A once somewhat shy inmate at the James River Work Center in Virginia recently took top honors for his farrier skills at the World Championship Blacksmiths competition. Wilson was the overall winner in the novice category and in hind shoeing during the competition held at the Virginia Fair in Doswell, Va.
“Will Wilson, a former inmate whose hard shell softened after he bonded with ex-racehorse Thoroughbred Haps Online, an injured chestnut mare he nursed back to health, has done himself and the entire Second Chances program mighty proud”, says Dr. Reid McLellan, curriculum developer of the program.
Will Wilson, with horse, forged a new career while learning the artistry of horse shoeing at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chances program.
Anne Tucker, co-founder of James River’s TRF Second Chances program says the changes in Wilson from the day he arrived, withdrawn, quiet and shy, to the day he left with squared shoulders and a new lease on life was a remarkable and happy thing to see.
