International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame member Gene Armstrong of Paso Robles, Calif., passed away Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
An outstanding farrier and active member of the American Farrier’s Assn., Armstrong was the energetic farriery instructor at California Polytechnic State Univ. in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He is known for teaching his students to take care of the whole horse —from minds to hooves.
“He was by far the most influential professor for me at Cal Poly,” Susan Watkins writes in a Facebook post. “He was by far the best teacher, farrier, cowboy, mentor, human whoever pulled on a pair of cowboy boots. The world was a much better place for having you in it.”
A constant learner, Armstrong’s clinics let him share shoeing ideas with many other farriers around the country. He was known for his willingness to travel anywhere farriers wanted to learn more about hoof care. His philosophy is that putting on a clinic is always worthwhile if he can shoe only one person the importance of proper hoof care.
Armstrong’s work influenced many farriers including Hastings, Neb., farrier Phil Fisher, who passes along the knowledge that he learned from the Hall of Fame farrier.
“The approved tester program had also just started back then,” Fisher recalled in a 2018 American Farriers Journal article. “I was one of the approved testers, and Gene was an examiner, so I got to work with him on certifications. I learned a great deal from him that has helped me throughout my career.”
Fisher continues Armstrong’s legacy by sharing what he learned from him.
“When shoeing the front feet, I use Gene Armstrong’s support principle that a line extends down to the front of the cannon bone and comes out at least two-thirds of the distance from the toe to one-third from the end of the shoe,” the reining horse farrier wrote in 1996. “Roll or rocker the toe and extend the heel in order to ease the breakover and support the leg.”
Armstrong was elected to the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame in 1994.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
