American Farriers Journal and the companion International Hoof Care Summit have long provided a continuing link and a forum for exchanging ideas among practitioners of this highly skilled profession.
Frank Lessiter made American Farriers Journal the leading magazine. Dean Laux did a good job, with good covers and some good articles, but Frank elevated it a notch higher than anything else.
My first contact with Henry Heymering and American Farriers Journal was in early 1975. He had a great idea, but the first issues printed in Florida were rough and received some criticism from me and others, including the director of the surgical and consulting clinic of the veterinary hospital at Cornell University, where I was a graduate student.
When I first walked into the farrier industry, I knew it would be challenging. The craft demanded patience, skill, and an understanding of both the science and artistry behind equine hoof care. But I didn’t expect how American Farriers Journal would shape my path.
Before Henry Heymering published the first American Farriers Journal, the only information you ever had was something you might’ve heard someone say. When you went to a clinic or event, nobody would speak to you unless you knew them.
If American Farriers Journal had never taken off or faded out in the ’90s, the farrier industry would likely look and feel a lot different in several speculative ways.
On one of our late evening telephone calls, when a few of us friends were kicking around the idea of the American Association of Professional Farriers, I asked Henry Heymering about his thoughts concerning another association. I was fascinated with his answer.
Within and outside the farrier industry, everybody has a different opinion on tariffs. Though manufacturers, distributors and farriers may be able to pass on higher costs, many horse owners cannot.
International Horseshoeing Hall of Famer Steve Kraus explains the impact of American Farriers Journal on the trade. AFJ is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.
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