When Bob Smith concluded the International Hoof-Care Summit program in late January, he told attendees that he hoped they had taken full advantage of the more than 10,000 years of trimming and shoeing experience that was represented by the folks attending this event.

With a great lineup of speakers, the owner of the Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School in Plymouth, Calif., says farriers need to take full advantage of all the networking opportunities at events such as the Summit.

“In nearly every session, the American Farriers Journal staffers had to tell folks to stop talking to the speakers and that it was time to move on to the next session,” he says. “This is not like any other meeting and you need to take full advantage of all of these learning options.

“You get 20 years of a person’s experience in 50 minutes in these sessions and the networking opportunities are phenomenal.”

Smith says the key to getting the most out of any meeting or clinic is to arrive with a plan on what you want to get out of attending.

By attending hoof-care meetings and clinics, you can set yourself apart from other farriers. But the key is to have a plan to get the most out of any meeting that you attend.