Chad Chance makes a point during his presentation at the Anvil Brand summer clinic in Lexington, Ill.
Chad Chance believes there’s a difference between being good at something and being successful at it.
That was his message at Friday’s summer clinic at Anvil Brand Shoe Co., in Lexington, Ill., where he shod a reining horse before a crowd of about 60 farriers who came from across the Midwest.
Chance, a 30-year farrier from Denton, Texas, graduated from the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School in Purcell, Okla., in 1984 and has a master’s degree in science from Texas Tech University.
He has shod multiple American Quarter Horse Association Congress and World Champions, along with amateur champions in the American Paint Horse Association, National Cutting Horse Association, National Reining Horse Association, Arabian Horse Association, Appaloosa Pleasure Horse Association and in 2003, the National Reining Horse Association Futurity Champion.
His presentation began with an emphasis on making sure the farriers in attendance understood the important financial aspect that comes with the business.
“I believe in three things as a farrier – having a big dream, a great attitude and a great work ethic,” he said. “You have to want to work hard.”
Chance also talked about an owner/trainer’s need for instant gratification when the farrier shoes his or her horse.
“Once you know what the athlete (horse) is doing right or wrong, you must have the skills to help that athlete or just stay out of the way.”
He encouraged the farriers in attendance to ask the trainer questions before getting under a horse because it’s important to know where the horse is in its training.
When he’s able to ask a lot of questions before he even begins shoeing the horse, he’s able to better understand where the horse is in its training and help better your knowledge of the horse.
“You have to treat this like a business and ask the right questions or else the owner or trainer is going to find someone else who will,” he said. “A 3-year-old in January is a lot different than a 3-year-old in October.”
Vettec, Inc., also made a presentation in the afternoon focused on some of its hoof-care and hoof-wall repair products.
Tab Pigg talked about Adhere, a fast-setting urethane adhesive designed to bond steel, aluminum and urethane shoes to the hoof.
“This is a urethane material that sets in a minute and a half, you can put the foot down on a glue-on in about 4 or 5 minutes, it’s ready to rasp and set.”
That can be a big advantage when working with a damaged or painful hoof when speed is important.
Click this link to see Pigg’s demonstration on Adhere from the 2013 International Hoof-Care Summit.
