Road rage | |
| Horse & Hound | 13 February 1997, page 56 | Finding the right balance | |
| Horse & Hound | 20 March 1997, page 82 | Hardening up brittle hooves | |
| Horse & Hound | 12 June 1997, page 66 | Mismatched feet | |
| Horse & Hound | 16 October 1997, page 74 | Frog damage can be 'shear' disaster | |
| Horse & Hound | 15 January 1998, page 70 | Trimming feet the natural way | |
| Horse & Hound | 9 April 1998, page 78 | First steps to a healthy life | |
| Horse & Hound | 23 July 1998, page 74 | On the level | |
| Forge | Forge '89 (issue 5), Pages 11-12, 19-20. | Hoof growth in Normal and Laminitic Horses |
Updated: 19/01/2023
