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                 Get to know your Business Agent today!  Find out how the union makes a difference on the job. |
Newsline: April 2002 No Wars Lost From Loose Horseshoes Here In a highly technological world where scientists have walked on the moon and are charting the universe, the trade practiced by Local 237 members Jerry Trapani, Daryl Marciano and John McGlynn is without doubt something from another age. In our Mach 3 world of lasers and robots, superjets that travel to Europe in three hours, and rockets racing into space, these three carry on a tradition that some contend dates back to the Druids, 500 years before the birth of Christ. Trapani, Marciano and McGlynn all bear the title of horseshoer for the New York City Police Department. The title evokes memories of a less frenzied age, of carriage and pony rides, pleasant jaunts into the country, and the scent of new mown hay. Marciano has been with the Police Department for about 19 years. McGlynn and Trapani are both relative newcomers to the department. McGlynn has been keeping the mounted police riding high and safely for about three years, and Trapani, 19 months. All three of the men came from similar backgrounds, a love of horses that led them to their trade. All also agree that it takes a long time to become good at what you’re doing -- and have the broken bones and scars to prove it. Trapani, of Forest Hills, contended: “You have to be careful because these animals weigh from about 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. They can do a lot of damage just by stepping on you.” All the horseshoers have suffered injuries from run-ins with their charges. Trapani has had broken toes, Marciano broken ribs, and McGlynn had a broken leg. Nasty horses also have taken serious bites out of the horseshoers. All three men said they liked horses in their youth and liked riding. But Marciano, who had studied plumbing in school, was not won over to his present trade until a friend invited him to the Catskills to do a plumbing job at a dude ranch. He had learned a little from a friend who cared for horses in Forest Park Stables in Queens, but didn’t become smitten with horses until a friend invited him to install new bathrooms in a clubhouse in New Paltz where the horses enchanted him. After that, he turned seriously to the horseshoe trade, studying in a farriers’ school in Phoenix, N.Y., on Lake Ontario. “The school taught me the basics,” Marciano said, “but you still have to work with somebody to learn your trade. You have to spend at least a year with an experienced teacher before you get comfortable.” Marciano worked for Trapani for two years in the private sector before obtaining his post with the Police Department more than 18 years ago. ‘You Never Stop Learning’ McGlynn, who worked as a horseshoer in the private sector before applying for a post with the Police Department, insisted: “You never stop learning. There is always something new to learn.” Trapani, who is certified by the American Farriers’ Association, has also written articles on his occupation for horse magazines. In one on how horse owners can save money by not losing shoes, he noted that the first thing to do is “make sure the shoe is the correct size for the hoof.” He also wrote a book in 1985 that he titled, “For Want of a Nail,” but the publisher changed it to “Equine Hoof Care.” Like people, bad shoes on horses can lead to “underrun heels, bruises, corns and cracks,” he said. Unlike people, however, new shoes require consideration of a lot more than just keeping toes from being cramped. Horseshoes come in sizes, just like humans’ shoes, but to make them fit requires a little more than a shoe horn. In addition to removing the old shoes and nails, the shoer must do such things as cut down the sole of the hoof, remove all excess growth, and trim the hoof wall to make it level. Trapani says it is important that hooves be trimmed so that correct balance is maintained. After the old shoes are off, and the bottom of the hooves trimmed so the shoes sit properly, the shoer must measure the angle of each hoof and heat the shoe so as to shape it to fit the hoof. Once sure it fits properly, the shoer then has to hold the hoof up and hammer sharp nails around the circumference, making sure it lodges securely in the hard hoof wall rather than the soft part of the hoof. The nails protrude from the hoof wall and are then cut and bent to hold them securely to the hoof. The Police Department has about 120 horses in its six mounted troops and each one of them requires reshoding on an average of about six weeks. So it is easy to see why the shoers are kept busy. In addition to the shoers, the police mounts are groomed and cared for by 28 hostlers, who are also members of Local 237. McGlynn contended that a good hostler is part veterinarian and can advise the shoer of any problems the horses may have. |
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 Outside the Pelham Bay Park Stable are Jerry Tapani, left, and Daryl Marciano. On the right is Randy Klein, their Local 237 business agent.  Here John McGlynn shows us his handiwork. Before a horseshoer can even start to put new shoes on one of the cityís police horses, he first has to make them as ěnon-slipî as possible. To do this, he uses an acetylene torch to melt an alloy called borium onto three points on the shoe area that touches the street or turf. The welding of this tough material to the shoe allows for increased traction in all weather conditions, and is thought to be superior to rubber shoes.  Jerry Trapani takes the proper measurement, above, then gives the shoe the proper whacks. |
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