Cliff Barnes a Master Farrier
Cliff has been shoeing and trimming horses feet since 1988 when he left school at 16 years of age. He discovered his love for the job
at this early age whilst attending his local riding school, and still fondly remembers his first encounter with a farrier at Goodmore's riding school in Exmouth, Devon.
His young ideology however was leading him towards a career in the British Army, specifically the Household Cavalry, although after a family visit to
Knightsbridge Barracks where his parents struggled to drag him away from the forge a new direction in his life was beginning to take route.
His apprenticeship in farriery began at Appleshaw forge in Hampshire under the watchful eyes of both Kurt and Chris Linssner and since qualifying in the February of
1993 his business has continued to grow whilst he regularly attends Continual Professional Development (CPD) courses to hone and improve his skills and
widen his knowledge base.
His conviction towards professional development continues to this day and he instills that principle in all of his apprentices.
As a testament to his focus and dedication in 2013 Cliff successfully past his exam and was awarded his Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (AWCF). This is classified as the
re-medial examination and elevated Cliff to the status of Master Farrier. He doesn't intend to stop there however and has his sights firmly set on the professions highest accolade, the Fellow of the
Worshipful company of Farriers (FWCF).
Since the 1990's Cliff has been heavily involved within the wider aspects of his craft, firstly concentrated at a local level with the
British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association (BFBA) establishing himself as one of the organizational team coordinating the shoeing competitions at the Royal Berkshire County Show. This
swiftly led on to a more national interest and in 2008 he joined the Executive Committee which saw him take on several roles. Initially appointed as Treasurer and a representative on
the Farriers Registration Council, in 2011 he became Vice President before later moving onto to the role of President in 2013. Cliff
continues a committed involvement with the BFBA and all its events with particular focus on training and the future development of his craft.
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