Mark Lieser of Weslaco, Texas, finished atop the field in the 2007 Calgary Mail-in Shoe Exercise. Lieser, who had taken second place in 2006 and sixth place in 2005, earned first place this time with 83 points awarded by the judges.

Capturing second place this year was Flavio Sovza of Serra Negra, Brazil, with 71.25 points. Third place went to Bill Poor of Manvel, Texas, who earned 69 points to move up from fifth place a year ago. Poor, captain of the American Farrier’s Association team for the last 2 years, also earned the title of World Champion Blacksmith during the shoeing competition that was part of the Calgary Stampede, a festival dedicated to preserving Western heritage.

The Calgary Mail-In Shoeing Exercise is sponsored by American Farriers Journal and the World Championship Blacksmiths’ Competition. This year’s Mail-In Exercise attracted 39 participants from 10 countries, including spots as distant as Australia, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Iceland. Each participant receives a collection of prizes worth more than $160 donated by farrier industry suppliers. The top finishers receive prizes totaling more than $8,500.

Participants were required to build a fishtail bar shoe from 3/8-by-3/4-inch flat stock. The fishtail has been described as an exaggerated support shoe that can help…