My name is David Villegas.
I'm a professional farrier, educated in Denmark. 
I live and work in Northern Manchester, UK.

I was introduced to horses when I was a kid, growing up on my family's farm in the Maule Valley, Chile. I guess I took over my grandfather's passion for horses. He lived his whole life on horseback and did the shoeing himself.

Thinking that horses was nothing but a hobby, I studied International Business Communication, in Copenhagen Business 
School, Denmark. However after some years I decided to change track and I started to do something I really enjoy: to shoe horses!

I studied for 3,5 years in the Farrier School of the University of Copenhagen.
During apprenticeship, I worked for master farrier Peter Rif, for a little more than 3 years. We shod mainly race horses in Klampenborg Race Course, but also other high level competition horses (jumping, dressage). Rif specialiced in corrective farriery and is frequently contacted by veterinarians and horse owners with problematic cases.
In 2014 we were in Austria, shoeing for the Olympic show jumper, Cian O'Connor.

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Today I have my own farrier business.
I have shod for Søren Jensen and Hanne Bechmann, two of the top race horse trainers in Denmark.
For 5 years I have been working for the high level dressage stable Bregnerodgaard, near Copenhagen. During this period I have had the privilege to work together with master farrier Mats Thomsson, from the Equine Clinic Jagersro, Sweden.
I shoe many competition horses, mainly, dressage, hunters and jumpers. But also regular backyard horses.

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I constantly try to learn more about shoeing horses and barefoot trimming, whether it be assisting clinics with renowned farriers, studying books/papers and working with other farriers. I believe that there's always more to learn in order to do the best job possible and thereby helping the horses with the problem they might have, to perform to the best of their ability, or simply just stay sound.
 
5 years ago I moved from Denmark to the UK with my family, where I have been listed as a Registered Farrier, under the Farriers Registration Council.
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What started as just writing down whatever new knowledge i gained and taking loads of pictures of hooves, for my own sake, has led me to start writing a book about farriery in Spanish. 
As I saw that there's lacking knowledge about this profession in South America (even though there are countries with huge horse industries), I thought I might contribute by spreading some of the information I have gained and are able to collect.

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 I am currently also working on some educational projects in Chile, South America.