In March 1975, Henry Heymering mailed the first issue of American Farriers Journal. Both the original 8-page magazine (reprinted in its entirety on pages 67 to 74) and the shoeing industry have come a long way over the past 25 years.

As the only publication that’s been around this industry for 25 years, this magazine serves as the “hands-on” magazine for professional farriers and has been the leading voice of the farrier industry since 1975.

As we count down the days on a quarter-century of service to farriers, our staff decided to pull together this special anniversary issue. The goal was to highlight the key changes which have occurred in this industry since 1975.

Over the next 80 pages, you’ll find the highlights of the shoeing business throughout the past 25 years.We’re also offering a “crystal ball” look at what’s likely to happen to your shoeing business over the next 5 years.

You’ll find this information-packed issue to be a valuable reference and one you’ll want to keep for many years to come. It spotlights key trends and events that have occurred since the first issue of American Farriers Journal was published nearly 25 years ago. 

These Are Your Ideas

When we started planning this 25th anniversary issue, our staff knew it faced a gigantic task as so much has happened in the shoeing world since 1975.

To help us pull together the material, we asked readers for ideas. We also held a series of in-depth meetings earlier this year with farriers and suppliers to get their input on major developments over the past 25 years.

Browsing through old issues proved to be highly illuminating to our staff. Looking at the farrier industry then and now showed many significant changes. Yet this exhaustive search also documented that this industry has stayed the same in some ways.

In upcoming issues, we’ll be providing a few more articles dealing with changes in the shoeing business. We’ll even report on new shoeing changes you can expect 25 years from now.

This magazine’s 25th anniversary is significant for the entire farrier industry. Your industry has come a long way in the past quarter-century and we’re proud of the role this magazine has played in shaping changes.

The Next 25 Years

But we’re definitely not done! We look forward to serving you for the next 25 years!

You have our guarantee that we’ll continue to strive for new ways to best serve you and other American Farriers Journal readers in these changing times.