Neil Miller (Brighton, Colo.)
How does one begin to put into words the dedication of the unsung hero known as the farrier? There are the late night calls for the missing shoe that was just discovered for the horse that leaves at 5:00 a.m. for a horse show. And, of course, the abscess that waits until Saturday night to appear. Or the horse you just purchased in spite of the horrendous shoeing now needs the farrier to fix its feet. Don’t forget the vetting of the sale horses, one of which is a flat-soled thoroughbred that has been trotted on the asphalt forever and now there is no foot for the shoes. And always, there’s the mud, the quarter cracks, the aluminum shoes, the pads, the dry feet, but the farrier manages to do it all. Then there’s the weather... rain, cold, snow, heat, wind, no matter, the farrier always shows up to shoe. He/she always answers the phone and the calls for help regardless of when or where. If it’s the pony that needs to get carded, the horse that just came up cripple, or the endless trainer’s list of “I wants” and “I need” (more toe throw, more knee action, more from behind, less from behind!), the trainer could not do their job without the farrier.
Our farrier’s attributes of kindness, loyalty, honesty, and generously helping other farriers are evident daily. He is always giving of his time and energy to mentor, and answer questions of the younger generations. He works at clinics and invites many farriers to his house to hand make shoes and learn the craft of horseshoeing.
Our farrier values every horse in his care, makes follow up calls, and visits to ensure all are well with the lame, the sore, or the recovering horse. There is no challenge too great or too small. He has handmade special shoes for the foals in trouble as well as the old, foundered family pets. He seems to be a magician. He is not that different than so many of the unsung heroes that we call farriers. He is just our hero and we call him Neil Miller!
— Pat Hoigate (Boulder, Colo.)
