Back in March of 1975, Henry Heymering mailed out the first issue of American Farriers Journal. Both the original 8-page issue (printed in its entirety starting at right) and the farrier industry have come a long way over the past 40 years.

At that time, Heymering was concerned with the lack of communication and interaction among farriers. Down through hundreds of years, most farriers had refused to share trimming and shoeing ideas with others in the trade. Fearful of providing others with any competitive edge, farriers kept their thoughts and ideas to themselves. In some instances, it wasn’t unusual for a farrier to pack up his tools and leave a barn if another shoer happened on the scene.

Frustrated by this state of affairs, Heymering decided it was time for a publication that would encourage and help farriers communicate with one another. American Farriers Journal was the result, and a great deal has changed in the industry since Heymering sent 800 copies in March of 1975 to graduates of the Oklahoma Farrier’s College.

Big Change In Attitudes

Thanks in part to the efforts of this magazine, the lack of trust among farriers has disappeared over the past 4 decades as the industry has seen and enjoyed the many benefits of working together. As a result, today’s sharing of footcare skills among farriers has grown immensely on local, national and international levels.

When asked to name the most significant changes in the equine footcare industry over the past 40 years, a…