“Be gritty, be prompt, be willing to learn,” are the three characteristics that Julia Lundeen says every new farrier needs to succeed in the industry.

Julia Lundeen was honored as the 2023 Rising Shoeing Star Award winner at the International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio. The program recognizes farriers making incredible progress in their first 3 years after farrier school. In partnership with industry suppliers, the program highlights the importance of education and motivates new farriers to succeed. The 2023 program sponsors include Pyranha Animal Health, Victory Racing Plate Co. and American Farriers Journal.

Not only has Lundeen excelled early in her career, she has big goals for the future.

After beginning school to earn an engineering degree, Lundeen made a major shift. She didn’t want to sit behind a desk. She wanted to see her work make a difference. A conversation with her farrier opened her eyes to a new path forward — farriery.

Immediate Challenges

Lundeen identified a major obstacle after graduating from the Minnesota School of Horseshoeing in Ramsey, Minn.

“I knew what I needed to do in my mind,” she recalls, “but my hands didn’t have the skills.”

With this…