By American Farriers Journal Staff

Walt Garner, a titan in the farrier tool industry, passed away Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, in Tennessee.

Funeral services are pending.

In 1973, Garner and his wife Beth were looking for a business to purchase when they came across an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times. That business was G.E. Forge & Tool.

Although neither of them had knowledge about horses or horseshoeing, Mr. Garner had worked all his life as a mechanic and served about 10 years as a dealer and field manager for Snap-On Tools.

Upon purchasing the company, the Garners moved it and their lone employee — Joe Lopez — to Grover Beach, Calif. Lopez went on to own Lopez Farrier Tools in Santa Maria, Calif.

After nearly 45 years of owning and operating G.E. Forge & Tool, the Garner family has developed and produced many of the leading products on the farrier tool market. As a result, they have built the company into one of the most recognizable and sought-after brands in the farrier tool industry.