International Horseshoeing Hall of Famer Steve Kraus explains the impact of American Farriers Journal (AFJ) on the trade. AFJ is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.

Over the years, American Farriers Journal has sparked change, supported innovation, and helped shape the farrier profession into what it is today. But what if AFJ didn't exist?

Alongside Jeff Cota and Frank Lessiter, Bob Smith, Esco Buff, Dave Farley and Steve Kraus have all shared powerful reflections on how different the industry might look if AFJ had never taken off. From stalled educational progress to missed opportunities in research and product development, their "What If" stories remind us how far we've come — and how important it is to keep pushing forward.

Now, we’d love to hear from you.

What’s your “What If” story? How do you think the farrier industry — or your own journey — might have looked without AFJ?

Share your thoughts by commenting on Facebook here, comment below, or share your thoughts via email to jcota@americanfarriers.com. We may feature your insight on AmericanFarriers.com.

We are looking forward to hearing your perspective!

Video Transcript

Steve Kraus: If there was one thing that actually unifies the profession, it's a trade journal like the American Farriers Journal. I think what the AFJ did is turned on a light for farriers to see beyond their small circles that they were in without the AFA being really well known. And these small little — like Michigan and Garden State horseshoers — they were small circles that were very disjointed, and the companies made feeble attempts to sponsor or put in a showing or send something. And then I think as the Farriers Journal turned on this light, so to speak, then there was farriers. I think a lot of 'em, when they are interested in their profession and when this publication came out that showed what the other guys are doing, what's happening here and there and so on, I think that's one of the things that made a difference of spurring the growth of the profession during those years.

Between 1975 and the 1990s, I think, you know there was no Internet back then, so the main way that you could advertise and talk to the profession as a whole was through the American Farriers Journal. There was no other way. The farriers benefited for sure, but I think the AFA benefited a lot because they didn't have a real big newsletter back then. And the manufacturers definitely benefited because they had a way to reach everybody easier. And I'm surprised that didn't sustain the last company. But the other thing I made a note here is as the professions grew, there became a certain division at times between farrier groups and with the emergence of the IAPF I think the American Farriers Journal helped stitch everything together because there was a certain amount of controversy at the time between the AFA and the IAPF that I think the American Farriers Journal basically helped put it at more of we are all one profession and that we're not divided that much. If there was one thing that actually unifies the profession, it's a trade journal like the American Farriers Journal, and you see it with the European Farriers Journal now too and so on. There's no other thing that unifies all these different state groups, now national groups and so on, other than the Farriers Journal.