We enjoy some sponsorship from them and we also fundraise to support the weekend. Mr van Beuzekon says he foresees the competition will shortly become a three-day event as interest by farriers is growing. This year there were 19 contestants. What made us decide to look closely at the more established farriering competition was the fact that we viewed existing competitions as a little repetitive. We made the decision to pull away from the official national body and set up an unofficial competition for farriers who were interested in trying out new skills and having fun in a more light-hearted environment.
Prize money comes from the entry fees.
For example, on the Saturday we have forging events. This includes fun events. In one, contestants are given a length of steel and the task is to stretch the metal to its limit, the longest length being a winner. In the teams event, one contestant has to make a set of tongs from two short pieces of steel. They're not allowed to use existing tongs, which are essential for gripping the hot metal, so the farriers have to be inventive.