Speakers

Valeria Busoni, DMV, PhD, Dipl.ECVDI

Born in Italy, Valeria graduated in Veterinary Medicine in Pisa. After a few months in the UK, she moved to France to train at the Veterinary School of Alfort. There she achieved a residency in diagnostic imaging, leading her to become the first Italian to obtain the ECVDI Diploma.

Now Valeria works as senior radiologist at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Liège (ULiège-Belgium) where she is Associate Professor of large and small diagnostic imaging. Valeria is head of the diagnostic imaging service of the University Veterinary Hospital and director of the ECVDI Residency Programme at ULiège. Her main interests in diagnostic imaging are ultrasonography (in large and small animals) and teaching/learning radiology.

She believes that self-knowledge and metacognition are the solid bases for a critical diagnostic imaging practice and long-life learning. Therefore, her teaching to students is centered on cognitive processes of image acquisition and analysis, and she runs on-line coaching programs to train practicing veterinarians in critical image reading.

Passionate about human relationships and always other-oriented, she has recently trained in strategic problem-solving and brief therapy (Palo Alto model) and she practices part-time as coach for individuals and teams. Mindfulness trainer and yoga professor, she also holds a short training course in interpersonal mindfulness for veterinary students.

Stephen O’Grady, DVM, MRCVS

Dr. Steve O'Grady was a professional farrier for ten years prior to obtaining his degree in veterinary medicine. He graduated from Haverford College and then went on to graduate from the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science in South Africa with a DVM Degree. He currently operates Virginia Therapeutic Farriery in Keswick, Virginia, which is a referral practice devoted to foot disease and equine therapeutic farriery. He has published thirty-three peer-reviewed papers in the veterinary literature, numerous papers in the farrier literature, written 18 book chapters and edited two editions of Veterinary Clinics of North America on equine podiatry and therapeutic farriery. In 2003, he was inducted into the International Equine Veterinarians Hall of Fame and in 2009, he received the AAEP President's Award for his work in farrier education. In 2019, he was awarded the coveted gold medal from the South African Veterinary Association. In 2020, he was acknowledged for his commitment to the education of equine practitioners around the world by receiving AAEP's Distinguished Educator Award.

Wayne Preece, FWCF

Wayne gained the DipWCF in October 1988 with honours.
He started his own farriery practice in 1994 in Settle, North Yorkshire. He shod a wide variety of horses but soon gained a reputation for shoeing lame horses working as a referral farrier for a veterinary practice.

Wayne became an approved training farrier in 1997 passing his AWCF exam in 2001. In 2004 he was employed at Myerscough College progressing to head farriery tutor in 2006. He became a qualified teacher in 2008 and gained the highest level of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, becoming an FWCF in the same year.

In 2013 he became senior tutor at Hereford School of Farriery until 2017 when he decided to go back to what he loved the best, shoeing horses. Wayne is a clinician both at home in the UK as well as abroad, with regular clinics in the USA, Israel, Poland, and Denmark

Craig Trnka, CjF

Craig Trnka, CJF and CEO of World Championship Blacksmiths attended shoeing school at Minnesota school of Horseshoeing in 1984. Craig decided to start his shoeing practice in New Mexico and has been there ever since. In 1991 he made second alternate on the American Farrier’s Team by winning the heart bar class at the Little Rock, AR. Convention held by the American Farrier’s Association. In 1992 he won his first spot on the AFT and held that spot for ten consecutive years having to remake the team each and every year. To this day that record still stands. In 1996 Craig won the high score practical test for the AFA CJF exam. That same year Craig was awarded the Jim Linzy Clinician of the year award. Teamwork has always been his passion and it showed by him winning the World Draft shoeing at Calgary 4 times and the National 2 person draft class 7 times, all with numerous teammates. Craig has won every class that the American Farrier’s Convention has ever had at least once and many of them several times, through this he has been National Champion 5 times. Craig has competed internationally getting the best prepped foot score twice at the international competition in Stoneleigh, England. Moving on to the World Championships at the Calgary Stampede Craig made it into the top ten several years before busting through being the 2nd American to win the world championship in 1999. In 2002, he changed arenas and ran for President of the American Farrier’s Association in Lexington, KY and won. Under his leadership, using teamwork skills learned from competing in horseshoeing, the association grew from 2,200 members to 3,500 in just four years. Membership retention was at an all time high. In 2004 Craig won the Edward Martin Humanitarian Award. This award is extra special to Craig because Mr. Martin was a great ambassador to the profession of Farriery and one of a very short list to be knighted by the Queen of England. In 2015 Craig decided it was time to return to competing. He participated in competitions across the country, and at the AFA Convention in Mobile Alabama in the early spring of 2016, he earned his unprecedented 11th spot on the American Farriers Team, where he was able to compete alongside his oldest son. It was the first time a father/son duo represented the AFT and they were both able to qualify for the AFT again, in 2018 at the Reno, NV Convention.
The World Championships Blacksmiths is a new and amazing venue for Farrier competitions which Craig is the CEO! This endeavor has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception in January of 2007 and is one of the most progressive ways for Farriers to improve their education. The WCB started as a grass roots movement that has moved its way into some of the most prestigious horse venues across America: Equine Affaire, Midwest Horse Fair, Western States Stock Show, just to name a few.