The greatest danger to a farrier practice is complacency, according to Dave Farley. He recalls many farriers who had the business and income that they wanted because they believed change would never come. The Coshocton, Ohio, and Wellington, Fla., farrier told attendees at the early November 2014 Cornell Farrier Conference that this mindset allows someone who is hungrier to pass by the complacent farrier.
Midway, Ky., farrier Steve Norman gives much of the credit for his success to his mentor, the late Jack Reynolds. He says the legendary racehorse farrier showed him two ways to help Thoroughbreds.
This past weekend, I attended the Cornell Farrier Conference. Steve Kraus and the team at Cornell deserve much praise for putting together a great agenda. Nearly 75 farriers returned home from the university with great hoof-care information from the leading farriers and veterinarians.
The signal-to-noise ratio of the Internet requires filtering by the equine enthusiast. The accessibility of information has empowered horse owners, which has advantages and disadvantages for the farrier.
You have to take the good with the bad when it comes to technological advances making our lives easier. I recently spoke with a two farriers independently who each bemoaned a string of poor client interactions. That's not a new subject, but what struck me was how technology has changed the client-farrier interaction.
Ted Shanks became a horseman out of necessity. Now a farrier in Kauai, Hawaii, he grew up on a rural Tennessee farm where horses were just as much working animals as they were used for pleasure riding. After he began shoeing in 1977, the certified journeyman farrier and Anvil 21 member continued to work with horses, he never lost sight of the inherent danger of the job.
Greg Martin, CJF, of Boerne, Texas, takes the unique approach of marketing his hoof-care practice with a Christmas parade float in Boerne and Comfort, Texas. The award-winning float boasts a variety of surprising features.
Life Data Labs Inc. is a dedicated product manufacturer committed to producing premium quality animal nutrition and health products through continuous product improvement and new product development. First-class ingredients, fresh products, consistent high quality and scientifically proven effectiveness are the principal features of Life Data Labs animal health products. And that's why they've produced the #1 recommended hoof supplement by farriers for 12 consecutive years.
Kawell develops and produces copper alloy horseshoes and inserts, giving horses the care that they need to fight issues associated with white line disease, seedy toe and thrush.
From the feed room to the tack room, SmartPak offers innovative solutions to help riders take great care of their horses. SmartPak was founded in 1999 with the introduction of the patented SmartPak™ supplement feeding system. The revolutionary, daily dose SmartPaks are custom-made for your horse, individually labeled and sealed for freshness.