At some point during the first couple of weeks I spent as an editor at American Farriers Journal, I asked a farrier if he could give me a simple definition of hoof balance. Over the years, I came to appreciate the fact that he kept a straight face as he answered me.

I had a lot to learn.

Over the next 13 years I did, indeed, learn a lot. But with every bit of knowledge came an increased awareness of how much more I didn’t know. My journey, on a smaller scope, was what every novice farrier faces when embarking on a hoof-care career.

During my tenure as an AFJ editor, I wrote close to 60 “Shoeing for a Living” articles that took me to 29 U.S. states and one Canadian province (I tried to work in Alaska and Hawaii, but Frank Lessiter always told me if anyone was going to those places, it would be him).

I got to watch farriers work on high-end racehorses at famous tracks, as well as on backyard horses that lived in tiny stables at the end of winding roads where the pavement had ended several miles back. I watched simple shoeing jobs (if there is such a thing) and complex therapeutic applications. Each was a learning experience.

Over the years, I came to appreciate how much courage was displayed by the men and women who granted me the privilege of riding along with them. All these farriers, veterinarians and other hoof-care professionals took…