NEWS AND NOTES

July 23, 2010

Legendary hunter and jumper shoer Jack Miller has passed away at the age of 70 after a long battle with multiple illnesses. He died at 6:15 am, July 23, at Montgomery General Hospital.

If you want to track the history of modern horseshoeing in Texas, you could start with Jack Miller. Born April 20, 1940, he was raised on a ranch in Texas, where he started shoeing as a young teenager. He practiced farriery there until moving to Florida recently, and 40-plus years after he started, shoeing still runs through his veins.

Miller gained a reputation as a top-of-the-line shoer on the "A" level hunter and jumper show circuit. He has lectured across the country on the shoeing of performance horses and has traveled to South America to teach Columbian farriers. He also showed the breadth of his talents by helping with shoe designs for several manufacturers.

Those design skills and his insights as a farrier also helped when he worked with Bob Peacock (another 2004 inductee to the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame) on a redesign of Peacock's aluminum "Lighthoof" shoe.

Miller advanced the interests of fellow farriers when he was an instrumental founding member of the Texas Professional Farriers Association.

Details concerning services to come.