A perception among some people about competition shoes is that there seldom is a practical use for certain shoes on this list. Take a roadster hind for example. Yes, I agree very few farriers we come across in the United States will ever find a need to nail one on a foot. But it is the lessons learned during the process of making that shoe that transfer to the farrier’s everyday work.

So for the fourth annual Summit Mail-In Forging Exercise, sponsored by VICTORY, I wanted to offer a shoe that would have plenty of lessons, as well as a practical use. Some may think that this is an easy exercise. However, there are plenty of challenges in this shoe, especially with the toe.

If you start this shoe in September and struggle, hang tight. We’ll do a Facebook Live session in mid-October. Keep tuned to this on the Facebook pages of American Farriers Journal and World Championship Blacksmiths.

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