On May 4, 2012, Jean Léo Dugast, a photographer specializing in Percheron horses, visited the Château de Bourgon to photograph the superb work of the farrier, Jean-Yves Roland. To view his photo essay, simply go to the SHP website, click on “Photos,” and search for the Ducatillon stud farm.
Shoeing a Percheron horse requires a “frame”: a metal frame that allows the farrier to strap the horse down and lift its legs with a winch to keep the hooves in an elevated position while minimizing effort.
These horses are very heavy—Prudence weighs a metric ton! Prudence is happy to pose for photos… After she gets her hooves shod, other visitors are waiting for her, eager to get close to a metric ton of sweetness!
For someone who is blind or has limited mobility, watching the shoeing and having Prudence come right up to them—even nuzzling their nostrils—is one of those wonderful moments of joy that everyone was able to share with such simplicity and ease.
