FIFTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV 305 



DR. SraTKR'S REVIEW OF CONTEST. 



This contest was, I believe, the first of the kind ever held in the 

 United States. There have been numerous horseshoe turning contests, 

 but never before a real horseshoeing contest, where the participants were 

 required to strip an animal, dress the feet, make and apply new shoes. 



Being honored with the appointment to officiate as judge of this con- 

 test, and never having acted in this capacity before, I really was at sea 

 in regard to the modus operandi of the entire procedure, but after arriv- 

 ing at the "scene of battle" I found that I was not the only "green" hand 

 on the job. 



In fact, everyone connected with the undertaking was looking for 

 advice as to the best way to proceed. The rules governing the contest 

 were, so I was told, the same under which such contests were decided in 

 Scotland, so, after reading the rules over carefully, it was decided not 

 to change them, at least not for the present contest. But I believe we 

 could draw up a set of rules for future contests of this character that 

 would be more up to date, more American-like, as it were, and easier to 

 comprehend. I am, and always was, a stickler for originality, and we 

 are far enough advanced in our vocation that we do not have to copy, or 

 run second to any nation in the world in regard to the shoeing of the 

 horse; consequently, it is up to us to draft our own rules and regulations 

 for future contests of this character. I believe the public will endorse 

 what I say in regard to this matter; at least, a large majority of the 

 horseshoers who attended the contest, either as contestants or spectators, 

 were in favor of drawing up a more up to date set of rules to govern 

 future contests by. 



Whether this contest was advertised sufficiently or not, I can not 

 say; but the lack of entries made me believe so. But, later on, I dis- 

 covered that it was not caused by the horseshoers being unaware of the 

 fact that a contest of this kind was to be held in connection with the 

 Iowa State Fair, but more so by the fact that most of the horseshoers 

 had a bad attack of "cold feet," or "stage fright," when it came to 

 appearing or performing before the public. Some of the contestants 

 even got nervous and disappeared after they had paid their entrance 

 fee, acting the same as a green colt when refusing to "face the starter." 

 But after the contest was over and we became acquainted, horseshoers 

 could hear them say: "If I had known just how the thing was going 

 to be pulled off, you bet I would have been in it myself." From these 

 and other remarks I heard, I believe that there will be more contestants 

 next year than the management of the fair will be able to handle, or 

 at least enough to entertain the horse-loving public every afternoon during 

 the entire week. 



To say that it was a drawing card would be putting it mildly. The 

 tent in which the contest was held was jammed with people long before 

 the time the contestants were to appear, and long after it was all over, 

 too. In fact, it was one of the best mediums conceivable to bring the 

 horseshoers and the horse-loving public together. And right in this tent 

 I have seen many a horseshoer come out of his hard shell of envy and 

 prejudice and mix up with the rest of the horny handed, large hearted 

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