Clayton Wilber (St. Cloud, Fla.)

I would like to recognize Clayton Wilber who has been my farrier for over five years. He is always willing to listen to my concerns, find solutions and go above and beyond to get my show horses moving and feeling their best. I would say that he is one of a kind. Clayton is always willing to learn and teach others, along with looking for new ideas to improve the well-being of horses. In April of 2019, one my show horses came up lame again with an abscess. Once again, I called him to stop by and check out her hoof. Upon examination he recommended X-rays to rule out any other underlying problems as he thought it could possibility be a Keratoma.

I had no idea what that was, so I kind of just thought no big deal. Later that day I decided to call my vet and get X-rays done, and there it was (the keratoma) right above the abscess. I called Clayton right away as I was truly shocked by what the veterinarian showed me. Within a few days Clayton had the X-rays to Dr. Brent Barrett of (Barrett Equine Podiatry) and Chippen for Gold (Zena) was scheduled for surgery. I truly believe that if we hadn’t followed Clayton’s advice, the outcome would have been more severe in the long run. Thanks to Clayton, my mare is happy and keratoma-free. Clayton is always checking in on her and continues to exceed the expectations of a traditional farrier.

— Keligh Boyd (St. Cloud, Fla.)

Our farrier Clayton Wilber is a gem.

We have really come to rely on his experience, knowledge and amazing farrier skills. We wouldn't trust our horses’ feet to anyone else! He's dedicated to his craft and every time there's a problem, he's diligent about researching, diagnosing and treating it. Case in point, he put in multiple visits and countless hours helping us eliminate several serious issues from two of our horses. He knows his stuff.

Clayton's team at Florida Farriers Service is so dedicated to us as customers that we don't hesitate to contact them with questions between visits. They even came out to help us on a Sunday after a hurricane when I know they had a lot of horses to take care of.

To top it all off, Clayton and his wife Terri are great people and good friends. Who could ask for anything more in a farrier service?'

— Sandra Chihos (Chuluota, Fla.)

Farriers are a dime a dozen; good farriers are on in a billion and we are lucky enough to have one in our neck of the woods. I have known Clayton since I was a kid and I remember when he started his journey as a hoof man. Over the past 25-30 years I have seen his skill set evolve into an amazing level. Not only can he trim a pasture nag to perfection, but he can take a complex amount of problems in a performance horse and shoe it to perfection. I experienced his knowledge first hand with my calf roping horse.

Dan, the rope horse, is nearly a hundred years old and retired. He doesn’t get used anymore, he’s cranky, and the past few years he’s been nothing more than a feed bill. In typical horse fashion, Dan decided to increase my investment in him by bowing a tendon. After our vet diagnosed a gnarly tear, Clayton came by to see what he needed to do. He fitted Dan with wedges to relieve tension and promote healing within the injury. Clayton worked really hard keeping wedges on captain cranky pants and slowly decreased his angles until he was pasture sound. Clayton really worked with Dan and his injury and brought him back into use.

The story should end here, but it doesn’t. After a few weeks of walking on clouds, Dan abscessed at the coronet band; not in one spot, but multiple spots. Dan practically separated his entire hoof wall from the hair line. This is typically a good time to panic, but not if Clayton’s your man! He soaked, and trimmed, and shod until the cows came home and to our surprise, Dan recovered completely. Towards the end, Clayton came by to rasp him off, and a good 2 inches of hoof wall sluffed completely off, however; the new growth underneath was more than sufficient for healthy use.

I have known Clayton most of my life, and he’s always been, on his worst day, a great farrier, but most of the time he’s exceptional. There aren’t too many guys around that have his ability and/or willingness to make a horse happy, healthy, and useful.

— Lightning Dixon (St. Cloud, Fla.)

Clayton Wilbur is a dedicated and talented farrier. He first started working with my horses almost 8 years ago and immediately I could tell the difference. They were more willing to work and performed better after he had worked with them. Before I knew Clayton, I had no idea how important the hoof angles could be in a horse’s movement and comfort, but he taught me all about it and did amazing work to help my horse be more comfortable again. I never knew how influential a farrier could be in my horse’s performance and happiness until I met Clayton. He has a true gift for what he does and I feel very lucky to have my horses under his care. My horse is so comfortable with him, she even likes to nap, sometimes on him, while he works on her. Clayton has always gone above and beyond for my horses, going out of his way to help with a problem and even supporting my riding endeavors however he can. Clayton is one of the best farriers I have worked with and I am very fortunate to have him as a part of my horse’s care. Thank you, Clayton!

— Melanie Doughty (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)

Clayton is truly the most professional, kind, gentle, knowledgeable farrier I have ever met. He truly worked miracles on lame horses. Most of all, I am blessed to have him and his family as friends. They are an awesome family.

— Darlene Ferrell (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)

I have had horses for 38 years and Clayton educated me unlike any other farrier.

— Joi Gunn (Astatula, Fla.)

After a sound year in rodeo, my horse Roany started to struggle with lameness. We spent almost 8 months trying to pinpoint where the lameness was coming from and how we could resolve it. We were willing to try anything under the sun at that point to help our boy out. After countless vet appointments, we were starting to lose hope. We figured we should try one more vet and see if he had a different opinion on Roany’s situation. Dr. Nate Lee diagnosed Roany with navicular disease. He also recommended that we consult a farrier he works closely with (Clayton Wilber).

Right away we called Clayton and made Roany an appointment. The next day after Clayton worked on Roany we started to see changes. We took Roany back to the vet for his re-check and he was sound. After a month of consistent riding, Roany ran in his first race back and won 4th in the 1D! Thanks to the knowledge of our fabulous farrier Clayton Wilber, Roany is feeling, and performing better than ever!

— Maci McDonald (St. Cloud, Fla.)

Clayton Wilber has been my farrier for well over a year now. Best decision I have ever made for my horse, by far. Not only is he incredibly knowledgeable, skilled, and talented in his trade, he never stops seeking to learn more. He shines when given an opportunity to teach someone something about what he is doing and the details involved. He is innovative as well as passionate about keeping horses balanced, sound, comfortable, and happy...enhancing their ability to be. Clayton also has an incredible team that help make Florida Farrier Service, Inc. successful. They are the type of people who become like family. I feel blessed to even know him and his team and I am so incredibly grateful every time I look at my horse’s feet.

— Renee Simmons (Palm Bay, Fla.)

Clayton is totally dedicated to every horse he works with. He is a perfectionist at his craft and will stop at nothing to ensure that we are totally satisfied with his work. He doesn’t hesitate to offer advice on improving my horses’ performance when it comes to hoof health. I’ve never had a farrier who is so committed that he takes the time to actually watch your horse move under saddle. He truly is passionate about his business.

— Karen Sprung (Winter Springs, Fla.)

I have known what a Farrier was since I was a little girl with horses. As an adult, I have learned what a farrier is as a wife! Clayton Wilber, you have exceeded all of my expectations of you as a farrier. What started as a profession has become your passion! Your desire to see each horse achieve the highest level of comfort and soundness possible is amazing but your ability to make it happen is unlike anything I have ever seen. The compassion you have for the horse and the owner, whether it be a mini in the pasture or a world champion, is immeasurable. I just want you to know that we are so thankful for you! You show us each day what it means to be a hard worker! You get up in the morning with your back hurting and go to bed with the same. You show us what dedication is. You have missed many family functions over the years because of lost shoes, lame horses, emergency situations and clients "forgetting" that they were leaving in 2 days for an event and needed done early, responding with, “It's not the horses fault!” Your family understands and respects your desire to help them all. You have traveled from South Florida to Las Vegas to watch a run and tack on a shoe. You have stopped on a family trip to buy new tools and an apron to be able to swing by an event (out of state) and fix one “real quick”! You have worked until midnight and headed back out at 4 a.m. more times than we can count. You have showed your family what it means to truly have a passion for being a farrier! Thank you for all of your hard work and for providing an amazing life for us! Thank you for being the exceptional person you are! I am proud to be “the farrier’s wife" and your kids and grandkids are proud to be “the farrier’s family!”

— Terri Wilber (St. Cloud, Fla.)

To begin, my gelding is a hard club footed case. I have gone back and forth between local farriers for years, and no one could get him sound or quite right. But about a year ago, my horse Louie became laminitic due to a mixture of the rich spring/summer grass and aggressive angle correction on his club foot. He was visibly in a lot of pain, tip-toeing over the concrete and standing in a rocking horse posture to relieve toe pressure. As soon as I called Florida Farrier Service. They accommodated us that day and came and put pads, cushions, and the correct shoes on for some relief. Within the hour he was standing square and feeling much more comfortable. His pedal pulses decreased to a normal rate, his temperature decreased, and his appetite returned. I am so grateful for Clayton’s promptness, knowledge, and most of all, his heart. He truly cares about these animals, big or small, and it reflects directly in his work! I am finally able to compete on Louie (comfortably) and not worry about his hooves! We didn’t have any laminitis issues this year, and will continue to use FFS for years to come!

— Kaitlin Chieca (Vero Beach, Fla.)

My farrier Clayton Wilber with Florida Farrier service save my fillies life when she was just 2 years old. She had a bad wire injury that cut off a fourth of her hoof including part of her coffin bone and frog. I was told with surgery she would only have a 50% chance of surviving and probably never been sound. He works tirelessly built special Z plate shoes, spent at least four hours every time on the shoes and she is sound. 90% of her hoof grew back including the frog. She never had surgery. He truly saved her life. He has done amazing work with other horses and I have seen horses lame and walk off sound after he is done working with them. He has also drove eight hours to fix shoes on horses that are competing. He truly cares about the horse and not just the money.

— Heidi Thompson (Vero Beach, Fla.)

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