By Jeff Cota, Associate Editor

Shifts in education has led a Hall Of Fame farrier to leave his position at one of the leading land-based colleges in the United Kingdom.

Mark Caldwell announced his resignation as senior farriery tutor and senior researcher at the School of Farrier Science at Myerscough College in Preston, Lancaster, England.

“It has been a great learning experience over the years for me personally, but I have found myself unable to embrace the changes in farriery education since the change to college-based management,” Caldwell says. “I know I leave it in the enthusiastic and capable hands of Paul Conroy, whose boundless enthusiasm for teach will serve it well, and John Mather, whose enthusiasm for the science of farriery is rubbing off on the higher education students.”

During his time at Myerscough, Caldwell designed and validated the world’s first science degree in farriery.

“I wish Myerscough every success in the future,” Caldwell says. “My thanks go to all current and past students from over the years who have made it all worthwhile.”

He holds a master’s degree in philosophy and is a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers. Caldwell has lectured and demonstrated advanced farriery techniques to both veterinary surgeons and farriers in more than 30 countries, including recently at the International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He is studying hoof morphology as a predictive indicator of pathology as a post-graduate PhD student at the University of Liverpool Veterinary School.

“I shall be concentrating on my own studies, private farriery clinics and education,” he says, “along with a limited amount of private consulting.”

Caldwell is a three-time member of the English National Farriery Team and a two-time manager/coach of the team. In February, Caldwell was inducted into the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame.

“This is a humbling experience,” he said during his induction ceremony. “It’s a privilege and an honor.”