“It has brought out my designer flair” laughs Master Farrier Vaughan Ellis
The man who shoes some of the best racehorses in Australia has created a Christmas Tree with a difference in his workshop at the Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne.
Made entirely of horseshoes, the original tree he designed last year also featured a star crafted of shoe nails on the top and Vaughan then added his own ‘designer flair’ with store-bought baubles to finish it off. The decorations are intricately fastened with fishline (fishing being the other passion in Vaughan’s life) and the inaugural piece attracted quite a bit of attention
The first one he made was photographed in Vaughan’s workshop, an almost Bethlehem stable-like structure at the historic racecourse that has served for more than a century as home to some of the nation’s most famous horses. Since then Vaughan has made additional pieces for his wife’s architectural design business and the offices of two of his racing clients
The racehorse clients’ trees featured decorations in their racing colours and Vaughan has plans in mind for a more rustic piece in the future
“If I use coloured decorations, I’ve realised it is best to keep it simple with two colours maximum and the shoes can also have different finishes” says Vaughan “But now I fancy trying a more rustic version. I’m going to let some shoes rust and then clear coat then for a different finish”
You would need to have a lucky horseshoe to get one of the prized pieces however as Vaughan is busy with some other interesting shoeing projects (more about those coming up soon) and demand is far outstripping supply
