When Jan Bloom, the president of Grand Circuit Products, passed away in June 2021 without a company successor, the farrier industry questioned the future of the 30-year-old company. Today, the uncertainty is removed with the announcement of Kentucky farrier Conrad Trow’s purchase of Grand Circuit.

“My immediate goal is to bring stability to Grand Circuit and return the company back to what the industry has trusted with the company. There has been a difficult period for Grand Circuit with first the passing of its founder Steve Bloom [Jan. 2015], followed by its leader Jan,” Trow tells AFJ, adding that the estate helped facilitate a good transition to preserve the company’s future, while honoring its past.

A native of South Africa, Trow has practiced farriery in Kentucky for about 25 years. His practice is based in Oldham County, with a concentration on Thoroughbred competitors, broodmares and foals. Well regarded as a leading farrier educator, Trow was an instructor at the Kentucky Horseshoeing School and is an international clinician. He was a successful competitor, as a past American Farriers Team member and manager, as well as a winner of the draft competitions at the Calgary Stampede and the American Farrier’s Association (AFA) Convention. The Certified Journeyman Farrier was an AFA examiner and tester. He remains active in his local association, the Derby City Horseshoeing Association.

Trow is not new to hoof-care manufacturing. He is the founder of Titan Enterprises, whose product line features an assortment of aluminum bar shoes. Grand Circuit will remain its own brand and product line. Rather than thinking about changes for Grand Circuit, Trow says his focus is the end user.

“We will work hard on delivering customer service with a personal touch, to match the high standards of the farrier industry. This includes fulfilling orders in a timely fashion,” says Trow.

Grand Circuit Products was founded in 1993 by Steve Bloom, a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame. In 2003, he married Jan Bloom, who helped expand the company’s product line. The company earned a respected reputation for its aluminum therapeutic shoes, but also steel shoes and hoof-care innovations, like White Lightning, a trusted product in the treatment of thrush and white line disease.