In late September 2010, British farrier Simon Heslop took his sons Thomas and William with him to work. This wasn’t out of the ordinary, as the boys have joined their father at work since they were toddlers. But this particular day would lead to Heslop being suspended.

As reported by Gavin Havery in The Northern Echo (we’ve linked to this story at www.americanfarriers.com/ff/regulation), the Farriers Registration Council (FRC) became aware that the elder Heslop allowed William, whom they deem as an unqualified farrier, to pull shoes off a horse. Thomas’s role was of no consequence, as the FRC views him as a   .

Back in February, the council ruled on the case. Simon Heslop would serve a 28-day suspension from practicing farriery. Should he shoe a horse during this period, he will be committing a crime. 

A spokesman for the FRC stated that Heslop violated the Farriers Registration Act. “It is a clear breach of the requirement of paragraph 14 of The Farriers Guide to Professional Conduct which states: ‘Farriers must not knowingly permit anyone to practise farriery illegally or aid, abet, counsel or procure a person to do so.’”

Lack Of Insight

Certainly this punishment does not fit the crime. There was no intent or likelihood of reckless behavior. Imagine what losing a month’s worth of income would do to your practice.

This ruling is an example of what Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski meant when he wrote, “People set rules to keep from making decisions.” The…