Another Sad Loss To Our Horse World
More sad news came yesterday of the passing of probably the most famous farrier in USET history, Seamus Brady. Seamus died yesterday of a heart attack while on his way to the hospital to deal with an ongoing infection in his leg. He was 78.
I first met Seamus when I was 21 and long-listed with our Dressage team under the direction of Col. Ljungquist. A group of us were invited to Gladstone for a week-long training camp and, naturally, the first thing that happened was my horse, J.L.Seagull (Jonathan), lost a front shoe. Fiona Bann, the Director of Dressage and all around “Head Mistress” of the Team, immediately called the farrier and an hour later in walked Seamus. Well, I was used to my blacksmith in Athens, Georgia and immediately began to explain to this big, strapping Irishman exactly what I expected of him for my horse. That is, I started to open my mouth to begin to speak, when out came what I can only relate as being a “guffaw” with a “Jesus Christ - who in the bloody hell is responsible for slapping the shoes on this poor beast!?”
Needless to say, my lecture to Seamus about what I expected him to do for me became more of a pleading for him to PLEASE fix my completely screwed up horse’s feet. And when I say pleading, by this I most literally mean BEGGING! And for my groveling, I received a first class lesson in hoof-care and proper shoeing along with the bill which was even more shocking then the initial cussing coming from Seamus’s mouth. $200.00!
Now, just so you understand this, I was a starving student/ young professional with hardly a pot to pee in and $200.00 for a horse to be shod was in 1977 like $1,000.00 for the job today. But you know what? Seamus was the best and he knew it, and I also think he knew that I would respect the artistry with which he did this incredibly important job. “No Foot - No Horse!”
Over the following decades, Seamus took care of many of my team horses and was always there to set me and my animals straight when there were problems. He was one of the great characters who make our horse world so wonderful to me, and I will miss him. There will most certainly never be another Seamus Brady!
Cheers up there, Seamus!
RD
Nicole — July 29, 2009 @ 9:20 pm
I met Seamus around the same time,77-78 in N.J….I know Exactly how you felt when first meeting him,I was Intimidated,yet Intrigued at the Same Time…His Knowledge was Immeasurable,His Heart was Huge.
I have to say that Seamus Brady was one of The Most Kind,Genuine,Honest People I have Ever Met..I Learned So Much from him…
Godspeed,Dear Seamus
Nikki Orna
Beth Collier — July 30, 2009 @ 7:29 am
Wasn’t Jonathan owned by Elizabeth Madlener?
Beth Collier — July 30, 2009 @ 7:52 am
My bad…Elizabeth Madlener’s horse was Jonathan Swift.
Fred McCashin — July 30, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
Back in the years after my father (Arthur) rode in the Olympics in 1952, he brought me to Ireland, and we travelled the island in search of good horses to bring to the US. I remember looking for what he described as “an American foot” which might hold up on our harder ground. When Arthur McCashin asked Dan Corry if the Irish Army had any good blacksmiths, Colonel Corry said he knew of one who could really work the metal, and had won some prize in Ireland for some ornamental gates. Seamus Brady told me later when Arthur brought him to the farm in NJ that he was paid far more for installing the gates than the prize for their beauty. Thus the Irish army’s loss was a gain for farriery in the USA.
Seamus worked for Arthur until Uncle Sam called him in the draft. Then off he went to serve yet another country. He told me that he used to drive some general who quizzed him on army regulations. Seamus had the answers and the general was impressed. The general got Seamus into classes that allowed him to fine tune his work with welding and metallurgy. When he got out of the service to Uncle Sam, he approached Arthur McCashin and told him he wanted to start his own business. Arthur gave him some tools, and the rest is history. I remember the width of his smile and his infectious personality. Surely his guile and smile will serve him well as he passes the pearly gates! A bit of Seamus lives on in all of us.
Linda Brady Deutsch — August 28, 2009 @ 8:56 am
I am proud to say I am Seamus’ daughter. I’d like to thank everyone for their kind words about my Father. I remember my Father speaking very highly of both Robert and Arthur. The entire horse world my Father dedicated his life to have been very gracious and comforting to my whole family and me.
My Father’s sudden passing was from a horse injury he got in July 08 to his leg. He passed of septic shock from multiple infections while in the hospital. He endured multiple surgeries and suffered horribly the past year, all with the hopes of getting back to work. I think one of the only comforts I have is that my Father worked in a business he loved to the day he died.
I miss him horribly. The horse world may of lost a great horseman; I have lost the finest Father, friend & man I have ever known. I love you Dad.