Royal Windsor farrier

Chris Carrel on shoeing horses for The Queen, the army and competitive stars, and his sideline of upcycling old horseshoes into touching mementoes

- Helen Triggs

If not cancelled, last year would have been the 18th year I’ve been the main show farrier at Royal Windsor.

Essentially, we are there to provide cover over the five days, dealing with urgent “running repairs” such as loose or lost shoes.

Occasionally, some international competitors arrive with horses needing to be shod. They often rely on the show farriers as they are generally on the road throughout the season. It keeps us three farriers busy covering different areas of the show. We often rotate posts to vary the day and allow us to have breaks.

I come from a farming family and practically grew up in the saddle.

My parents had a trekking centre in mid-Wales. When I went to the army recruitment office, they suggested the Household Cavalry because of my background. First you have to do basic trooper training in fitness and foot drill, and then riding and horse care. You have to learn to ride in full state kit – and you’d be up until 2am cleaning and polishing it.