Mike Bagley

Tookie Myers

Much of the success the International Hoof-Care Summit has enjoyed is due to the American Farriers Journal staff listening closely to the wants and needs of those of you involved in professional hoof care. Starting with the first Summit in 2004, we’ve always believed there is nobody in a better position to help plan the program and activities than folks working daily on the equine foot.

The Summit and AFJ each have separate panels of hoof-care professionals who serve as a “sounding board.” These industry leaders help us by suggesting and offering their thoughts on topics, speakers, format adjustments and much more.

This year, we’ve added two new advisory board members. Mike Bagley of North Industry, Ohio, joins the farriers on our board and M.W. “Tookie” Myers of Chesapeake, Va., joins our equine vet members.

Board Members

The Summit Advisory Board includes five farriers, two equine veterinarians, three suppliers and one horseshoeing school director. These 11 members represent several aspects of the hoof-care profession and a number have been speakers at previous Summits and have also authored AFJ articles.

We value their opinions and ideas in helping us continue to make the International Hoof-Care Summit the premier learning experience in the world for footcare professionals.

Farrier Members

Jennifer Horn

Dean Moshier

New board member, Mike Bagley of North Industry, Ohio, began his career as a farrier after graduating from the Kentucky Horseshoeing School in Richmond, Ky. He is a BWFA certified journeyman II farrier. Bagley served as a committee chairman for the American Association of Professional Farriers and is an accredited professional farrier through that organization as well. His work focuses on performance quarter horses and rodeo horses, as well as therapeutic cases involving navicular syndrome and laminitis.

Jennifer Horn of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., works with all types of horses in the eastern end of the state’s Upper Peninsula, the northern area of the Lower Peninsula and on Mackinac Island.

As the first Michigan female to qualify as a certified journeyman farrier, she is active in a number of farrier groups and has a special interest in forging shoes and ornamental iron projects.

Dean Moshier of Delaware, Ohio, has been shoeing for 18 years. A speaker at the Summit and author of several AFJ articles, Moshier works with many types of horses and has a special interest in working on lameness issues with area veterinarians.

Doug Workman

David Nicholls

David Nicholls of West Sussex, England, is a long-time supporter of the Summit, having shared the results of much of his highly practical footcare research. Shoeing since 1968, Nicholls works closely with British veterinarians and other farriers in the treatment of lameness and foot-related concerns.

Doug Workman of Cleveland, Ga., grew up around horses and has spent 27 years trimming and shoeing. He specializes in working with hunters, jumpers and dressage horses, and has many ideas on farrier tool maintenance. Earlier in his career, Workman spent time working with dogs in field trial competitions and served as a hunting guide in Wyoming.

Three Suppliers

Kevin Keeler

Erikk Peterson

Erikk Peterson is vice president of Nordic Forge, a third generation family-owned business in Guttenberg, Iowa. The firm has been producing farrier and hand tools since the early 1920s and horseshoes for the past 38 years.

He has been involved with the startup of several facilities and the creation of numerous quality farrier tools that are offered at competitive prices.

Kevin Keeler is the owner of Equine Innovations in New Plymouth, Idaho. With a desire to make his career as a farrier much safer and easier after suffering knee damage, he developed the Hoofjack equine foot support system.

Bill Kirkpatrick

After 30 years as a farrier, Keeler is keenly interested in helping farriers take better care of their bodies due to the excessive strains and demands they face in their daily footcare work.

Bill Kirkpatrick is general manager of Sound Horse Technologies in Unionville, Pa. The company got its start in 1999 by licensing the Sigafoos fabric-cuffed, adhesive bonded horseshoe patents from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. A mechanical engineer, Kirkpatrick previously spent 30 years working with Fortune 500 businesses in the U.S. and Asia.

Equine Vet Members

New board member, M. W. “Tookie” Myers can be found working his 40+ year practice in both veterinary medicine and therapeutic farriery via his mobile practice, Vet Care Etc. P.C. with his partner Carlene Myers, in Chesapeake, Va., and North Carolina. He is also the equine veterinarian and resident farrier for Deepwood Veterinary Clinic, Centreville, Va., and the equine veterinarian consultant for international podiatry cases through EPC Solutions. Myers is an experienced and practicing farrier as well as accomplished rider and show judge. 

Dr. Frank Reilly

Affiliated since 1986, he is currently president of the board of directors for the American Horse Protection Association and has served on many past equine board positions. Myers' strongest attributes are his in-depth understanding of distal limb biomechanics with strong analytical skill-sets, podiatry field research and his sincere approach to develop respectful relationships to encourage productive farrier-veterinarian teamwork.

Dr. Frank Reilly of West Chester, Pa., has worked exclusively in the equine medicine field for 24 years and earlier worked as a racetrack veterinarian in Florida, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. A graduate of the University of Illinois School of Veterinary Medicine, the operator of Equine Medical & Surgical Associates has a special interest in the impact of diet, exercise, nutrition and farrier care with horses suffering from Cushings disease and insulin-resistance issues.

Shoeing School Member

Mitch Taylor

Mitch Taylor of Richmond, Ky., is the director of the Kentucky Horseshoeing School and has helped many students get started in the farrier world. A popular clinician on equine limb anatomy and how biomechanics can be impacted with different shoeing options, Taylor is a frequent conference speaker and has spoken at several Summits.

More Summit Learning

The AFJ staff looks forward to having these International Hoof-Care Summit Advisory Board members help make this annual event an even more valuable source of footcare learning for attendees from around the world.

The 2016 Summit is being held from Feb. 2-5 in Cincinnati, Ohio. For further updates on the Summit, visit americanfarriers.com/ihcs. We look forward to seeing you there for this tremendous footcare learning opportunity.