Necessity is the mother of invention, as the old saying goes, and someone once said that ranching is the mother of necessity. In other words, to survive in ranching, a rancher has to be innovative and a jack of all trades.

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.