As summer gives way to fall, the diets of your clients’ horses change with the seasons. Hoof quality often transitions with it. Once winter arrives in cold climates, protecting the foot becomes increasingly challenging. Horses are often turned out in snow and mud where their hooves absorb moisture. Those with poor hoof quality become a playground for opportunistic bacteria. Improving the nutrition of a horse with compromised horn can play a part in preventing problems heading into the winter months.

Communication between farriers was few and far between when Henry Heymering published the first issue of American Farriers Journal in 1975. Many shoers of that era recall counterparts packing up their tools when they arrived at a barn out of fear that their techniques might close the expertise gap. As a result, experience and ingenuity were largely relied upon to improve everyday work and efficiency.