Since 1992, “Shoeing for a Living” has been a regular feature in American Farriers Journal. Close to 150 farriers have been featured, each with unique and innovative ways to run their practice.
The company one keeps is often a reflection of one’s character. Solomon, renowned for his wisdom during his reign of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah, strongly believed in that philosophy.
There are more than 41 million Americans who make their living plying a trade. Although the United States government doesn’t calculate working farriers, estimates range from 25,000 to 32,000.
Many farriers struggle with hiring and keeping apprentices in the fold. While the reasons vary, complaints frequently revolve around apprentices’ failures — they lack motivation and work ethic. Perhaps some do, but what if we’re failing them?
This Week: Hoof-care professionals across the country and the ocean are sharing what they know with others in the industry through social media, webinars and videos. Here are a few of our favorites.
The study of synthetic footing remains the frontier of the sport horse industry. In my opinion, synthetic footing is the sporthorse farrier’s greatest challenge. There is little scientific data available to guide farriers. Mostly, we have our own experiences and those of our colleagues to what works and doesn’t work for horses that are performing on synthetic surfaces.
Maintaining a full tool box in hoof care is a philosophy that Sedalia, Colo., farrier Jason Critton and his C-Cross Farriers team strongly believes in. So when a show hunter was having problems staying sound, Critton wanted to take a different route with the gelding.
It would be easy to sit around as a horse show farrier and collect a paycheck while waiting for something to happen. After all, there’s a fair amount of down time, and it would be a nice break after shoeing scores of horses the previous week.
Sedalia, Colo., farrier Jason Critton and his C-Cross Farriers team advocate for the horse and each other, resulting in a successful multi-farrier practice.
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.
Centered around Advancing Hoof Health Through Innovation & Expertise, the International Hoof-Care Summit is returning for its 22nd Annual event in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 21-24, 2025.
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.