International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame member Fred Cleveland passed away in December. He was 85.

Cleveland was a 1968 graduate of Cornell University and credits the tutelage of fellow Hall of Fame member Harold Mowers.

“Harold was the best man working in the fire that I have ever watched,” Cleveland recalled. “He was a teacher, a friend, a horseman and a great farrier. The many calls I made to him were never ignored. He was one of those people born to teach horseshoeing.”

After graduation, he worked for Hall of Fame farrier Seamus Brady before starting his own practice and becoming a well-respected farrier in the Marshall, Va., area for more than 40 years. He earned his journeyman farrier certification from the American Farrier’s Association and Guild of Professional Farriers. He also was a master farrier from the Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association.

Cleveland was generous with his time and hoof-care knowledge with his colleagues and shared his insight for American Farriers Journal articles, offering tips on farrier skills.

Cleveland was known and respected by fellow horseshoers and veterinarians alike.

“He could make anything you needed for a case right at the horse,” says International Equine Veterinarian Hall of Fame member Dr. Stephen O’Grady. The pair met in 1995 when O’Grady moved to Middleburg, Va. At the time O’Grady started asking around about who was the go-to hoof-care…