These are exciting times for everyone in the hoof-care industry. The horse population continues to expand across North America and the horse-owning public is becoming more and more diverse. The opportunities for success and prosperity for those in our industry have never been brighter.

But exciting times are also challenging ones. The expansion of the horse population places greater demands on people who provide goods and services for horses. New horse owners bring an enthusiasm to their role, but may lack the “horse-sense” and experience of owners who have been around horses and horse people from the time they could first walk.

A Time Of Change

It’s not enough for today’s hoof-care professionals to simply be good at providing hoof-care; they must also be an educator, counselor, businessperson, product evaluator and student. It’s a good thing that most of them wouldn’t have it any other way.

At American Farriers Journal, we’re well aware of the challenges that lie ahead for the hoof-care world. In recent months, we’ve held serious conversations about how we can better perform our mission of serving that world through our magazine, our Web site and our signature event, the International Hoof-Care Summit.

One decision we’ve made is to rely even more heavily on an aspect of the magazine that has served us very well in the past — our Editorial Advisory Board.

The role of this panel of expert farriers and veterinarians has always been an important one for us. We’ve relied on board members for…