About Talking Horse Shoes… and how it all started
“Horsemen usually jump at the chance to use a talented bug boy (apprentice jockey) because they get that five pound weight allowance. There’s an extra incentive when the young rider has the physical strength of Laffit Pincay Jr. and the aggression of Angel Cordero Jr.”
Mike Martin
Daily Racing Form – July 9th, 1988
These words and others like them over his 12 year career as a jockey in the California, Washington and Louisiana racing circuits might have continued to this day had not a fateful injury car accident cut short the racing days of James Corral.
Going from an inexperienced UCLA freshman who learned riding at Galway Downs in Temecula to becoming 1988′s highest paid apprentice rider in Southern California, from the front pages of the Seattle Times newspaper as winner of the state’s biggest Stakes race to the winner’s circle in Louisiana, James flourished in the business of racing. But his career was plagued by injuries, one of which was captured on film in the moving documentary “Cup of Courage”.
When, after so many injuries, his racing days ended, he decided to stay on helping trainers in the arena he knew and loved… teaching horses how to run. Always curious about how things worked and looked, James began taking used racehorse shoes from the farriers’ discards wondering how they would look if they could be cleaned and polished. About the same time he’d developed an interest in woodworking, especially staining wood.
Eventually, James wondered if the used shoes could be made into something useful and meaningful for the barns at the racetrack. After experimenting, he hit upon the idea of making bridle racks and blinker holders. Barn and trainer signs soon followed. Then he expanded his work into commemorative plaques for owners using their own horse’s shoes plated in a variety of finishes including chrome and 24k gold.
Today, these unique custom pieces include key holders, coat and hat racks, and rider’s memorabilia in addition to signs, bridle racks and equipment holders. Just about anything you want memorialized can be custom made for you on the beautifully hand stained or painted wood of your choice.
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