One of the several game changers in the business of shoeing horses was the development of the portable gas forge. This item, that we take for granted today, has made profound changes to the farrier profession beyond just heating metal.
For Cliff Carroll, the complexity of footcare creates such a focus that sometimes the easiest things to prevent go unchecked. The owner of the Larkspur, Colo., supply shop bearing his name says farriers have to constantly think about the trim and the effects of the shoe application so something simple like efficiency with a gas forge is missed.
A few days ago, I was looking back at some of the earlier issues of American Farriers Journal that we've published since taking over the magazine in 1992. And as is the case with most of the equine footcare articles we've produced over the past several decades, most of the information is still valid today.
There is probably no single piece of equipment that has changed how farriers do their jobs more than the portable propane forge. From shaky beginnings when they were seen more as a novelty, they have become virtually a necessity for farriers who want to hot fit and hot shoe away from their own shops.
On the road to putting together our list of the 35 Biggest Hoof-Care Product Improvements, we discovered several things; first of all, that it would be easy to put together a list of more than 35 products — but not quite so easy to mention 35 by brand name.
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE that the rig Mike Rogers recently displayed at the first annual International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati is actually a 1996 Chevrolet pickup with 75,000 miles behind it.
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.