Back in 1976, when I decided I didn’t want to work for a living any longer, I decided to become a horseshoer and enrolled at Bob Reaume’s Wolverine Farriers School in Howell, Mich.

Imagine that money is no object and you could have any shoeing rig your heart desired. Want it roomy? OK. Want it to provide protection from the elements? Of course. Want it to travel comfortably? No problem. Eye-catching. You betcha’. Anything you want.

With fuel prices rising, it’s not surprising if you feel like crying when you start your shoeing rig every morning.

When Danny Ward discusses horseshoeing, it soon becomes obvious that his keen sense of observation and active imagination are more important to his success than any of the tools in his shoeing box or stowed behind the doors of his shoeing rig.

Onlookers might ignore even the most elite show horses if the classic beauties turned into shoeing rigs by Dan Burke and Roy Bloom happen to drive up.