French Farrier to Train Morocco’s Royal Guard in Advanced Horse Care Techniques

Julien Fabre, 37, a farrier practicing in the Pays d’Auge, will go for the second time to Morocco, where he is expected to train the 12 farriers of the Royal Guard who take care of 500 horses. He will bring them as much theoretical knowledge, particularly related to anatomy to better understand the impact of the profession on the horse’s well-being, as practical skills, adapted to the evolution of the profession, reports Actu.fr. "I should go there several more times to provide follow-up, observe the progress," he explains.

Over time, the profession has undergone significant changes. "Today, even if the heart of the profession remains the same, we no longer use the same materials, we insist more on lightness," says this member of the Compagnons du Devoir and du Tour de France association. In Morocco, "shoeing the French way" in pairs is a practice that stands the test of time, but Julien, he practices the English way, "alone with the horse’s foot between his legs".

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The professional will also help the Royal Guard farriers solve certain problems with horses. "These are animals that are asked a lot, he explains. In nature, it’s an animal that walks a lot. Here, sometimes, with parade horses, they don’t have to move for several hours, so we have to adapt the horseshoes to avoid complications".