ON JULY 12, a small group of elite farriers from around the world will gather on a stage in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, each standing in front of his nation’s flag.

WHEN IT COMES to expanding your shoemaking skills, nothing beats what you can learn by being part of this year’s Calgary Stampede Mail-In Forging Exercise.

LOOKING BACK at the first North American Horseshoeing Team, squad member Gordon Haight says, “We didn’t know what we we’re getting into.”

AUSTIN EDENS, a 24-year-old from Graham, Texas, has been steadily climbing toward the top spot for a few years and finally reached the summit — the  title  of World Champion Blacksmith at the annual Calgary Stampede.