Holly Ford (La Vernia, Texas)
Holly came to me in December 2018 after going through several farriers in my area that were unable to commit to the single mare I had on my property. She drove to my farm religiously every 5-6 weeks to work with the mare that at the time could hardly walk due to sore feet. It wasn’t long before she was once again pasture sound and comfortable. Not long after I acquired two more retired geldings for her to work on, a pony, and my show horse with terrible stereotypical Thoroughbred feet. Her willingness to lend her time to a single barefoot trim turned into getting my whole barn as my facility grew. She’s always on time and I never had to worry about her not showing up. When she took on my Thoroughbred, he was in a 2-degree wedge that had crushed his heel so severely he had the imprint of the wedge in his frog for 8 more weeks after it was removed. She’s never been afraid to think outside of the box. Not only has she managed to keep him sound but she’s made him so comfortable that it translated to his performance in eventing. What I thought were training and behavioral problems under saddle were simply just discomfort in his feet when we were jumping and galloping cross country. He brought home his first blue ribbon at a USEA recognized event, which qualified us for the American Eventing Championships. None of this would have been possible without her.
She has saved horse’s lives that were destined to be euthanized because of the poor prognosis of their hooves. She trims a three-legged mini horse and supports his body weight all at the same time. She takes extra care for the old arthritic painful horses that do their best to stand for her. She drives all over Texas upwards of 6 hours just to make sure her clients are taken care of. She’s super woman in a male-dominated industry and I’m proud to have her not only as my farrier but as my friend.
— Miranda Gallegos (La Vernia, Texas)