International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame member Lester Hollenback of Deltona, Fla., passed away Thursday, July 16, 2020. He was 97.

Born Aug. 24, 1922, in Macomb, Ill. to Earl & Janie Hollenback, Hollenback’s shoeing story has been an illustrious one — spanning decades and continents.

Serving in Burma during World War II as a part of Merrill’s Marauders (a famous infantry troop), Hollenback would walk 15 miles a day, fight the enemy and then shoe mules at night. After his cavalry days were over in 1947, Hollenback returned to the United States to begin a domestic shoeing career.

By 1965, Hollenback founded the Midwest Horseshoeing School in Macomb, Ill., where he went on to educate countless farriers. In 1971, he sold the school and moved to Florida, beginning a 14-year shoeing run at the Ben White Raceway in Orlando. His time was well spent as he shod for some of the best Standardbred trainers in the world.

After he retired he shared his knowledge as a respected speaker and clinician. He was inducted into the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame in 2001.

American Farriers Journal will publish a tribute to Hollenback in the upcoming September/October 2020 issue.

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