Shoeing performance horses don’t require bells and whistles. Quite the contrary, says Lexington, Ky., farrier Bobby Menker.
“Just keep it simple,” he told attendees at the Wisconsin Equine Clinic & Hospital in Oconomowoc, Wis. “We start at the coronary band and then try to build a base all the way down. This is what I like to build for.”
“You don’t want to shoe lames horses, trust me.” Bob Marshall tried to warn the confident young farrier, but the then 18-year-old Travis Koons had made up his mind. The Hemet, Calif., youngster had printed business cards, announcing that his farrier practice specializes in pathological, remedial and corrective horseshoeing.
During the 10 years of his childhood living on a Wisconsin dairy farm, Chad Lunderville had a clearer path for working with cows than horses. Tired of the brutal winters that hampered the dairy operation, his family moved back to Arizona, where horses gained the younger Lunderville’s attention.
It seems today that many horseshoers found farriery after having careers in non-equine fields. The influence of that previous life emerges in their everyday work. A horseshoer who served in the military often is very disciplined in showing up to footcare appointments on time. Farriers with a background in accounting tend to closely mind the dollars and cents going in and out of their practice. You get the point.
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.