Key fixtures in horseshoeing from all over the east and south gathered in Corryton, Tenn. July 10 and 11 for the East Tennessee Farriers Association Clinic. Highlighting the event was Danvers Child, who shared his expertise with a variety of different niche seminars and demonstrations on farrier fundamentals.

Wasting little time from the start on Friday, Child jumped right into a PowerPoint presentation on how to deal with high/low situations during horseshoeing, an informative seminar followed by a feedback session that wrapped up the opening morning.

Following the meal (barbecue pulled pork provided by Grand Poobah, E.T.F.A. and event coordinator Darrell Haynes), Danvers retook the stage for another presentation on traction fundamentals. Divided into five essential sections, the seminar covered soundness, usage footing, traction types and traction replacement techniques.

Upon finishing up the second presentation, a series of different vendors then took the floor to showcase their products to farriers in attendance. Among the sales pitches were John Halko from Georgia Farrier Supply on aluminum farrier tonneau covers and Mea Solze from SmartPak. Once the vendors finished up, Brian Quinsey, the executive director of the American Association of Professional Farriers, visited to discuss different topics and events regarding the organization.

Closing off the first day was a raffle with various door prizes awarded to select attendees, as well as one final demonstration on shoe modifications from Child. Running an hour beyond the scheduled end time, no one appeared to mind as Child was able to go through a long list of different techniques and discuss specifics with the audience.

Day 2 kicked off with an equine lameness seminar from Dr. Jose Castro, an equine surgeon from the University of Tennessee. The presentation went into precise detail on diagnosis and treatment procedures to help attendees learn the process for potential issues down the road with their own horses.

In addition to lectures, clinician Danvers Child demonstrated shoe modifications.
Danvers Child talked to attendees at the East Tennessee Farriers Association clinic about how to deal with high/low hooves.

To finish up the opening half of the day, Child returned to the presentation stage to discuss “Farrier Business Practice/Skills”, a valuable session not only to farriers just getting started, but also to experienced business owners looking for a fresh edge in the market.

Following lunch was a lecture on hoof knife care and sharpening by Neal Baggett from Baggett Knives, going into specifics on maximizing the effectiveness of farrier tools. Child then returned to close out what turned out to be a very successful clinic with a two-hour live horseshoeing demonstration. Using a surprisingly patient retired Grand Prix jumper as the example horse, Child managed to sneak in a few extra shoe modifications to close out the event.

The clinic, sponsored by the East Tennessee Farriers Association, was coordinated by the efforts of Darrell Haynes and Kim Simmons.

Content for the summary and photos were provided by Gary Gatts, a Pennsylvania farrier who attended both days of the clinic.