There never can be too many tools in a farrier’s shoeing box. After all, the immeasurable quantity of variables involved in equine hoof care is staggering. Why limit yourself?

In a trade that has a tendency to pigeonhole its colleagues, Lafayette, Ind., farrier Danvers Child wants no part in that practice. In fact, after nearly 50 years of shoeing, the 2018 International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame inductee strives to keep all of his options open to keep his clients’ horses sound and performing at a high level.

“You hear people say, ‘Well, he’s a Natural Balance shoer or he’s a hammerhead or he’s this or that,’” Child says. “You can simplify that by saying that we have people who fit shoes and people who place shoes. The people who fit shoes are fitting to the perimeter of the capsule and they tend to build a lot of mechanics into the shoe. The other tends to map and place, so they position or place the shoe. I try to blend both of those and do a combination.