A merican Farriers Journal’s “Shoeing for a Living” series began in 1992 with Maryland farrier Gary Faulkner. Today, AFJ has published more than 120 “Shoeing for a Living” articles that spotlight farriers from across the country. The series’ goal echoes Henry Heymering’s reason for founding AFJ 50 years ago: to bring farriers together and learn from one another. To celebrate 50 years of supporting farriers, tune in all year for more tips and insights from farriers who shoe for a living. 

A Deliberate Approach

Beyond pulling shoes, Texas farrier Tommy Boudreau is a stickler for fully examining the horse. Rather than staying in a position and watching a horse walk from and to him, Boudreau likes to take the lead rope and walk the horse, analyzing its footfalls. He does this before he pulls shoes, after his trim and after the shoeing job is complete. He insists on first seeing the horse come out of the stall. 

“What if you didn’t observe the horse until after you shod it, and then notice it is a bit lame,” he asks. “You’ll ask yourself if it is related to something you did. Let’s say a hind shoe is worn on the outside. That tells me the horse might be kicking in the stall or maybe has a stifle problem. I communicate this to the trainer. As farriers, we have to look for these tattletales.”

As he starts his trim, Boudreau says he likes to work on a horse, trimming and balancing all…