Started in 1967, the Quarter Horse Congress has grown from a 3-day event to become the largest single-breed show in the world, held over 3 weeks. And many farriers have worked the thousands of Quarter Horses over the 55 years since it started.

This motivational welcome from Mike Wharton will inspire you and set the tone for your 4 days in Cincinnati at the Summit.

Steve Kraus, CJF, head of farrier services and senior lecturer at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, takes you through the history and the process for creating and applying hospital plates to protect equine foot injuries.

Just as life has different stages, every small business will go through different stages of growth. Your farrier practice will experience all of these — hopefully. In this presentation, Plymouth, Calif., farrier Tiffany Gardner discusses the five stages of growth that small businesses experience throughout their existence.

Wanting to succeed with the horses you work with, as well as the pressure placed on farriers by clients can lead to stress. This stress can then lead to negative effects in your home and work life. In this presentation farrier Jeff Newnham of East Sussex, England will discuss pressure and stress management. He’ll review the typical causes of anxiety and stress for farriers and then offer solutions on how to deal with them in a realistic fashion.

Casting has been a hoof-care solution for many years. Dr. Steve O’Grady says that his approach can benefit horses in various uses. In this session, the Keswick, Va., farrier-veterinarian will discuss the proper preparation for casting, how to apply the products currently on the market, and review various ideas for helping horses.

Building on her previous presentation, Dr. Molly Nicodemus of Mississippi State University looks closer at the natural gait mechanics of lesser known breeds of horses She will pull from her own research to deliver examples and explain how appliances can influence movement of these horses.

Farriers and veterinarians have highly demanding jobs with the pressure to help horses and maintain profitable businesses. In this session, Suzi Shelhamer of Basin, Wyo., will discuss meditation as a way to combat work-related stress. As the wife of a farrier, the meditation instructor is keenly aware of the stresses that equine professionals face. She will review techniques for short-term relief and long-term practices of meditation so you can reduce stress and improve your state of mind.

Quarter cracks are a common issue that farriers across disciplines must deal with. Although many advocate for addressing the underlying issue and giving the horse rest, this isn’t an option for many farriers who shoe racehorses. In this session, Hall of Fame farrier Tom Curl, will discuss why quarter crack management has no margin of error in the race world. Curl will profile cases he’s worked on to show how he helps these horses keep running.

Understating anatomy is one of the building blocks of good farriery. In this session, Mitch Taylor will dissect a hind limb to review the functional anatomy. The member of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame give you an up-close view of these internal structures and relays why these injuries occur to the bones and soft tis- sue structures. This lecture will be a great lead-in for the two other breakout sessions on the hind foot and limb.