2017 National Farriers Week: Farriers Spotlight
Welcome to the 6th annual National Farriers Week Farriers Spotlight!
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Farriers work hard year-round to provide quality hoof care for horses worldwide. To honor their dedication and service, American Farriers Journal created National Farriers Week. In its 19th year, National Farriers Week is an opportunity to honor your farrier.
American Farriers Journal started the "Farriers Spotlight" in 2012, which is an online-exclusive compilation dedicated to showcasing some of the many farriers in the industry. The farriers featured here were either submitted to us by members of the equine community worldwide, or were stories sent in by farriers about what they are doing in the industry. If you submitted a farrier, you can jump straight to their dedicated page by clicking on their name in the list of farrier submissions below.
There are plenty of photos, videos and anecdotes for you to read and see. Be sure to share this with your family and friends, and give your own "thank you" to our beloved farriers in the comments section here or on any of the individual farrier pages that follow.
Thank you farriers, and Happy Farriers Week!
—Michelle Drewek and the American Farriers Journal team
Farrier Tributes, in alphabetical order by last name:
Richard Albrecht (LaGrangeville, N.Y.)
For National Farriers Week, I would like to pay tribute to a very meaningful mentor, my father, Richard Albrecht. He has been a successful farrier for over 30 years and graduated from Cornell University Farrier program. Rich has helped thousands of horses through the years from mini-donkeys to draft horses. Some horse customers he has had for their entire lives from being yearlings, throughout their show careers and injuries through their retirement years. "I'm not sure who has more arthritis now, some of the horses I shoe or me!” he often jokes.
Luckily, I have had the opportunity to be his apprentice for the last three years and recently graduated from Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School. I am grateful to be able to learn from him and all his experience in the field. It has been fun to introduce him to a few "new" things I learned at school and he is always open to trying something different if it will help a particular horse. Rich attends several clinics a year to keep on top of all the new ideas and supplies to use. He never stops continuing his education.
So, now, even in his 70's, he is still going strong. He is one of the hardest working people I know. One of the most honest and trustworthy too, which is hard to come by these days. I'm proud to work with him and to carry on the family business that he built through a lot of hard work, sweat, blood, not too many tears and probably a few curse words through the years.
— Elke Albrecht (LaGrangeville, N.Y.)
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Tom Alphonse (Williams Lake, B.C., Canada)
It takes a special person to care for horses. It takes a very special person to care for horse’s feet. I call that hard work in a danger zone. Facing an animal that outweighs you tenfold, holding what are essentially the horse’s weapons inches away from your face, protected only by a pair of chaps is heroic. Mr. Tom Alphonse is my horses' hero. He arms himself with knowledge, experience and most importantly, compassion and a gentle way of communicating with horses and humans. I credit Tom for giving my horses a new lease on life. My idle horses could no longer tolerate being on rich pasture and were foundering. While searching for a farrier, I was given his name. Of course, I had heard of him because he is known and respected for kilometers around. I did not expect it, but he came to work on the horses. It was no easy task, as they are not good with foot handling. He was patient and went way beyond the call of duty. But after that first visit, the horses were on their way to recovery. Tom has been very good to us and has helped on other horse issues as well. The horses and I thank him for answering the call of the horse. He does it well.
— Liz West (Big Lake, B.C., Canada)
It's hard to say what makes Tom special. He's a farrier, through and through. He cares about the animals he works with and cares about the people connected to them just as much. He's not afraid to tell you if you're messing up, but is quick to teach and support, so you can make better choices next time. He's busy, but he always has time to talk horses. He's often run off his feet, but he always finds a way to make sure things get done. He's trustworthy and trusting, knowing that sometimes the trim needs to happen before payday and that you'll catch up to him when you can. He's retired, but still looks after the people that count on him. He's quiet and calm and has a way with horses that is rare to see, even in other farriers. He's someone I can trust with my animals, someone whose opinion I value, and someone I'm happy to know.
— Heidi Wikene (150 Mile House, B.C., Canada)
I started shoeing in the mid-1980's. My dad was a third generation farrier on his dads side of the family. Horses have been a big part of my life from an early age. In around 2000 I signed up with Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School to get upgraded to all the new things happening in the horse world. Being around and working with horses is good for my soul and keeps me young at heart. These are few of the draft horses I have been lucky enough to work with over the years.
— Tom Alphonse (Williams Lake, B.C., Canada)
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Richard Armentrout (Canton, Ohio)
Richard came out and was just fantastic with my spooky Thoroughbred, whom we suspect may have ringbone and is toed out on his right front. He was professional, thorough and even taught me and my family about PEMF therapy and the benefits it holds. His work is great!
— Rachael Collins (Kent, Ohio)
Richard Armentrout is the finest farrier I have ever had. His patience dealing with troublesome horses is amazing. He always communicates his rival and is usually pretty close to time or you're going to get a text saying why he's not. Richard continues his education every chance he gets by attending seminars and working with a farrier who travels all over the United States and sometimes to Europe when he is in demand.
The quality of Richard’s work is top-notch. He works with not just the legs and feet of the horse, but checks the back shoulders and even the head. He watches as they move to make sure he sees all the needs of course. He also sometimes requires a veterinarian there with the horse and takes radiographs to make sure exactly how to fix a certain problem. Richard is not just a farrier. He loves the animals and wants to do his very best to relieve pain, suffering, and imbalance. Some of the horses he has treated were going to be put down and have now returned to the show arena. Some are just animals that people love and they want them to be comfortable. Richard has been able to provide that.
Richard also has a winning personality and educates his clients about what he's doing and why. He will always talk to them about what's going on and why he's doing it. He works with many materials to provide a support for the foot and an equip pulse to help relieve swelling and pain. It is difficult not to keep praising Richard for all that he does. Most of his clients are so grateful, including the horses that now are free to run without pain. They can perform to their best ability without interference from an old injury or having an imbalance.
— Beth Pullin (Mantua, Ohio)
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Bill Bennett (Lake Arrowhead, Calif.)
Bodie and I had worked for years with a cutting horse trainer in California, getting Bodie started, trained, and working cattle. Bodie had exhibited a “spooking and bolting” problem for years. For the first two years I had him, he spooked and bolted with me every time I threw a leg over his back. He dumped me in the dirt more than once. But other than that, he was sweet and kind and had a big heart, and I was devoted to him, even after he put me in the hospital.
Through our years together, Bodie and I learned how to do everything. We learned to longe, even though we both hated it. We eventually learned how to do rollbacks on the longe line. We learned our gaits, leads, two tracking, side passing, and backing up. We learned our stops, rollbacks, and how to work the flag. We learned how to drive, track, and turn cattle. We started showing and were winning blue ribbons in amateur reining and ranch horse classes.
Bodie and I toughed it out for six years, fighting through the spooking issues, learning to cut cattle, and use our higher-level skills. When Bodie started showing lameness, things began to go sour. My beloved horse Bodie began suffering recurring lameness that no one could really diagnose. At first, we thought it was his shoulder, and then his back. Then, we started looking at his hind.
Bodie’s injury was a combination of years of strenuous training, combined with years of inappropriate shoeing and a Mom who just didn’t know enough. I finally left my cutting teacher. I took some time to go lick my wounds and to get to know my horse better. I took a year just to focus on my relationship with Bodie and to try to figure out what was causing his lameness. I found my way to a trainer named Shirin Amier, who was well known in my area as a top-notch dressage trainer and problem solver. And who had studied with horseman Buck Brannaman for many years.
Bodie and I began learning dressage exercises to fine tune our basic skills and give him something to do that wasn’t so physically demanding. Then one day, it happened. I asked for the left lead canter, and Bodie squealed and bolted. I circled him and brought him back down, and my new teacher Shirin said to me “Denise, that was not a spook. That was a pain response!” Nobody had ever figured that out before.
Shirin and I loaded Bodie up on her trailer and she drove us to Alamo Pintado Equine Hospital in Santa Ynez. Bodie met with a team of doctors led by Dr. Mark Rick. Dr. Rick did X-rays of Bodie’s legs and feet and found that he was suffering from severely crushed heels on both hind feet and a negative palmar angle on the left hind. Dr. Rick also discovered that the long pastern bone in Bodie’s left hind leg was slightly concave and twisted to the outside, so that it predisposed him to turning out his foot and dropping the heel downward. What this meant was that he had a conformational defect in his leg that was exacerbating the problem in his left hind foot.
So for all these years, the little horse with the big heart had been trying his best, doing everything we asked of him. And he had been in pain the whole time. And we didn’t know. Dr. Rick made some suggestions about appropriate shoeing strategies and hand walking and time off and gradual healing. He said, “This is going to take a long time. Good luck with that.” We got back to SoCal and I touched base with our regular vet to fill him in on what we discovered at Alamo. He helped us refine our strategy about how we would move forward with making Bodie more comfortable. We knew that his career as a cutter and reiner were over.
The challenge at this point was finding the right farrier. Shirin and I talked for weeks about it, and I interviewed many farriers. None of them felt right. We needed someone patient and kind, who would agree to be in it for the long haul with us, and who wouldn’t give up. One day, Shirin said to me. “I know somebody. My friend Bill Bennett is shoeing again after a long time off. He might be perfect. I will give him your number.” Bill reached out to me with a phone call and a text, and we had an easy, fluid, educational discussion. We talked about long toe, low heel syndrome. We talked about “coon foot” and how it develops. We talked about strategy, and timing, and patience and persistence. We talked about how to take our time and go slow to achieve recovery. I knew that Bill Bennett was the right farrier to help Bodie.
Bill and I began a long journey together, both focused on getting the little horse better. Bill determined that Bodie had four very differently sized and differently shaped feet. He custom shaped the shoe for each foot every single time he shod him. He set Bodie up on a frog supported Myron McLane wedge pad to help alleviate the pain that ran through his foot and pastern and up his leg upon each impact with the ground. For two years, Bill and I worked together and executed our strategy. At the end of the two years, although he still needed the wedge pad, Bodie was finally traveling smoothly and soundly, and bucking and playing and running like hell. About a week after each shoeing, I would get a text message from Bill, asking “How’s my little buddy?” I forgot to mention… Bill is 6’4, and Bodie is 14.3.
Bill always checked up on us after our shoeings to see how Bodie was doing. “How was the ride?” he would ask. I’d tell him about our ride, and we’d share stories, even though my stories were likely pretty boring and close to the same every time. But the answer to the question about how Bodie was doing was always “He’s doing better” or “He’s doing great!” Gradually, I watched my little horse getting better and better under Bill’s expert care. Bill had better stories than me. But Bill was a humble and kind man. For him, it was always about the horse’s welfare.
Bill never talked too much about his years growing up on his dad’s horse ranch in Idaho, where he was responsible for starting the colts they raised and shoeing the horses. He rarely mentioned that he had been a high school roping champion. He rarely mentioned that he had earned a teaching degree and was a Professor of Business before he went back to shoeing. And he rarely mentioned that he had been a local rock star and that he had a collection of over fifteen rare electric guitars (but I kind of thought it was something like that because of his long hair and the KISS T-shirts he always wore…).
Bill was well known around Southern California because he was the emergency farrier at some of SoCal’s premier equestrian facilities: The LA Equestrian Center, Hansen Dam Equestrian Center, Rancho Murietta, Moorpark, and Del Mar. Most of Bill’s clients were high dollar hunters, jumpers, and dressage horses. But Bill Bennett treated my broken down little cow pony and me as if we were just as important as the fancy dressage horses he shod that were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bill didn’t just take care of the horses. He provided emergency medical technician (EMT) services at the show grounds to help the riders when they got injured.
Bill never talked too much about this one horse he used to shoe back in Idaho. The horse’s name was Brentina and her rider was named Debbie MacDonald. They became Olympic Champions. They went to Sweden and won the World Cup in dressage. Bill was there with them. I’m sure Bill couldn’t tell you how many times he had been stepped on, stomped on, bit, head butted, or thrown. I would bet that over the years he had broken almost every bone in his body. I personally watched him shoe horses with a broken arm after one of his fancy dressage horses went ballistic in the wind. Bill Bennett just kept going, taking care of injured horses and hurt people.
Bill refused to use a hoof stand, saying he needed to be strong enough to stand on his own if he was going to shoe horses. “I shoe horses,” Bill said, “that’s what I do.” Bill never talked too much about his own physical challenges - the series of strokes that had left him nearly paralyzed, and that forced him to re-train himself to stand, and speak, and walk, and play guitar, and shoe horses again. He didn’t talk too much about his rare blood disease, and that he had to take medication so that he wouldn’t bleed to death from the cuts on his hands from hammering horseshoe nails into them, or from accidently cutting himself with his hoof knife, because he could not feel his fingers. Bill never talked too much about the fact that his wife and mother and sister were begging him to please stop shoeing horses, because they could see the immense pain he was in, and how exhausted he was from being on the road away from home for weeks at a time.
What Bill talked about was his family, how proud he was of his beautiful and talented wife, who had stood beside him and helped him through his troubles. He talked about how proud he was of his son, who was emerging to become a talented singer and actor, and a brave, handsome, strong young man. He talked about the beautiful home they had built in the forest, the garden they had grown, and the puppies they had raised. The last time Bill Bennett shod my horse; he pulled a hoof stand out of his truck and set it on the ground beside Bodie. “It’s time for me to retire,” he said. “If I have to use one of these, it is time to quit.”
I will miss you, my friend, my farrier Bill Bennett. Thank you. Enjoy your retirement in Idaho.
— Denise Daniel Kelly (Sylmar, Calif.)
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Jason Bill (Santa Fe, Texas)
Our first show in 1988
February 2017I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge our incredible farrier, Jason Bill. Two years ago, my horse, Charlie, developed laminitis. At 31 years old, most farriers refused to bother with treatment. I was told to give up, but I knew Charlie still had good life in him. I was crushed. I've had Charlie (Skipa Scamp Star) since I was eight years old, and he was four.
Enter Jason Bill. Jason never asked any questions, just went straight to work. He always treated Charlie with compassion and love. It meant the world to me. Jason could tell Charlie was a fighter, and he's given me two more years with my boy. At 33, I know Charlie can't be with me forever, but these two years have been everything. Charlie has been incredibly pampered, comfortable, and spent many sunny days in his pasture, all thanks to Jason.
—Dr. Amanda Smith Hackler (Seabrook, Texas)
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Esco Buff (Webster, N.Y.)
Esco Buff is an unbelievably exceptional farrier. He has helped me with my horses in so many ways - it would take a several page essay to describe. At this point, I have a horse in NY and a horse in MA - and no one touches their feet other than Esco because he keeps them sound and always does what is in the best interest of the horse. I never worry about them in his care. He is one of only a handful of "true horsemen" I have ever met. His instincts about what needs to be done are second to none, as well as his ability to handle them and make them comfortable.
One of the many reasons I so appreciate Esco as my farrier is his wealth of experience with horses. When I got my first stallion, I had no experience handling a stallion. I had this new, amazing stallion coming straight out of quarantine after being imported from Europe and going straight to Equine Affaire in MA. Esco has extensive experience handling stallions. Not only did Esco come to Equine Affaire with me to help me learn how to handle my stallion, he also shod my stallion there. The two pictures are from that experience. Esco was the first person to introduce my stallion to snow. It was an outstanding experience for both me and my stallion and one that I can't ever thank Esco enough for.
—Doreen Kula (Marlborough, Mass.)
For his contribution, study and work on the disclosure of products with antimicrobial copper.
—Alan Krausz (Satiago, Metropolitana)
I would like to take the time to pay tribute to Esco Buff, whom over the years I have learned is an extraordinary farrier, an exceptional teacher and mentor, a remarkable horseman, and a true professional to the end. Esco first came to our rescue a few years ago, when we were at the end of our rope trying to find competent help for the love of my life horse, who was battling Canker. We caught the disease early, but after that, we started to lose the battle due to the lack of knowledge and experience the local farriers and veterinarians had with the disease. We even ended up going to a well-known Veterinarian Hospital/School for Large Animals and we were once again let down.
I spent hours and hours online attempting to find something that actually made sense or someone that made sense in the treatment of Canker. On one of the searches, I found Esco Buff. He was the first individual that had successful treatment of several prior Canker cases, along with educational information on the illness, and he actually made sense. From the first time I contacted Esco to the present day, he was and still is more than happy to explain everything and anything. He was the first person to give me in depth information on Canker and the treatments that are known to date. I firmly believe I still have my beloved Clydesdale solely because of Esco Buff. It has been several long years, but worth it all and Esco has helped us through the difficult road of a very difficult disease that there is still a great deal not known about it.
Esco has also worked very closely with our veterinarian. He has educated and taught her a great deal on Canker treatment. Prior to working with Esco, our vet's only experience with Canker was to euthanize the horse or send them off else where. Since working closely with Esco, she has a whole new outlook on this disease and she has helped save another Canker horse, along with Esco's help. I greatly admire Esco's willingness and openness to share his wealth of knowledge with others. He loves to mentor other farriers, teacher veterinarians, owners, young students, or really anyone who wants to learn. This helps everyone from the owner, the entire horse community, and especially and most importantly, the horse.
My Clydesdale is not the only horse Esco saved for us. He also saved our Paint mare, which had been suffering for several years. She went undiagnosed for a very longtime, until Esco showed up and properly diagnosed her. Esco worked his magic and actually ended her many years of pain. For as long as I have known this mare (10 years), I was told she had bad feet and legs. Over time, she would have periodic lameness. During one of her episodes, she was diagnosed with laminitis, which is Esco's specialty. Esco took one look at our very large mare and he was first to say she had EMS. Since then, she has been properly cared for, lost weight, and Esco has worked on her hooves. I can say it has been 3 years since that mare has been 100% sound, she can pick up both leads which she was unable to do for 10 years prior, and she even had her first foal and stayed sound and fit. When Esco first came to work on her, she could not walk out of her bedded stall, and today she can run full gallop just as long as any other horse. She had rotation with sinking in both front hooves.
I have been involved in the horse world for most all of my life and I can honestly say Esco is one farrier I completely and totally trust to handle my horses. Over the years, I have seen some farriers correct a horse's behavior pretty brutally, regardless why the horse reacted the why it had. Esco is always very patient, tolerant and calm with the horses. He would rather use a moment to teach than to punish. To me this is priceless. Esco exudes everything a true horsemen and farrier should strive to be. I recommend Esco Buff to anyone with a horse with a difficult hoof issue. If anyone can fix it, if anyone can save a horse, it is Esco Buff.
—Michelle Michalek (East Aurora, N.Y.)
I call him Esco the Great. He saved my horses life. She was a gift from a family friend like a 2nd father to me and was shipped here from Germany. This was my dream horse. She became foundered and I was beside myself because nobody could help me. She was down for weeks. Finally I was told about Esco Buff. I called him and told him my story. He rescheduled his appointments, was here the next day and he went to work! He came back month after month. Her condition improved each time. Her prognosis was not good early on she had abscesses and was rotated. Esco gave me the hope and gave her the professionalism that she needed. I'm sure no one else could have saved her. He was very understanding and caring of the situation. She now is up and walking! I'm so thankful that there is an Esco Buff. He saved my best friends life. It is and has been an honor to have him work on my horse and watch him perform his magic. I'm forever thankful.
—Myrna Weisberg (Chesterfield, N.J.)
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Pablo Calderon (Bloomington, Calif.)
He does great work with draft horses in stocks and is very well educated with Canker cases and thrush. He provides top-of-the-line care and does great farrier work on all sizes.
— Amy Young (Charleston, W.Va.)
He posts his work in many groups so everybody can learn about the care of horse hooves.
— Gabriel Quintero (Conroe, Texas)
This gentleman has done some amazing work on not only physically, but mentally traumatized horses. He is compassionate and I have been able to learn so much from him and his posts on Facebook. I reside in Texas and am a new draft farrier. I had NO clue how to use a stock, but thanks to Pablo, I have gotten a greater use out of my stock and not so much out of my back. I sure wish I were closer to where he lives. I would pay big bucks to spend more time learning as much as I can from him. I appreciate all he has done for the farrier industry!
— Alyce Wendling (Alto, Texas)
I've been riding horses almost all of my life and have used a lot of shoers over the years. Pablo has proven over and over again to be the best I've seen. The care he gives the horses feet is unmatched.
— Steve Simon (Riverside, Calif.)
His hard work makes him the best in the area, and I love the dedication, passion and effort he puts into every single job. He doesn't care about the money, he just cares about the lives of happy horses. He is an enthusiastic farrier trying to give the best and do his best until the horses have happy feet. His hard work makes him the best in the area. I love the dedication, passion and effort he puts into every single job. He doesn't care about the money, he just cares about the lives of happy horses.
— Dianira Lupercio (Riverside, Calif.)
His compassion and dedication surpasses anyone I've ever know.
— Kevin Wheat (Norco, Calif.)
Pablo with 13-year-old ox, PatchesI have used Pablo Calderon to trim the hooves of my oxen, Patches and Freckles. He has been working with our farm for five years. Our oxen grew so large they could not fit in the chute of our cattle farrier. In order to do the work, Pablo brings his stock that he uses for horses. He modifies the stock so the ox can comfortably rest while we trim their hooves. These cattle stand about six feet at the withers and weigh about 3,000 pounds. Unlike horses, they do not relish lifting up their feet for a farrier. Until we found Pablo, we were unsure how we would be able to trim their hooves. Pablo treats the animals with kindness and expert knowledge. The oxen have come to trust him, as do I. I recommend his professional farrier services to anyone who loves their horses, or oxen.
— Phillip Henderson (Irvine, Calif.)
I have Pasofino horses that are very difficult to shoe. After having several farriers decide that they were too much, a neighbor with draft horses suggested I give Pablo Calderon a try. That was over 10 years ago and with the use of stocks, shoeing problems are solved. Thanks, Pablo.
— Ed Guisewite (Norco, Calif.)
Pablo is so knowledgeable and honest. I really enjoy the time he takes to document cases he works on and give tutorials on problems, remedies and treatments. Even though he lives across the U.S. from me, I have learned so much just watching his videos. I really wish he were my farrier when I had horses. He is one of those farriers that are worth their weight in gold.
— Stella Fort (Springfield, Ga.)
This farrier’s work is amazing. He has saved so many feet from damage, neglect, misuse and even from less knowledgeable farriers. He is the "hoof whisperer." He takes the worst of the worst and brings it back to health and mobility. He's a horse and horse owner’s blessing.
— Amylia Rivas (Seattle, Wash.)
Pablo is the reason my horses’ feet are so healthy and our business is so successful. Pablo has been my farrier for over 15 years and my business, Cindy Cinderella Carriages, would not be what it is today without him! He is caring, reliable and he is part of my family!
— Cyndi Fury (Riverside, Calif.)
Pablo Calderon is an amazing advocate for horses in general. I met Pablo via Facebook due to his many instrumental videos that he posts. I appreciate the fact that Pablo is willing to publish stuff and educate people so that we may become better caretakers of our animals. I've had many questions for him about hoof care and shoeing. Even when I got back into horses and I was looking for farriers in my area, he pointed me in the right direction. He is truly a treasure with a big heart that is willing to teach, improve horses’ lives, and you can tell he loves his line of work and his clients love him. I definitely know that his four-legged clients appreciate his work. He is an amazing farrier.
—Annamarie de la Torre Thomas (Yakima, Wash.)
Pablo Calderon has been not only an amazing farrier, but has also become a great friend to my family. I have used Pablo with all three of the horses I have owned. He came highly recommended from my mom who also uses him on her horses, along with the occasional neglected horse she takes in every now and again when their owner can no longer care for them. Pablo is upfront and honest, which is hard to find.
—Billie Jean Hemerson (Grand Terrace, Calif.)
I have a rescue appendix 17 hands and Pablo has always been very gentle and caring. He has taken the time that this rescue needed to work with him. I know Pablo assesses every horse and its abilities. He has worked with the horse to get the job done. He truly cares about the animals that he works on.
—Jennifer Rebs (Grand Terrance, Calif.)
He shows much dependability, honesty, integrity, confidence and motivation.
—Julio Reyes (Brawley, Calif.)
Pablo has been caring for my horses for about 12 years. I have an ancient PMU mare that can no longer hold her feet up for trims. Pablo has been a godsend to my babies and to me, far beyond what any shoer has managed to accomplish. My horses are rescues that need patience and understanding, and Pablo delivers!
—Bonnie Lessard (Pinon Hills, Calif.)
He provides professional work at its best.
—Al Rodriguez (Three Rivers, Texas)
Me encantan los videos y es un gran herrero y un gran ser humano mi voto para el. (I love his videos and he is a great blacksmith and a great human being.)
—Elizabeth Ramirez (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico)
He shows kindness and love for animals. You can tell he loves his work!!
—Tammy Vaughan (Ripley, Tenn.)
He shares his specialized (draft horse) farrier skills with the world through his social media, along with educating others showcasing his work.
—Heather Kamper (Lansing, Mich.)
He is educational in the videos he shares and so conscious of the horse.
—W. Kokalis (Fort Worth, Texas)
The BEST of the best! Wish we had a Pablo in Wisconsin!
—Kelly Dehnel (Wausau, Wis.)
He always does a great job on my 4 horses, 2 drafts and quarter horses. He has helped me with problems when they arise. He is extremely knowledgeable and has been doing my horses for 10 years. I would also like to add that when my house burned down in January of 2015, he saw the smoke and realized it was my place. He came by a few hours after with new clothes, household goods and sundries. He offered to take my horses and care for them as long as needed. He is a real cowboy and a very generous person. I have never met a farrier like Pablo in my 40 years of owning horses.
—Wayne Carpini (Jurupa Valley, Calif.)
Day after day, Pablo Calderon posts videos on horses he is treating, unusual cases and what is necessary to repair the damage, and how to care for my horse's feet. No other farrier I have ever met has taken the amount of time he takes to educate his customers and the public about a horse's hoof needs.
—Robin Williams (Belgrade, Mont.)
He is the best farrier in southern California. He takes pride when it comes to performing his job.
—Alejandra Diaz (Apple Valley, Calif.)
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Dave Farley (Columbus, Ohio)
I want to thank the AFJ for the opportunity to offer my tribute to two farriers who had a tremendous impact on not just my career, but on me personally as well. I have had a long and successful career. I am celebrating 47 years of working full time and still shoeing horses; just not as many. To what do I owe this longevity and success? Certainly good health and determination have played a role. However, I will be eternally grateful to Frank McGuiness and Dave Farley who cared enough to invest much time and effort to befriend and mentor me, not just in the mechanics of horseshoeing, but in business, ethics and most importantly, the great responsibility that goes with the care of horses and being a true horseman.
Riding and working with Frank was one of the most interesting times of my life. He was like someone with a masters degree in engineering with a minor in physics. He was incredibly creative and artistic, but he never hesitated to point out that the real art was on the bottom of the feet that belonged to the horses that he cared for. One day, I stopped in to see him on my way home from “fixing” a horse that was messed up from a shoer that Frank knew. I railed and ranted about how inept this guy was while he tinkered with some little thing on the worktable. When I finally wound down, he looked at me and said, “It’s guys like that, that make guys like you look good. Keep him around, throw him a bone now and then”. That was not the response I expected but, looking back, it was the best possible answer for me to hear. It was typical of the kind of cryptic answer he would give me, encouraging me to try to see the bigger picture. That answer, along with many more like it, filled in the gaps of my ignorance of people, horses and ethics.
Frank McGuiness has since passed but I will always remember him as a major contributor to who I am today. As influential as Frank was, I believe that knowing and working with Dave Farley has been both a privilege and a humbling experience. Interestingly, Frank was a mentor to Dave Farley as well. In fact, it was at that same point in time and through Frank, that I met Dave. I have known Dave for many years and consider him both friend and mentor. Most of what I know about solid basics, as well as shoeing upper level horses, I have learned from Dave. He has always been there to welcome me, teach me and share.
Several years ago, I found myself in Wellington, out of my element and up to my neck in a high profile account of very expensive but questionably sound Hunters and Jumpers. Having flown from Cincinnati to West Palm to service the account, I found some of my tools didn’t make the same stop I did. Dave was nearby, I called him and within minutes he was there with everything I needed, no questions. Through the years of my friendship with Dave Farley, I have grown to know and appreciate a man who, besides being arguably the best farrier in the world, is without a doubt one of the best humans on the planet.
No one I know is more generous, sincere or committed to “the right thing to do” than Dave Farley. I have no idea where I would be without the influence of both Frank McGuiness and Dave Farley. What I do know is that I have no doubt that I am a better person and a better farrier because of them. Thanks seems so little to offer back after what they provided to me but, it's all I can offer so, Frank and Dave, thanks from the bottom of my heart to both of you.
—Ernie Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio)
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Luke Farmer (Thunder Bay, Ont., Canada)
Luke is amazing and one of the best farriers in Northwestern Ontario. He is liked by both of our horses and by the humans who own them. They wouldn't have anyone else do their feet. Thank you Luke for the amazing work you do for our four-legged fur babies!
— Laura Garnett (Atikoka, Ont., Canada)
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Shaaban Fayez (Giza, Egypt)
In many villages, there are no local farriers, so the prevalence of the hoof lameness is high. The animal owners depend on themselves or carpenters to trim their working animals. ESPWWA (Egyptian Society for Protection and Welfare of Working Animals) is an animal welfare organization developed and established farrier program for rural areas. In this program, we are increasing the owners' awareness of hoof care, we are carrying out training for vets about hoof lameness, and teaching local farriers about hoof care and trimming. For example, in the brick kilns where donkeys and mules are used for pulling carts, there was no local farrier. We did a survey to identify the hoof problems of the donkeys in the brick kilns. At the same time, we were increasing the awareness of owners about the hoof care. Then we selected three people to train to be local farriers. We gave them three CPD farrier courses throughout the year 2016. After training, they are now working inside the brick kilns and the incidences of the hoof lameness has been reduced. I am really a proud to improve the quality of life of these working donkeys and mules by training the local farriers. The same happened for different rural areas where we are working.
— Shaaban Fayez (Giza, Egypt)
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Tejan Fowler (Coos Bay, Ore.)
T. J. is kind and the animals trust him. From our big draft gals to the mini donkeys, he has the skills and the knowledge to keep everyone running!
— Louise Schintz-Nelson (Lakeside, Ore.)
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Jason Hagerty (Skidmore, Texas)
Jason Hagerty has been my farrier since moving to Texas over a year ago. He has always impressed me with his courteousness and professionalism. Who knew what a journey Jason, his lovely wife, Christine, and I would be a part of the past six months.
Stormin’ Norman, my rather large (size 4 shoe) German warmblood, came up with an abscess from hell! The abscess was located in the right hind bulb/heel. Jason was there from day one. We soaked and soaked. Jason was in touch with me daily by phone or in person. Norman was steadily going downhill. Jason, Christine and I took Norman to the vet. He had lost 200 pounds in a few weeks. The vet sedated Norman enough for Jason to work on the abscess and determined Norman’s care plan. He stayed at the vet’s for a week. I received a call from vet recommending Norman be euthanized! I was devastated. The vet felt Norman would founder in the non-abscessed hind hoof.
I chose to bring Norman home and fight an uphill battle with the help of my farrier, Jason Hagerty. Jason hand built a Z-bar custom shoe for the abscessed foot. He put a shoe on that painful foot. It took a few hours, but Norman ended up with this beautiful shoe! Fast forward to today. We rode Norman for the first time in 6 months just this week. He lost approximately 400 pounds total. But, we are getting weight back on him along with muscle tone. Jason saved this talented lovely horse when others gave up! We will be forever in debt to this young man and his horse-savvy wife!
— Julia Rupke (Mathis, Texas)
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Kimberly Jackson (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
I have been using Kimberly to trim my horse's feet since moving to California last September. She does an amazing job and is so patient and caring. I have total confidence in the quality of her trims and I'm so happy to have found her.
—Gina Wingfield (Murrieta, Calif.)
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Colin James (Stourport, UK)
I have used Colin as my farrier for 21 years! I was 11 years old when he came to shoe my 3-year-old pony, Sunny. He has been amazing to my horses and me. I also have an ISH Alex Starr, which I have owned for 11 years.
Colin is so conscientious about his work. He is never late, always early. He has never let me down; he always comes out to put on a pulled off shoe within a couple of days, if not hours! My horse's feet always look great, despite the pony's feet being a little challenging, as they are quite soft and have thin walls. Now he is 24 years old and has cushings to add in to the mix. They still look great!
I would just like to thank him for his continual dedicated work and for all the years he has shod my horses! I am now 32, so a lot has changed in the 21 years!
A good farrier is worth their weight in gold. Thank Col!
— Jenna Churchil (Worcestershire, UK)
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Vernon Jogie (Palestine, Texas)
I can't say enough good things about Vernon. He's a great mentor and always available to give advice. He is amazing with his clients and the horses he works on. If you spend a moment with him, you can tell how much he loves this trade. No matter if he's at a contest or a clinic, you can bet your last dollar that he will have a smile on his face.
— Eva Walthall (Emory, Texas)
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Donnie Karr (Loomis, Calif.)
Donnie Karr is one of the most knowledgeable and hard working farriers in our area, he is truly a master craftsmen, when it comes to his chosen career. I absolutely love his work.
—Tina Schroeder (Loomis, Calif.)
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Jim Keane (Chicago, Ill.)
Every farrier wants to feel as if they are the best in the industry, but as we all know, that's not the case. As a farrier, and horse owner, I've seen too many "shade tree" farriers ruining horses and clients. My love of horse shoeing, and horses for that matter, stems from my uncle. He still shoes at 65 years old, not as a hobby, but as a career. Not because he has to, but because it's in his blood. He has taught countless farriers the skills for a successful career and happy horses. He's a very humble man, but he's worked on the best racehorses, dressage, and his passion, western pleasure horses.
On a personal note, he's taught me the skills, not just physically shoeing, but on the motion and mechanics of the horse, from the hoof to the spine. He taught me what to look for, how to shoe the horse, how to make it comfortable, and how to get the most out of the performance of the horse. I've been able to shoe from the southeast to Europe, solely because of Jim Keane.
If it weren’t for this man, thousands of horses and myself wouldn't be here without him.
—Joe Keane (Fla.)
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Kenny Knolwton (Ocala, Fla.)
I met him in 1992 at an important equestrian club in Rio de Janeiro. At the time, I was a student of Veterinary Medicine. When I saw him working and how the horses stayed, I naturally compared the work of the local farmers. This difference lead me to ask huge questions and that was when I started to accompany him and also started my specific studies in Equine Podology. Certainly because of all the teachings, examples and conversations during the days of work and the long journeys, they guided me to where I am professionally having been the Ferrador responsible for the whole sector of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. My tribute is to this great professional and friend that I have the pleasure of having until today.
— Luiz Gustavo Tenorio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
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Randy Krug (North Lawrence, Ohio)
I would like to give a tribute to my farrier Randy Krug, for he was the one that encouraged me to take and pursue my desire to be in the farrier world. He was also the one that recommended me to go to the Kentucky Horseshoeing School, which allowed me to learn under my instructors Mitch and Sarah Taylor, Sam and Kate Gooding, and Stan Mullen. They are all top notch and excellent teachers and farriers. Through my training under my instructors, they train me to be a well-rounded apprentice and future farrier. As well allowing me to go to the Summit in Cincinnati, Randy he helped me and my fellow classmates to utilize my time at the Summit and help guide us toward apprenticeship opportunities. Thanks to Randy, I met my current mentor Jeremy Lucas, as well as Lori McDade. Learning with them both has been an amazing time under the horse and at the forge. Thank you Randy for encouraging me, guiding me and being a friend. I could never have gotten this far in the journey to become a well-rounded apprentice and hopefully a top-notch farrier in the future.
— Joseph Rindchen (North Lawrence, Ohio)
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Beth Lewis (Rochester, N.H.)
Beth and HankWhen nominating farrier Beth Lewis for recognition, the word "gift" comes to mind, as in "gifted," having exceptional talent and skill, and as being a "gift" to the horses and owners whose lives she improves. She is also a superb rider, giving her additional invaluable insight and understanding of equine mentality and biomechanics. Beth has been our farrier since her graduation from Mission Farrier School in 2012. Her training and ability to work closely with veterinarians has kept my old gelding reasonably comfortable, despite severe arthritic degeneration in his front legs, a considerable challenge indeed! Her high level of conscientious care and concern is not limited to just us. She consistently provides the highest quality farrier care for every horse. I have personally watched her evaluate, analyze, and consult with other professionals (veterinarians, farriers, etc.), and if necessary, come up with the best plan for the horse and client, then implement it effectively. She is creative and innovative, open to new ideas and materials, dedicated and thorough. A significant bonus is that she teaches as she works, educating her clients as well!
I feel privileged to have witnessed the rare event where a great talent gets to be what they are meant to be and do what they are meant to do. Beth was meant to be a farrier! Trust and integrity are important in any relationship. I know without a doubt that I can rely on Beth to provide the best care for my horse. She epitomizes the farrier profession.
This past year, Beth has introduced yet another concept to farrier work. She brings her daughter Lucy Alice, now almost a year old, with her as she makes her rounds. What a great way to integrate work and family! What a fabulous way to introduce Lucy to farm and field, farriers and folk, and the love of horses!
— Cheryl Keim (East Hampstead, N.H.)
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Daniel Lybbert (Glenwood, Alta., Canada)
I live in southern Alberta, Canada, and have been a farrier now for 43 years. A few years back, I suffered broken tibia/fibula and was laid up for a full year. My son Daniel, CJF, maintained a two-farrier business almost single handedly. The one farrier I know who called to offer to come help out was Shayne Carter from Payson, Utah. Not exactly next door. I pay tribute to these two farriers.
— Barton Lybbert (Glenwood, Alta., Canada)
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Steve McConnell (Waterford, Ont., Canada)
Much like finding that special horse, finding that special farrier can be a long, exhausting and disappointing process. That flashy, safe, eight-year-old 16.1 hand gelding in the ad can quite easily turn out to be a crippled, nasty 15.2 hand beast who hasn’t seen a curry comb in months. That farrier who promises to show up on time to tack a shoe back on can easily turn into a hack with a hammer and an education from a YouTube video.
Crossing paths with Steve McConnell put an end to the search. We met over a client horse. I was pretty deflated with the farriers I had met and worked with in the region up until that point, and my dissatisfaction was growing more and more evident with each new farrier I phoned. I was pretty straight up with Steve, “If you can show up on time, make my horses go well, deal with my poor-footed Thoroughbred, and, if your ego isn’t bigger than your truck, I have a barn-full you can do.” His response sealed the deal, “I take my job seriously. I’m a professional. If you respect me, I’ll respect you.” And that’s exactly what has transpired.
Steve has done a phenomenal job on everything from show horses to minis at our farm. His attention to detail is exceptional. His desire to continuously better himself as a professional farrier is admirable. He is punctual and prompt and takes his job seriously. He takes time to explain what he’s doing, and how it will influence the horse. His passion and enthusiasm for what he does is infectious.
Even more importantly, my horses all dance thanks to his craftsmanship. His goal of making my horses forget about their feet has been achieved in a matter of months. The difference is notable and spectacular. No longer are they compromising their quality of gait in order to preserve their feet. It truly takes an entire team to get the best out of every equine athlete, and I couldn’t imagine working with anyone as knowledgeable, committed, educated and, for lack of better word, awesome, as Steve.
— Jenny Jelen (Ridgeville, Ont., Canada)
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Frank McGuiness (Cincinnati, Ohio)
I want to thank the AFJ for the opportunity to offer my tribute to two farriers who had a tremendous impact on not just my career, but on me personally as well. I have had a long and successful career. I am celebrating 47 years of working full time and still shoeing horses; just not as many. To what do I owe this longevity and success? Certainly good health and determination have played a role. However, I will be eternally grateful to Frank McGuiness and Dave Farley who cared enough to invest much time and effort to befriend and mentor me, not just in the mechanics of horseshoeing, but in business, ethics and most importantly, the great responsibility that goes with the care of horses and being a true horseman.
Riding and working with Frank was one of the most interesting times of my life. He was like someone with a masters degree in engineering with a minor in physics. He was incredibly creative and artistic, but he never hesitated to point out that the real art was on the bottom of the feet that belonged to the horses that he cared for. One day, I stopped in to see him on my way home from “fixing” a horse that was messed up from a shoer that Frank knew. I railed and ranted about how inept this guy was while he tinkered with some little thing on the worktable. When I finally wound down, he looked at me and said, “It’s guys like that, that make guys like you look good. Keep him around, throw him a bone now and then”. That was not the response I expected but, looking back, it was the best possible answer for me to hear. It was typical of the kind of cryptic answer he would give me, encouraging me to try to see the bigger picture. That answer, along with many more like it, filled in the gaps of my ignorance of people, horses and ethics. Frank McGuiness has since passed but I will always remember him as a major contributor to who I am today.
As influential as Frank was, I believe that knowing and working with Dave Farley has been both a privilege and a humbling experience. Interestingly, Frank was a mentor to Dave Farley as well. In fact, it was at that same point in time and through Frank, that I met Dave. I have known Dave for many years and consider him both friend and mentor. Most of what I know about solid basics, as well as shoeing upper level horses, I have learned from Dave. He has always been there to welcome me, teach me and share.
Several years ago, I found myself in Wellington, out of my element and up to my neck in a high profile account of very expensive but questionably sound Hunters and Jumpers. Having flown from Cincinnati to West Palm to service the account, I found some of my tools didn’t make the same stop I did. Dave was nearby, I called him and within minutes he was there with everything I needed, no questions. Through the years of my friendship with Dave Farley, I have grown to know and appreciate a man who, besides being arguably the best farrier in the world, is without a doubt one of the best humans on the planet.
No one I know is more generous, sincere or committed to “the right thing to do” than Dave Farley. I have no idea where I would be without the influence of both Frank McGuiness and Dave Farley. What I do know is that I have no doubt that I am a better person and a better farrier because of them. Thanks seems so little to offer back after what they provided to me but, it's all I can offer so, Frank and Dave, thanks from the bottom of my heart to both of you.
—Ernie Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio)
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Joepaul Meyers (Gatesville, Texas)
I’d like to give a Texas-sized tribute to my farrier and husband, Joepaul Meyers, CJF. The day I met Joepaul, my life, as well as my horse Tripp's life, was truly blessed. Joepaul was asked by my previous farrier to provide advice and consult on his work with Tripp. Tripp was soon turned over to Joepaul, who was able to provide Tripp with comfort and the ability to perform again. We recently had to say goodbye to Tripp, but if it had not been for Joepaul's talent and ability, Tripp and I would not have been able to have the extended time we had together.
In the few years I have known Joepaul, although it seems a lifetime, I have seen first hand his uncanny ability to look at a horse or watch him walk and know what needs to be done. His knowledge of the equine digit and the anatomy of the horse is extensive and impressive. His experience and his love for the trade is beyond measure. Joepaul has dedicated his life serving the horses that are fortunate enough to be brought under his care and the horse owners who have reached out to him. Joepaul is a professional in every aspect of the word, he works hand in hand with veterinarians to provide the upmost care.
Joepaul possesses a true gift and 46 years of experience to back it up. From day one, when Joepaul has been asked why he continues his work, he always states, "I do it for the horses.” Joepaul is truly an amazing farrier and is deserving of the highest tribute. Thank you for making all the difference!
— Angela Meyers (Gatesville, Texas)
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Neil Miller (Brighton, Colo.)
How does one begin to put into words the dedication of the unsung hero known as the farrier? There are the late night calls for the missing shoe that was just discovered for the horse that leaves at 5:00 a.m. for a horse show. And, of course, the abscess that waits until Saturday night to appear. Or the horse you just purchased in spite of the horrendous shoeing now needs the farrier to fix its feet. Don’t forget the vetting of the sale horses, one of which is a flat-soled thoroughbred that has been trotted on the asphalt forever and now there is no foot for the shoes. And always, there’s the mud, the quarter cracks, the aluminum shoes, the pads, the dry feet, but the farrier manages to do it all. Then there’s the weather... rain, cold, snow, heat, wind, no matter, the farrier always shows up to shoe. He/she always answers the phone and the calls for help regardless of when or where. If it’s the pony that needs to get carded, the horse that just came up cripple, or the endless trainer’s list of “I wants” and “I need” (more toe throw, more knee action, more from behind, less from behind!), the trainer could not do their job without the farrier.
Our farrier’s attributes of kindness, loyalty, honesty, and generously helping other farriers are evident daily. He is always giving of his time and energy to mentor, and answer questions of the younger generations. He works at clinics and invites many farriers to his house to hand make shoes and learn the craft of horseshoeing.
Our farrier values every horse in his care, makes follow up calls, and visits to ensure all are well with the lame, the sore, or the recovering horse. There is no challenge too great or too small. He has handmade special shoes for the foals in trouble as well as the old, foundered family pets. He seems to be a magician. He is not that different than so many of the unsung heroes that we call farriers. He is just our hero and we call him Neil Miller!
— Pat Hoigate (Boulder, Colo.)
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Robbie Miller (Cape Town, South Africa)
As a farrier myself, I'd like to pay tribute to all the farriers who never stop wanting to learn more, and be the best version of themselves they can be. I'm involved in farrier education in my country, and I'm so proud of a bunch of South African farriers who have been pushing themselves day in and day out as they prepare for the upcoming FITS Exams here.
— Robbie Miller (Cape Town, South Africa)
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Cathal Murphy (County Monaghan, Ireland)
“Get the (expletive) in there and get the (expletive) job done;” That is what my mentor used to say — that and many other things when the heat was on shoeing horses.
My name is Jorgen, and I’m a normal guy who had the dream to become a farrier. I got into a Belgian farrier school and looked for a place in Ireland to learn the trade. The man who took me on changed my life. He’s a rough and tough smoker who eats too many sausages a day. But, he knows a lot about shoeing and he’s a good horseman. I was the complete opposite.
In the van, he taught me everything about women and how to deal with related problems. In the stables, we talked about horses and their hooves and related problems. When he didn’t talk, I would read the American Farriers Journal. When he glanced aside and looked at a picture, he would nod his head as to say “Yes, I’ve been there, I know what they’re writing about.”
Now, we’re 10 years on in life. I’ve got my own customers in my region in Belgium and I’m fully employed as a farrier. Every day when the going gets tough, I think about Cathal Murphy swearing, “Get the (expletive) in there in get the (expletive) job done.” And then, I have a smile on my face. I have a beautiful life. I got so much more than I hoped for at first. Thank you Cathal Murphy.
— Jorgen Briers (Zoutleeuw, Belgium)
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M.W. “Tookie” Myers (Chesapeake, Va.)
"Tookie" Myers has been diligently advocating for the horse for some 40+ years in the field, both as an accomplished veterinarian and exceptional farrier. Tookie was encouraging farriers in the late 70's and steadfastly continues to offer his support and knowledge to current day. He teams together as veterinarian, and farrier, mutually respecting each one's profession, while raising the bar in analytical thinking about how to assess and apply solutions for hoof care. He is always encouraging the importance of bony column alignment and adequate break over enhancement with critical attention to relieving excessive DDFT stress on caudal structures and reducing lamellar stressors.
He was the resident veterinarian, sitting in for horseshoes.com with very giving and useful advice for many years. This was at a time when it was the main go-to forum in the pioneering days of the Internet.
To this day, he continues to mentor numerous farriers and veterinarians. He is always quick to lend a hand, support farriers in a team effort, or take lead on a difficult case to find solutions for significant challenges, be it high scale laminitic hooves or significantly damaged digits with negative PA configurations. His innovations in trimming protocols and shoe/support packages combined with his excellence in venogram and podiatry radiography, has made a huge impact in long term successful hoof maintenance plans for horses around the globe.
He contributes as a board member for the IHCS and represents the AHPA. Everyone who knows Tookie, knows he has amassed a huge knowledge base tempered with exceptional logic and strong skill sets. Yet he greets you in an unassuming way, approachable and soft spoken, and you will find him engaged in deep conversations in the hallways each year at the IHCS, encouraging farriers in their walk to expand their knowledge. In his sixties now, he continues to work 7 days a week. He is always an advocate for the horse with a huge heart to help his fellow colleagues.
One of his greatest redeeming qualities is his commitment to follow-up and support the client, farrier and local attending veterinarians- to ensure a successful outcome whether it takes 3 months or the patient's lifetime. He offers his time to educate the client, get compliancy between all parties and keeps regular tabs and updates on the horse's progress.
I am humbled to call him friend, mentor, teacher and colleague. I never stop learning from this man, never. His integrity and dedication speaks volumes of the man. Tookie, this one's for you. You rock my world (and many others I have no doubt)! It just wouldn't be the same without you in it.
— Sylvia Kornherr (Almonte, Ont., Canada)
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Rachel Nydam (Northbridge, Mass.)
I would like to recognize my assistant, Rachel Nydam. She graduated from Mission Farrier School this spring and has been assisting me every week since. I have watched her develop her skills. She is fabulous at shaping shoes, along with helping me stay on time. She takes direction well and she will soon have her own happy customers.It's challenging being my assistant, as not only does she have to stay a step ahead of me, but she also has to balance between horses and my 1 year old Lucy who comes with us most days! Shoeing horses and raising any from barn to bars around New England isn't easy, but Rachel has done a fabulous job working with us. My clients are happy and the horses enjoy her horse handling skills.
— Beth Lewis (Rochester, N.H.)
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Tim Phillips (Mertztown, Pa.)
Yesterday afternoon on June 13th, my mentor, Tim Phillips, passed away while working on a horse. He was 60 years old. He shod horses for forty years and was the most amazing human anyone could ever meet. He was a man among men and will be greatly missed in the horse industry. If we can please do a small honor for his legacy, it would more than greatly appreciated by his family, his clients, and myself. He was a father to me and words can't describe the passion he had for shoeing horses and doing everything he could to provide the best service to for the horses and the clients.
— Kyle Hubbell (Hamburg, Pa.)
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Tim Puckett (Buffalo Gap, Va.)
Tim is an excellent farrier. That being said, I purchased an ornery mule that I didn't realize had a badly infected frog on the off side rear (and he kicked!). This mule needed help and wanted none of it! The vet attended the first 2 treatments and drugged him up. But he needed extensive treatment and we couldn't keep drugging him every time. Let me insert here that Tim moved almost 2 hours away. So he had EVERY excuse not to come back and deal with this mule. But he came back and worked with him regularly. The end result is I have a sound mule that is no longer upset about having his foot handled. Tim is a gentle, amazing farrier. I would definitely like to recognize him for always going above and beyond.
— Jane Johnson (Woodrows, Va.)
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Ron Rubin (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
There are farriers, and then there are artists. They both nail steel onto horses’ feet. But it is in the shaping of the hoof, the trimming of the heels, the rocker on the toe, and the balance that results that the artists also shape horses’ lives. Ron Rubin is an artist. Having shod for over 45 years – including a 14 year stint for Margie Engle – there isn’t much Ron hasn’t seen, or done.
"Leave A Little Foot On There"
In the 18 months I spent working with Ron, I can’t remember how many times I heard these words. In farrier work, there are no take backs, and what foot you take off, you can’t put back on. But, even having a background in psychology and kinesiology, I had never considered that a foot could become “traumatized”.
Pulling up at one of the larger show jumping barns in south Florida that day, I thought we were just going to nail a shoe back on for a fellow farrier who was out of town. But when we arrived and Ron took a look at the foot, he turned to me and said, “That’s a shut-down foot.” Glancing down at the foot, one thing was clear – the foot was way too short for the size of the horse – a towering 17 hands. “What do you mean?” I asked. “That foot’s been traumatized, and it stopped growing. That’s why he’s having trouble keeping a shoe on,” Ron explained, turning back toward his trailer. “So what are we going to do?” I asked, following him. “We are going to hot fit it back on and use Jesus Christ nails,” Ron said grinning. “Jesus what nails?” (I later learned the story behind Jesus Christ nails: Once when shoeing a horse with no foot and no quarters and nailing into the heels and toes, Shamus Grady looked at Ron’s nails and exclaimed in his thick Irish accent, “Ron, only Jesus Christ outs nails back that far!”)
Forty-five minutes, a hot fit, some scary looking nails, and a half a jar of acrylic glue later, the shoe was back on. As we left, Ron called the horse’s regular farrier and told him to leave the shoe on as long as it will stay. “See that’s what happens when these guys take too much foot off, and it shuts down and stops growing. Then they keep cutting and before long, they got no foot left,” Ron explained as we made our way out of the farm. Some weeks later, Ron told me that the knife could be a farrier’s worst enemy. “When warm bloods first came to Florida, nobody knew how to shoe them,” he said. “But we learned the hard way – you gotta leave a little foot on them.” (Shoeing in South Florida, with high amounts of rain and humidity is very different from many other climates. As I quickly learned, especially in the summer months, horses’ feet can quickly go from solid, hard nailing surfaces, to something that resembles rotten wood.)
The Truth Is In The Trimming
As a competitive show jumper for several years, the only question I ever asked was, “Is the shoe on or off?” Yet in farrier work, that is probably the least important question. Trim a horse too high on the outside – especially if he’s valgus – and it won’t be the shoe that’s off, it will be the horse. Or cut a clubfoot too short in the toe. Or leave a pigeon toed horse high on the outside. Or lose the anterior-posterior balance and leave the hoof extending way out in front. All of these things could lead to a lame horse. Farriers hold so much more than the horse’s hoof in their hands. They often hold the horse’s future. A “mismanaged foot” quickly becomes a “bad footed horse”. It’s true that farrier work is one part shoeing, and one part trimming, however, the parts are seldom equal. No amount of pour in sole pack, leather pads, special shoes, or copper nails will make up for a horse that is just badly trimmed.
You Gotta Feel Them Out
Give anyone a hammer and some nails and they can probably get a shoe on. They can probably also put a nail in the wall to hang a picture, nail a loose board, and maybe even fix a few jump standards. But they are not all the same. The horse, after all, is alive. “Ah, ah, ah. You see that, right there?” Ron looked up, the group of people surrounding him watching closely. Another farrier had just shod the horse in question, as myself, Ron, and a handful of others had met at the farm to fill in for a farrier who had been injured and would be out for a while. The problem was, after nailing the shoe on, the horse had walked off lame. The trainer quickly turned around and asked Ron to take a look. After the shoe had been pulled, and the sole pressure relieved, Ron proceeded to nail the shoe back on – slowly.
As I had seen him do many times, he was feeling the horse with each tap. One at a time, he softly hit the nail, only with this last one; the horse jerked its leg ever so slightly. Ron quickly pulled the nail out, repositioned it, and started again. This time, no jerk. Then he turned to me, “Claire when you clinch that, don’t press down real hard.” I had heard this before too. Watch everything – from the minute you pick up the leg, to the last time you set it down – it is the horse that tells you. If you pay attention, that is. “Half a millimeter sometimes,” Ron had told me. “That’s the difference between lame and sound.” “Of course, if you’re that short, you might already be in trouble,” he’d added. The point was not lost – shoeing a horse, like riding a horse, requires feel. Feel that is only learned through years – in Ron’s case, 45 years – of hard earned experience.
— Claire Dorotik-Nana (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
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Bill Ruh (Vicksburg, Mich.)
This past year, I decided to follow an interest of mine, horseshoeing. I have owned horses for several years and always wished I understood what my farrier was doing when he trimmed and shoed my horses. My story has two parts with two very important people in my life, two farriers with amazing skills and knowledge that are willing to share with the future of the industry.
Bill Ruh, CJF, of Vicksburg, Mich., has been my farrier since 2008. I knew Bill through a mutual friend. I boarded my horses at this friend’s barn when I moved to Michigan from Kansas in 2003 and Bill shoed my horses while they were there. But in 2006, I moved to a small farm that allowed me to keep my horses at home. I struggled for two years keeping a farrier coming to my house. I went through several farriers. Either they wouldn’t show up for the appointment, just plain wouldn’t call me back or the quality of work was disappointing. By now, I was fed up. In 2008, I begged our mutual friend to have Bill call me. I already knew Bill’s work was exactly what I wanted for my horses. You see, Bill is known in south central Michigan for his quality of work, so this keeps him in very high demand at the training barns. With a little reluctance, Bill said yes to shoeing my two backyard barrel racing horses. And I can’t thank him enough. I have a horse with under run heels and I believe that if it weren’t for Bill, this horse would not be sound.
Fast forward to 2016 when I decided to further my interest and go to horseshoeing school. I did my research and found a couple of schools I was interested in. I asked Bill if he had heard of Troy Price, CJF. He not only highly recommended Troy, but had spent some time at shoeing competitions with him. I knew this was the school for me because I valued Bill’s opinion and work so much.
So I applied to the Troy Price Horseshoeing School in Uniondale, Ind., this past spring. I started with Troy’s two-week trim course. Little did I know, I would be shoeing a horse my second week there. The two weeks I spent there would change my interest into a passion. Troy made learning easy and fun. I will be heading back to school in the fall for twelve weeks to begin my career. When I came home from school, I knew I needed to keep moving forward with my education. I once again called on Bill for help. With no hesitation, Bill allowed me to spend a day with him shoeing at a Morgan horse-training barn. His next stop for the day was my two backyard barrel horses. From 5:00 until 8:00 that evening Bill helped me trim my own horse. I met Bill at 10:00 that morning, only to find out that he had already shoed four horses. After what was probably a twelve-hour day for Bill, he never once made me feel like he was in a hurry to get home.
Bill Ruh is an example of a journeyman that knows the importance of giving back to the industry. What Bill has given me; he has given to many farriers in our area. He has allowed many farriers to ride along with him and show them the ropes, so to speak. Bill knows the importance of continuing education and helping the future of the industry.
Thank you, Bill, for all your hard work and dedication for the past 31 years. It certainly does not go unnoticed. You have helped so many horses. You deserve to be recognized during National Farriers Week.
— Micheleen Pierce (Marshall, Mich.)
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Mark Russell (Edgewood, N.M.)
I met Mark 10 years ago when I moved in next-door and he approached us to help our rescue with a very crippled horse named Valiant. Valiant was a horse that had lived for 8 years before we took him in with no coffin bones walking on his back legs. My first reaction when I saw Valiant was to euthanize, but this horse had such a will to live that I went against my instinct. Numerous veterinarians also understood how unusual this horse was and soon Mark came to appreciate how unusual this horse was. He was so talented and so dedicated that he worked as hard as I did to keep Valiant comfortable.
We let Valiant go wherever he wanted and his roam radius was amazing for a horse walking like he did. He didn't like getting his feet done so when Mark and I approached him in the field one day, he ran off and we couldn't catch him! Mark and I laughed at how crazy it was we couldn't catch this two-legged horse and that was the start of a ten-year friendship.
Since then, Mark offered to fly to Arizona to help us with our rescue cases every seven weeks. We are an extreme medical rescue and his talent has saved the lives of hundreds of our cases. I would laugh that Mark could make any foot workable again and I watched these miracles time and time again. He helped us out of pure compassion for the horses because the weekends he flew in would be grueling with over 20 specialty cases in two days, with temperatures of over 100 degrees! He offered to teach local farriers while he was in town. He offered to go around and help write farrier prescriptions for horse owners that would contact us on chronic lameness issues. He would teach all the volunteers along the way. What is really amazing to me is that Mark is a tall guy, but he would put himself in whatever uncomfortable position so that the horse was comfortable! It took tremendous strength and patience to work on horses that we put in slings or couldn't stand long because their feet hurt so badly, but he was so focused on helping the horse that it didn't matter to him.
Mark recently had double knee replacement surgery and swore he wouldn't do any more farrier work for fear of going through knee replacement again. Yet, the moment I called about one of our horses that was beyond the skills of our local farriers and which I was on the verge of euthanizing, Mark jumped into action again. He has been de-rotating and getting this horse back to where she should be. He started doing part of my rescue herd again, much to my delight. Mark keeps my barn sound and makes it look easy, but I have interviewed literally hundreds of farriers that can't do the same. He is professional and works well with my veterinarians. He communicates and shows up ready to work on time. He checks on the horses after he leaves. He listens carefully to what I am seeing and translates it into a sound horse without dismissing me. I wish I could find more like him. So many more horses would be alive if more farriers had his skills.
Our rescue's reputation for exceptional care is due largely to Mark. He provides his services to us at a fraction of the cost other known expert farriers quoted, so he has donated much of his service. His credentials, experience and years of running a farrier school certainly helped his success rate. But what makes Mark so extraordinary is the selfless way he helps our rescue help horses with a level of commitment to excellence I haven't seen in other farriers. He loves farriery and after over 30 years, his passion remains as high as the day he started.
— Soleil Dolce (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
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Ted Shanks (Kauai, Hawaii)
I would like to say some things about my mentor and teacher Mr. Ted Shanks. He has definitely changed my life and has been the main impact on the welfare of the horses that I care for and my business!
— Forrest Parris (Haiku, Hawaii)
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Bob Smith
I started shoeing in the mid-1980's. In around 2000, I signed up with Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School to get upgraded to all the new things happening in the horse world. I can't say enough good things about the program that Bob Smith runs at his school.
— Tom Alphonse (Williams Lake, B.C., Canada)
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Paul Spurgin (Red Oak, Texas)
Paul Spurgin is a class act above the rest. Paul is well respected among peers, veterinarians, other equine professionals and clients. He selflessly imparts his experience and knowledge to those hungry for it. He's been a regular at Texas Farrier Supply's Hammer Time, helping young and seasoned farriers work towards certification. With a sharp eye and attention to detail, he makes sure those he takes under his tutorage have the tools to be successful.
I want to personally thank Paul for mentoring me through not only the certification process, but also setting an example for me in the industry with his integrity of character and quality of work. Thank you for investing in my career, Paul!
— Tiffany Gardner (Arlington, Texas)
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Patrick Stanton (Ashford, Conn.)
Patrick embodies everything that I hope I can be as a farrier one day. When I first started learning from him a year ago, he gave me four pieces of advice. The first was to remember that farriery at its core is about the horses and making them as comfortable as we can. The second piece of advice was to never leave one of your horses if you do not think the job you have done is as close to perfect as humanly possible. The third was that you are only as good as the shoe that someone is looking at, and to make sure to do every horse as if they are your own. Lastly, he said to never stop learning. He told me to always strive to learn more and become a better farrier.
Patrick is always willing to listen to what other professionals in the horse industry have to say to make sure that he is not missing any theory or concept that may be able to help one of his horses. He takes the time to explain to the clients and vets what he is doing, why he is doing it and allows them to ask questions so that they can learn more about the care that is going into their horse's feet. I am so lucky and thankful that I get to work and apprentice with him.
— Sara Rothery (Mansfield, Conn.)
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Mike Stine (Marshville, N.C.)
Mike Stine is a professional farrier, my farrier and my husband of 29 years. He has devoted his life to helping horses and their owners have sound, happy horses. He often works long days, at least 6 days a week, and sometimes 7.
— Karen Stine (Marshville, N.C.)
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Shane Togami (Solvang, Calif.)
Shane Togami saved my horse from developing founder and possibly losing his life.
My horse Pino, a Selle Francais gelding who was 18-years-old at the time, had been laid up since June 2015 from an avulsion fracture in his front left leg. He had also developed a serious case of white line disease in the same foot, and was being treated by a veterinarian, who had resected the area on the hoof, leaving support at the base of his foot for stability. My previous farrier had been kept informed of the situation, but when Pino was due for shoes in August of 2015, something went awry and the base of the hoof that was supporting it was cut away. The farrier was at a loss and left my horse in that state; he got severely lame very quickly and was soon barely able to walk or stand.
Shane was recommended to me by West Coast Equine Hospital and Dr. Kent Sullivan, who came out to treat Pino after the botched trim job. Dr. Sullivan stressed the need for therapeutic shoeing as soon as possible; we were keeping him wrapped and in an Easy Boot until we could get someone out to the barn. I called Shane and was able to make an appointment for the following week, but by the next day, which was Saturday, I knew that Pino wasn’t going to make it that long. I was able to email a video of Pino’s condition to Shane’s office and he immediately expressed concern about his soundness and requested X-rays. Again, working with Dr. Sullivan, the X-rays were sent to Shane. He was dismayed to see that Pino only had 2 mm of sole between the ground and his coffin bone. He believed the situation was critical and that career-ending founder would likely be the result if Pino wasn’t treated immediately. Despite the fact that he had never met me, or worked on my horse, Shane travelled several hours on a Saturday evening to come to my barn and build up a foot and shoe for Pino.
He spent several hours building up the foot as much as he could, creating a custom, angled shoe and injecting a cushioned filler so that Pino could stand with some comfort. He recommended icing the foot and leg for the next 72 hours to keep the founder at bay. Both Shane and his office staff were excellent support for me during this time, answering questions that came up and requesting updates on Pino’s condition. For the next 72 hours, we kept our fingers crossed and iced him as much as we could, hoping we could prevent the founder and save his life. It worked. Shane’s custom therapeutic shoe and treatment plan saved Pino’s life.
He worked hand-in-hand with Dr. Sullivan to provide the very best care for him. There have been many ups and downs during Pino’s recovery, but Shane has been endlessly patient and has worked tirelessly, using the most current and advanced horseshoeing techniques that I have ever seen. It has been a very long road, but now we are able to train advanced flat work and jump some smaller obstacles on a more consistent basis. It is a rare person who would drop everything to come to the aid of a horse and owner that he has never met, and I will be forever grateful that Shane cares enough about horses to be that person. I don’t think there is anyone more deserving to be recognized in a farrier tribute than Shane Togami.
— Lori Judd (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)
I would not have a horse if it weren’t for Shane Togami, and I will be forever grateful to him for the generosity and support he has given me. We love animals and keep everything we get. Two of our horses are rescue horses, not suitable for jumping at the level I am at and I had outgrown my pony. I was leasing a horse but another girl needed the horse, which left me with nothing.
I was 10 years old when Shane trailered his Oldenburg gelding over 5 hours to give me the opportunity to ride and compete. I will never forget that day. A huge 16.1 hand bay with a long mane and quiet eyes walked out of the trailer, holding his head high. Shane, with a big contagious smile, came out of the trailer with a bag of carrots and told me the horse was mine for as long as I needed him. His name was Casthor. Casthor had been living a quiet life for several years out in Shane’s pasture. Casthor was huge and I, not so much, but Casthor never did or has done anything malicious or dangerous. He follows me like a puppy, a really BIG puppy! I made his show name “Imma Casanova” because of his huge heart and loving demeanor.
We developed an enormous bond over the next two years. I taught him to kneel and he taught me how to ride a jumper at an entirely new level. I can ride him around the arena with nothing (no bridle, no saddle) or I can enter a 1.15 jumper classic. Shane did not just disappear from either of our lives. Shane knew my family was having financial difficulties, but he believed in me and he believed in Casthor and he wanted to do anything he could for us to be happy and succeed. Shane continued to drive that long 5 hour one way drive for several months, almost a year, to shoe him and bring down supplements.
Shane continues to send supplements to ensure Casthor is at his best. Shane helped finance my horse show in Las Vegas, which was an amazing experience! Not only has Shane been there on a financial level, but he always knew we would make a great team. The positive energy Shane puts forth, his belief in me, and in Casthor, has led to many victories. But more importantly, an experience I will never forget or would have had without him. Thanks Shane.
—Mackenzie Sullivan (Solvang, Calif.)
It is known that Shane Togami is excellent at his craft. He is a farrier with knowledge and heart. He has not only brought one of my favorite horses back into full work once, but he has accomplished it twice. Goldie, a 16 year old, 16-hand quarter horse gelding whom, after a serious suspensory injury, had trouble coming back to work sound. Goldie got better immediately after Shane started working on him and was in full work 4 months later.
For several years, we were going strong but a barn move forced us to make changes and even though we worked with good farriers and vets, we thought this would be the end of the working career of this wonderful horse. We reached out to Shane to see if there was somehow a possibility for him to help us out again and he made the seemingly impossible possible. Three shoeings after he started working on Goldie again, he got 100% sound and he is enjoying his daily dressage work. He is going strong and nowhere near retirement. Thank you so much to Shane Togami and his team!
—Jessica Buchholz (Calabasas, Calif.)
My name is Rory, and I've been a client of Shane's for about a year. Since Shane began to shoe my 13-year-old mare, he was the only one able to diagnose the reason for her right front lameness issue. Even the veterinarian was not able to pinpoint the source of the problem. When Shane was trimming her, he decided to dig a little deeper, figuratively, as well as literally, and he uncovered a pink bruise and declared that she had a broken medial bar. I was astounded at his persistence and dedication. Since this discovery, he has shod my horse in a progression of three different types of shoeing. She is moving and riding so well, and he alone has returned my horse to soundness.
He is a person who has so much character and integrity in his farrier practice, and most likely in all areas of his life. I'm truly grateful for all he has done.
—Rory Stanley (Calif.)
Shane Togami has saved one of the sweetest, friendliest and kindest horses I have ever met, named "Percy".
Shane was out at a barn and was NOT the farrier for this 18h Belgum Warmblood. He was familiar with the horse and knew "Percy" was a strong third-level dressage horse. What he did not know is that the vet was called in for white line issues and recommended to the current farrier to dremel out quite a bit of hoof wall right at the dorsal wall where the coffin bone attaches. With the white line so bad and the lack of hoof wall, the horse mechanically foundered, rotated to 32 degrees and was basically on 3 legs.
What happened next is the owner was told to put the horse down, but one of Shane's clients called him and begged him to please see if he could help "Percy." Everyone at the barn knew what a sweet horse this was and to put him down without trying everything possible would be unfair on the horse and such a shame.
Shane went out there and made some special type of shoe that enabled the horse to be at least slightly weight bearing. However, euthanization was still the decision. They asked Shane if he could please take him and try to help him. Shane, not in a financial position to take on this horse knew he should not, however that being said, the horse was hauled to Shane's podiatry center. Shane and his wife were then the new owners of one of the sweetest horses ever. Shane knew "Percy" was fighting for his life at no fault of his own and Shane wanted to help him as much as possible. "Percy" got knew X-rays which showed barely 1mm of sole depth. It was a very crucial time to get him special shoeing and care. After going though a few vets, they found a vet that was just as positive about the horse as Shane and now works side by side with Shane.
It's been about 3 years now and "Percy" went from not being able to shoe without being blocked to now needing no medication for shoeing. He goes out on the grass pasture daily with his friends and gallops (though he really shouldn't because of his special shoe), bucks and plays. His quality of life is amazing. Shane and the vet are hopeful to continue to see some attachment and more correction of the coffin bone, but time will tell. For now, "Percy" is enjoying his life and has Shane Togami to thank for that!
—Lynn
Shane Togami is our farrier for our Grand Prix barn. We had a barn with soundness issues and he was brought in as a specialist. He was able to not only get all horses sound but this particular horse so sound that it performed better and at a higher level than ever. We had all sound horses and unfortunately, while off at a show, we did try to use a different farrier. However, that turned out to be a bad decision and we were back with lameness issues. Thankfully, Shane was able to fix all issues and we were back in the show ring. Although Shane has a waiting list, he is worth the wait.
There is something to the way Shane Togami trims, measures the feet, shapes his shoes and puts in very specific mechanics. We've had farriers at shows tack on one of Shane's shoes and we are always very specific to ask them not to flatten or take out the mechanics because many often want to flatten the shoes completely. Shane Togami thinks deeply about all areas of the horse from the confirmation to the footing to the person riding them or if the horse is being lunged in tight circles and so on. He asks questions, looks at the horses as we walk them up and usually knows what the horse is doing and why, before he even touches any of the horses. As a client that cares deeply for all my horses, I recognize that Shane is a true horseman and his passion is for helping the horses. You can see it when he works and when he handles the horses. He is kind to the horses and ensures that his crew is also kind and compassionate to them. You will never see Shane or anyone from CEPC be heavy handed or raise their voices to our horses.
Shane Togami is an expert, especially in footing! He is my first phone call when I am at any show or different arena and any of my horses aren't perfuming quite right with stride or movement. I can explain what my horse is doing and Shane knows why and how to fix it. I had this happen specifically. I was at a huge show and one of my horses wasn't moving right. I called Shane in a panic and to be honest, really mad and blaming. But, I was wrong and it was the footing in the arena. Shane asked me what show arena I was at, what the horse was doing and then asked me very specific questions. I answered him and he immediately told me the issue (nothing to do with shoeing) and how to fix it. My horse went great and we won first place! Not only did Shane know the exact issue, he was able to explain to me in great detail why the issue was happening.
I am forever grateful to Shane Togami and I always know he is my first phone call.
—Kathy Smith
I am beyond thrilled with the work Shane Togami did to make Huni, an Icelandic with severe white line disease, more comfortable and available to ride! I called Shane out to see Huni after I was hired by his owner to help her around her property. When I saw the existing condition of his hoofs, I knew he needed CEPC immediately. I knew Shane could make this horse way more comfortable with a positive prognosis. I had personally benefitted from his experience with my off-the-track thoroughbred Infrattini, who when he arrived home had a -2 palmar angle and no sole. He not only was able to correct him to a neutral angle, but a positive angle and created a shoe that allowed his heel and sole to grow back. Please note that when he arrived from Kentucky, I was told he would always have to wear pads! He now has a regular foot. Thank you Shane and CEPC.
—Dianna Ziaket
When I finally found my horse, Sadie, she was living in pasture in Oregon with no blanket and no shelter. She was cared for, but her owner had health issues the year before and was unable to care for her properly. After a year, he knew he needed to sell her, and I knew she was the perfect horse for me. I had spent the previous two years searching online almost every night with my dad. We were on a trip in Oregon, which is where this little 10-year-old mare was living. We did all the necessary vet testing and farrier exams, but due to the rich spring grass the year before, she had a bout of laminitis that was not revealed to us.
We shipped her to my hometown of Santa Barbara, where we began our riding journey together. She was the horse of my dreams, however, I could tell she was not responding positively and she was light on her feet. She was pinning her ears after only 15 minutes of riding, and charging when in the round pen. We consulted our equine professionals; some thought we should consider putting her down because her hoof wall separation and coffin bone issue was getting worse. She also had a club hoof.
When we had exhausted our resources, my dad reached out to Shane Tomagi at the California Equine Podiatry Center in Santa Ynez as a last resort. He heard that he was one of the most skilled in our area. Shane and his team, as busy as they were, took the time to come see my little paint mare. My dad and I were amazed at their knowledge and skills, and how friendly Shane and his team were. Sadie’s progress was amazing. Within several weeks, we saw a difference. After several months, I was able to ride my Sadie with confidence and she started to enjoy riding again. Her attitude went from a nasty mare to a pleasurable riding horse who learned to jump and dressage. It has been an incredible building year, seeing her transformation and to think that if we had not found Shane, Sadie’s life may have turned out differently. We are so grateful to Shane and the CEPC crew for taking the time to care for my little mare. We are both turning 12 this year and I hope to have many more fun years together.
—Sydney (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
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Jeremy VanSchoonhoven (Grand Pass, Ore.)
I have been raising horses since 1967 and have used many farriers over those years. I have never had one like Jeremy and have been using him for the last 3 years. He has amazed me with the way he cares for the comfort of the horse. He has saved a Navicular, foundered and tumorous hoof. He works with many vets to help them understand the art of shoeing. He designs the shoe that works and even prints off shoes on his computer. With everything he does, he puts his whole heart into it. He treats each hoof on its own and doesn't do "one size fits all.” I just can’t say enough about him and his work. I just pray he keeps being my farrier as long as I have horses.
—Carol Dombrowsky (Medford, Ore.)
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Allan Voeller (Meoken, N.D.)
Allan Voeller gets a work out with rescue horses at Triple H Miniature Horse Rescue. He always educates us as he goes and tries to help us with his crazy talent. He thinks outside the box when trimming, splinting and creating sole protection. He is a miracle worker with the common founder and laminitis cases we have constantly arriving.
Here are several miniature horses, mule and donkey Alan trimmed who arrived in severe condition. The mule was wild and our vet had to tranquilize as no one could get close to her or she would charge, bite and kick.
— Allison Smith (Mandan, N.D.)
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Danny Ward (Martinsville, Va.)
For some time, I had been thinking about opening a horseshoeing school. I started talking to people and asking questions about how to go about this and what it might entail. During this time, Danny Ward graciously offered to help in any way he could. He opened his home and his business to my wife and I. No topic was off limits and he gave me some great advice. It was Danny’s suggestion to use my name for the name of my horseshoeing school so people would know whose school it was. My wife and I visited with Danny several times and he was able to offer guidance that helped my wife overcome some concerns she had. His mentoring was extremely helpful, and I couldn’t be more grateful for his kindness and advice. During those first few years, Danny answered multiple phone calls from me asking how to handle some difficult situations. He also sent me an encouraging note right when I needed it.
The following saying from Danny is something I try to remember every day. He said, “Troy, don’t forget the little guys.” Meaning don’t forget where you came from and always help those getting started. As a mentor, Danny lived by his own advice and I can’t thank him enough.
— Troy Price (Uniondale, Ind.)
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Andy Ware (Westminster, Vt.)
A year ago, our farrier, Larry Moses, passed away April 16, 2016. As I opened the newspaper, I was in disbelief. This was not the way to retire. That Saturday, I started making phone calls to acquire a farrier. I called six of them. One called back saying he could not take us on as he had a full client list and had already taken a lot of Larry's clients.
The last call was Andy Ware. He called right back, saying he knew where we were coming from, as we were in need of a farrier. Our original appointment with Larry was scheduled for April 29th, which had been set up weeks prior. Andy kept the same day in respect for Larry and for us.
We welcomed him with an open opinion and were pleased to have a farrier. We have a 28 Arab mare and had recently purchased a Paint gelding 6 weeks prior. Sawyer was a prior lesson horse and his feet were out of balance. His hind heels were out of shape and shallow. He was wearing 3-degree wedges and was over in the knee. The day began and Sawyer had never had rear shoes! Andy took all of the information in. He started to look him over and think of what he was going to do for this gelding.
We feel that if Andy hadn’t come when he did, this gelding would not be sound. It was a process to get this gelding where he is now. We want him recognized! My mare is no fuss and has never had an issue.
Andy is professional and takes the time to do a great job. He is patient with Sawyer, as Sawyer has no patience! It is now a year later and Sawyer has grown. Things are on track and he even has patience to give Andy his foot. Andy has a family and they work out of his home. He enjoys everything he does. This farrier should be recognized!
— Tracey Leary (Ludlow, Vt.)
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Shane Westman (Davis, Calif.)
Shane Westman is hands down the most amazing farrier to have ever walked this earth! I am so thankful he came into our lives. If it weren’t for Shane's skill and knowledge, my daughter would have lost the one thing in life she loved the most. Not only did he save our precious Fancy Face, but also he befriended my daughter and became a father figure to her. His knowledge is superior to none and he prides himself on teaching and educating all he comes in contact with.
My story is not alone. Everyone has a story about how Shane Westman saved their horse or how he changed the life of a child. He takes the time to engage in fun conversation and teach! He has helped start horse rescues and has adopted 4H clubs, to mention a few of his accomplishments. There really is no one out there like Shane Westman! He has a special touch that corrects and heals. His keen eye, desire to learn and to be educated surpasses none! Thank you Shane for being more than just a farrier! You are a leader, educator, miracle worker, father figure, healer, a plethora of knowledge and most of all....friend!
— Nanci Johnson (Arlington, Wash.)
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Josh Wilbers (Lexington, Ky.)
Your hard work and dedication is always appreciated!
—Raul J. Bras (Lexington, Ky.)
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Bud Williamon (Shelbyville, Ky.)
Of all the farriers out there, I realize there are thousands I have not met yet. However, there is one person that I believe deserves all the credit and honor any one can bestow on one individual. This farrier is Mr. Bud Willamon.
I met Bud at a horse show while grooming in North Carolina. I had travelled from South Africa to the U.S. to find an apprenticeship. I had been to quite a few shows and asked quite a few farriers, to no avail. I do believe that all the guardian angels of farriers before were looking after me as Bud said he would take me on. If it was not for this defining moment in my life, I don’t believe I could have been half the farrier I am today.
Firstly, it was an eye opener to see how diligent one person can be. Bud would be in front of the trailer at 4 a.m. honking his horn. He would drive how ever many hours, shoe all day, drive back home and then, if there was time and light, get in his mower, work on one of his Southern Venture trucks, or build the barn. There was no stopping this then 64-year-old.
I have seen apprentices work and learn from very skilled farriers, who unfortunately are not teachers. Bud never stopped teaching. He was constantly explaining, describing and pushing. Bud had a team of very skilled guys working with him who were old school, worked pretty hard and were very fair. Bud had an insight and understanding of balance, movement, and landing that I don't believe can be taught. It was a gift. The fantastic aspect was that he loved sharing his knowledge. He loved teaching, training, and helping young farriers. Even for older guys who were struggling, Bud would take them on until they were back on there feet. I don't think there is another master who has trained more working farriers than Mr. Willamon.
After me, another half a dozen or more South Africans spent many years working with Bud, as well as many American apprentices. We were also inundated with big stories of his very interesting life and experiences. His very unique sense of humor had us rolling with laughter. I don't know how many horses we were doing and how many champions, but there were many. The unbelievable thing is that even today, Bud is still probably the most humble person I have met, especially with the caliber of horses and the size of his business. Bud never spoilt any of us, but he looked after us and went out of his way to involve us in functions and events. He always made sure we were included, even as dirty and tired apprentices.
During his earlier years, Bud started the Kentucky Farrier School and while I was with them, the Farrier Supply Store. He also built up a very successful horse transport company, Southern Venture! Bud, a young 80 years old, is still going out with his team and still shoeing horses. Just this aspect in itself is seriously encouraging to any one of us getting on in life. The reason I am writing this tribute is that I don't think Bud realizes how much he has helped us. Sharing his vast years of knowledge and experience with us. I don't think he realizes how much we appreciate it and how fond we all are of him. I seriously get a lump in throat and tears in my eyes when I think about the opportunities this humble, brilliant man has created for so many of us.
Thank you, Bud.
— Brian Donnolly (Riffa, Middle East, Bahrain)
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Lester Yoder (Olmstead Township, Ohio)
He is conscientious, knowledgeable, personable and valuable.
—Natalie Flynn (Cleveland, Ohio)
Lester Yoder is a one-of-a-kind gentleman and a very knowledgeable individual when it comes to horses. He is a man willing to take on the hardest horses, from small minis to the big drafts. He will travel way out of his direction on his day off just to help. He's the one farrier who once you get him, you never want to loose him or ever let someone else work on your horse. He is always furthering his knowledge and learning the newest and best ways of doing things. As long as I have horses, I will have him as my farrier. I highly recommend him. Lester Yoder is the best that you can find here in Ohio. I myself appreciate him, as well as so many other people and all of the horses that he works on.
Thank you, Lester Yoder, for everything that you do. We appreciate everything. I want to thank every farrier out there for the work they do on our horses. It takes special people who are willingly to work every day on these gentle giants, some not being to gentle at all. We appreciate everything you all do. Thanks again.
— Tara Bachman (Cleveland, Ohio)
We have a mini that was headed to a glue factory. We had a farrier whom just stopped coming for no reason. We hunted for well over 6 months for a farrier and our mini was getting bad. Lester happened to be at my sister’s, trimming her horses, and I asked if he could come to ours. We were desperate. He agreed and has been coming ever since. He gives my daughter hints and lessons on handling and feeding. He always answers any other questions she might have. We love you Lester and couldn't have gotten Cocoa fixed without you. We know she has a way to go, but she is getting there. Thank you so much for being there for us. We appreciate you more than you know.
— Regina Murray Adams (Zanesville, Ohio)
I moved into my new barn a year ago. My original farrier refused to travel to my barn so I was forced to look for a new farrier. I am so glad I was put in that position because that's when I met Lester Yoder. My horse, Stetson, had really bad hooves from improper care at my old high prestigious barn, which had filthy stalls. After a year of Lester's consistent care and knowledge, my horse has now overcome his issues of white line and crumbling hooves. Lester always shows up smiling and laughs with all of us. He shows he cares about each and every one of our horses. Unlike some farriers who show up, do the job, collect the money and leave without saying a word, Lester Yoder drives from Shreve Ohio to Olmsted Township, which is a few hours of a drive twice a month. He doesn't charge us a different barn fee than any other barn. Just this past week, I heard another farrier in our barn complaining about the weather and they can't wait for winter because this is a B.S job in the heat. I thought to myself, "it's not like your not getting paid for the job that you do." I don't want that guy to work on my horse! I had one farrier in the past kick my horse in his gut for not standing still. Not Lester. He is very kind to all our horses and even the mini horses in the barn. Another benefit with Lester is that he actually shows up and is always on time, if not early, for your appointments.
— Katherine Webb (Parma, Ohio)
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Sam Zalesky (Lexington, Ky.)
Your hard work and dedication is always appreciated.
— Raul J. Bras (Lexington, Ky.)
