We're in Kansas City this week hosting our 22nd annual International Hoof-Care Summit. This year's theme is Advancing Hoof Health Through Innovation & Expertise, and our distinguished roster of speakers fit the bill for fulfilling this theme’s promise. We are excited to present top-notch farriers, equine veterinarians, peer-reviewed published researchers, and highly experienced horsemen and women on each day of this information-packed event.

It’s important to point out that this is your Summit. Many of the speakers here this week are suggestions you’ve made to us. Whether from this year's event or a prior event you've attended, please continue to provide us with your valuable feedback. We learn far more from constructive criticism about our shortcomings than we do from our successes. Both are welcome and encouraged so we can deliver to you not just year after year at the Summit, but daily in American Farriers Journal's issues, your inboxes and mailboxes, our website, social media and anywhere else we may reach you.

Among the speakers you told us you wanted to hear from is Paige Poss. Last year, we introduced a hands-on dissection wet lab led by Paige that proved wildly popular. It was so popular that we added a second session this year. While that’s great for those who attend, I gotta tell you that the cadaver limbs she’s using tonight and tomorrow have been thawing in my hotel room for three days. I’m excited to announce that Paige will return to the 2026 Summit with two more wet labs and grace our stage once again to deliver two highly informative general session lectures focusing on what she’s learned from the multitude of hoof dissections she performs each year.

Another speaker you asked for is International Horseshoeing Hall of Famer Steve Teichman. Steve is quick to point out that he has retired to God’s country — the great state of Maine. He hung up his apron after 45 years of shoeing. Along the way, he shod some of the world’s greatest equine athletes as the long-time farrier of the United States Eventing Team. He served at four Olympics, three Pan Am Games, several World Equestrian Games, and the European Open. Oh, and while we’re at it, he also holds a patent for his sport horseshoe. In his first session, he and a panel of farriers and veterinarians whose clientele are elite equine athletes join us to discuss their experiences on the big stage. Steve will also tell you why the heart-bar is the most important shoe in his toolbox during the Burney Chapman Memorial Lecture, presented by Life Data Labs.

Vernon, Texas, farrier Blane Chapman is back by popular demand. He made his Summit debut two years ago and wowed the audience. He is among the most requested speakers since then. Blane has built a highly successful multi-farrier practice and on Thursday, he’s going to share many practical tips that you can implement immediately into your small business. He’ll also discuss his protocol for moving feet back. You’re not going to want to miss that presentation.

Dr. Deb Bennett and Dr. Jenny Hagen have been regular contributors to American Farriers Journal now for several years. Dr. Bennett has an impressive track record as an expert in biology and anatomy while serving at the U.S. National Museum of Natural History (known more commonly as the Smithsonian Institute). She taught at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History where she will lead an exclusive behind the scenes tour on Friday for a limited number of Summit attendees. She’s also the founder of the California-based Equine Studies Institute. Dr. Bennett is sharing her immense knowledge and expertise this week over three lectures.

Dr. Hagen seems to be incapable of exhaustion. She’s a member of the faculty at Leipzig University, a prolific hoof researcher and is in considerable demand as a speaker at conferences and clinics around the world. Without fail, every time I attend a hoof-care clinic, conference or ride along, someone tells me how the articles that Dr. Bennett and Dr. Hagen have helped them in their everyday work. We’re incredibly privileged that they are with us this week.

A name that’s frequently and consistently atop the most requested list has been International Horseshoeing Hall of Famer Chris Gregory. He’ll deliver two lectures this week, including the importance of the Patten bar shoe and demonstrate how he forges it as part of the Henry Heymering Legacy Lecture, presented by Hoofcare Essentials. It’s also a milestone year for the Gregorys. Thirty years ago, Chris and Kelly Gregory took a chance and founded Heartland Horseshoeing School in Lamar, Mo. They had five students staying in the upper floor of a dirt-floor dairy barn. Today, Heartland is one of the most respected farrier schools in the United States.

Speaking of anniversaries, American Farriers Journal is celebrating one of its own. It seems strange today, but 50 years ago, farriers didn’t share information and knowledge. They were closely guarded. When a farrier rolled up to a barn and another was there, there was no cordial greeting. In fact, there might have been a one-finger salute involved. But one thing is certain — work stopped. The first farrier in the barn might have even packed up their tools and left the second in a cloud of dust. There are plenty of veteran farriers at this conference who will attest to this. Don’t be shy — ask them while you’re both here. I guarantee that you will walk away from that conversation with more knowledge than you had previously.

There was a young farrier in Arcadia, Fla., who was frustrated with the lack of knowledge that was being passed down. Henry Heymering started American Farriers Journal at his kitchen table after a long day of shoeing. He recruited some great farriers to share their knowledge — Doug Butler, Bruce Daniels, Danny Ward and many others. Here we are, 50 years later, it’s almost unheard of that farrier would turn away another.

In January 1992, Frank and Pam Lessiter bought American Farriers Journal with the intent of continuing Henry’s dream of sharing hoof-care knowledge with anyone who wishes to help the horse. That dream, coupled with the Lessiter’s journalism knowledge and business acumen, is on full display right here in this room. Frank created the International Hoof-Care Summit to bring the brightest minds together so they can share their knowledge. You can learn more about AFJ’s history and the advancements in hoof care by checking out our 50th anniversary display on-site at the Summit this year, or within our 50th Anniversary issue of American Farriers Journal.

As many of you know, this is the first time in the 22-year history of the Summit that we’ve hosted it anywhere but Cincinnati, Ohio. It was an absolutely necessary move to Kansas City because Cincinnati’s Duke Energy Center is undergoing a 2-year renovation project. The natural question that we’ve heard frequently is — will the Summit return to the Duke in 2026. It’s simply not possible. The project is scheduled to be completed in December of 2025, but it’s cutting it way too close. Very few construction projects end on time and we couldn’t take the chance.

However, the 2026 International Hoof-Care Summit will be right across the Cincinnati side of the Ohio River at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky.

The convention center is situated at the heart of a rapidly expanding business and entertainment district just across a picturesque 19th century suspension bridge from downtown Cincinnati. The 204,000-total square foot multi-purpose facility has 110,000 sq. ft. of meeting, exhibition, and social function space. The center is designed to make it as convenient and efficient as possible for meeting, conference, and exhibition planners, and is directly connected to the Marriott at RiverCenter. The Marriott and the nearby Embassy Suites will be the host hotels.

The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is a familiar destination to many here and it’s within a two-hour flight from 60% of the nation’s population.

Covington, Ky., has been named the Best Restaurant City in America. The Baker’s Table is a Top 10 Best New Restaurant, according to USA Today. The Bouquet Restaurant is a Top 100 Restaurant the U.S. Cannot Afford to Lose, according to Esquire magazine. The Anchor Grill’s GLT sandwich is one of the “Best Things I Ate This Decade,” according to a writer with New Yorker magazine. Of course, those who are creatures of habit might want to traipse over to an old standby like O’Malley’s in the Alley.

So, I already spilled the beans that Paige Poss is returning to the Summit next year. Who else will be helping us kick off the 23rd annual Summit in Cincinnati area? International Horseshoeing Hall of Famer Dr. Simon Curtis will once again share his unparalleled insights and expertise on the Summit stage. He’ll also be signing books in our booth again next year, as well.

In addition to Paige and Dr. Curtis, we’ll be joined by another Curtis — Curtis Burns. Curtis is an incredibly gifted and talented guy. He has been at the forefront of hoof-care innovation for more than 2 decades. He invented the polyurethane horseshoe that became the Polyflex Shoe, which has helped outstanding racehorses not only become sound, but also win including Once Around, Ever Elusive, two-time horse of the year Curlin, and a little Chestnut stallion by the name of Justify, the 13th Triple Crown-winner. Curtis also had a great friendship with the late International Horseshoeing Hall of Famer Red Renchin. Red believed deeply in what Curtis was doing, not only with the Polyflex Shoe, but also with his renowned hoof crack repair method, which Red detailed in the July/August 2012 issue of American Farriers Journal. Given Curtis’ ingenuity and his close friendship with Red, it’s only natural that Curtis will deliver the 2026 Red Renchin Innovation Lecture.

Indiana farrier Laverne Mast, along with his brother Larry have been putting on a wonderful clinic in Middlebury for several years. They’ve done a lot to improve hoof-care in their corner of the world. Last year, we introduced a lecture that focused on the shoeing the road horse. Laverne presented his research findings on how traction placement affects the road horses’ stride efficiency. His presentation was so popular that I found myself surrounded by a half-a-dozen Amish farriers before the start of the next session. They were so eager to learn more that they respectfully asked if they could extend the session. Thankfully for me, their room wasn’t needed for another session, and they were able to carry on for another hour learning about Laverne’s work. Well, Laverne’s not done. He’s taking a break from his research to attend the Summit this week, but he expects to finish it up this year and we’re excited to announce that he’ll present his new findings at the 2026 Summit.

We have many other speakers who have agreed to join us in Covington in 2026 and we’ll be announcing those speakers in the coming months.

We’d like to give a special thanks to our educational partners and sponsors who make the Summit possible. Our Gold-Level Educational Sponsors: EasyCare Protective Hoofwear, Glue-U Adhesives, Hemp for Horses, Zoetis and American Farriers Journal. Our Silver-Level Educational Sponsor: SmartPak. Our Bronze-Level Educational Sponsors: Anvil Brand, Hoof MD, Purcell Farrier Supply and the International Association of Professional Farriers. Our Advocacy Partners: the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization and Hoofcare Essentials Foundation. As well as our vital supporters: Amsterdam Farrier Supply, BarTek, Farrier Product Distribution, Dechra, Life Data Labs, Pieh Tool Co., Pyranha, Triple Crown, and Victory Racing Plate Co. Please be sure to thank these great hoof-care industry supporters.

We hope you enjoy your time with us in Kansas City this week and are able to join us again next year in Covington, Ky. Cheers to Advancing Hoof Health Through Innovation & Expertise!