Sarah Mary strikes a mighty blow for women farriers
18 May 2011
Oatridge-trained Sarah Mary Brown has struck a mighty blow on behalf of women in the ancient, male-dominated craft by joining the elite as an Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers.
The 28 year-old from Giffnock near Glasgow is now the only woman in the UK allowed to have the initials AWCF after her name and is believed to be only the second in more than 650 years. The qualification, which is achieved by just one-in-five of farriers, means that she has reached a level of skill and knowledge of horse anatomy to make and fit specialist shoes to treat problems of the foot and leg, often working in partnership with a veterinary surgeon.
Sarah Mary has been working towards the qualification since she completed her apprenticeship studies four years ago at Oatridge College where she showed early promise by passing her third year exams with a 100% mark, the only student ever to do so. That same year she was named Scotland's Landbased Learner of the Year for 2005 by Lantra, the sector skills council.
Much to the delight of industry leaders, who were actively seeking to address a gross gender imbalance - with women making up only five percent of the workforce - Sarah Mary's success sparked new interest and even now her legacy lives on. Would-be farrier and Oatridge student Rebecca McWilliams from Irvine, the over-all runner-up in this year's Lantra Scotland Awards, cited her as a role model.
Sarah Mary says: "There are far more girls around now than there were when I started, which is great. A lot of them are just like me: They love their job, even though it is very hard. They haven't become all butch and that's how it should be: Be yourself and enjoy what you do."
On the subject of achieving AWCF status, she reveals that she expects another former Oatridge-trained woman farrier, 28 year old Sarah Logie, to join her soon. "She is half way through her studies, so it won't be long," says Sarah Mary. Sarah Logie, who is based in Inverness-shire, made her own little bit of farriery history five years ago when she become the first woman to pass her Diploma exams with Honours.
During her studies at Oatridge, Sarah Mary Brown was working with Approved Training Farrier Derek Gardner at Penrith in Cumbria and since qualifying in 2007 has set up and run her own successful business at Northallerton in North Yorkshire. Her next ambition is to be the first woman ever to become a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, the official mark of a master craftsman.
Derek Garden says: "From the start I was impressed by her strength of character and determination. She has worked extremely hard and become an excellent farrier. I know that she intends going for a full Fellowship in a few years and if she gets that, she will be the only woman ever to do so. She still improving as she adds to her knowledge and experience and gets stronger."
Oatridge College currently offers an entry-level NPTC Level 2 Certificate in Forgework qualification, developed by the Farriery Training Agency as a compulsory pre-requisite for anyone wishing to begin an apprenticeship. It also provides an introduction to blacksmithing. Intake for the 12-week full-time course will be in September and December. Further details at http://www.oatridge.ac.uk/ or by telephoning: 01506 864800.
