Fjärås, Sweden, and Wellington, Fla., farrier Björn Berg, CJF, APF, passed away Oct. 29, 2022. He was 61.

Berg attended Biologiska Yrkeshogskonal i Skara farrier school, the oldest farrier school in the world, and was approved by the Swedish Board of Agriculture. He served as farrier at the Gothenburg Horse Show from 2002-2016 and the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C. Berg and his collaborators received a patent for a measurement method to prevent lameness in horses.

Berg shod horses for Polisen Väst rytteriet, the police cavalry spanning 30 years. The organization expressed its sorrow over Berg’s passing.

“Bear was part of our team — an extremely knowledeable and experienced person who cared about and engaged with our horses in a way that went far beyond what the service required,” according to its Oct. 31 Facebook post. “No questions were too small or silly; Bear was always ready to answer and explain. Bear, you are leaving a big void behind you! We will miss your expertise, your calmness, and last but not least, your enormous loyalty. Thank you for all the years you gave Polisrytteri Väst! You will always have a special place with us.”

Zolas Emma-Märta Runsten, who apprenticed with Berg, also shared her gratitude in a slideshow tribute on Facebook.

“All those times I just wanted to give up and sell all my tools, he was there, solid as a rock, pushing me forward, believing in me,” she writes. “[He was] always a phone call away if my confidence was shaking, if I needed advice about some hooves that were tricky. Or if I just needed a friend to talk to. Twelve years together as his apprentice — not enough time; never enough time. He was one of a kind. The most well-educated farrier I knew, but so humble about it. Never shying off to change his mind, if new knowledge came up. Always listening to me if I had new ideas that I wanted to try. The internal jokes we had, that nobody else could understand; customers thought we were bickering like an old married couple; always ending the “fight” with I love u too. … I was not ready for the end. Nothing will be the same again. But I will continue to move forward, in your honor, Björn.”