Farrier Stories
Check out this St. Eloy link. Stone Carving
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Story 5:
This cartoon is based on something that Rob would tell people
when their horse was being difficult. Kind of a joking way to
let them know that bad behavior was a serious problem that
warranted serious attention to get it stopped.
At the time we did not know about St Eloy, the patron saint of
blacksmiths, who in English church windows is frequently
depicted as a farrier because, according to legend, he once
removed a horse's leg to shoe it and afterwards replaced it.
It seems that as far back as 600 horses have been behaving
badly for farriers. Henry Heymering of St Eloy publishing sent
me an article written by Colonel J Hickman MA FRCVS. It states
that "Saint Eligius (or Saint Eloy) was born at Chaptelat near
Limoges in 588. The legend of St Eligius tells how a horse
brought to his forge to be shod became possessed by Devil Imp,
kicked so furiously that all present fled except St Eligius
who calmly cut off the horse's leg, put the foot on his anvil
and, having shod it, rejoined it to the body of the living
horse."
- as told by Rob Keesling to his wife, Gina
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