Jim Apple

Courtesy of Joshua Speer

It is with great respect and admiration that I nominate Jim Apple, APF-I for recognition during Farriers Week 2025. Jim is not only a skilled craftsman, clinician, and educator — he is a mentor, a servant to the profession, and a living example of humility in leadership.

Born in Ashland City, Tenn., — fittingly, at a building that once served as both a jail and a hospital — Jim's roots run deep, and so does his impact. As a proud New Echota Cherokee, with ancestral ties to the Chickasaw and Creek Nations, Jim carries the wisdom, resilience, and spirit of the Muskogee people into every aspect of his work.

Graduating 2nd in his class from Kentucky Horseshoeing School, Jim has gone on to serve as a historical blacksmith for Belle Meade Plantation and Mansker’s Station, preserving the legacy of farriery while propelling it forward. His reach stretches far beyond the anvil — he is a dedicated board member for the IAPF Continuing Education Committee, a lecturer, and a clinician who has traveled across the country and around the world, most recently to Australia, sharing his expertise and passion for hoof care.

In 2025, Jim took the stage at the International Hoof-Care Summit, where he opened a critical and often overlooked dialogue — the mental health of farriers. It was a brave, compassionate, and necessary conversation that reflected exactly who Jim is: a man who shows up not just with skill, but with heart.

Jim has averaged an incredible 185 horses every four-week rotation, totaling well over 2,200 trims a year. And while he may not count every client, those who know him count themselves fortunate. He gives generously of his time, his knowledge, and his presence — whether he's shoeing a horse, teaching a student, or simply listening.

To me, Jim Apple is a mentor. Not because he claims to know more than anyone else, but because of the way he shows up: dedicated, passionate, creative, and accepting of all people. He is selfless. He is kind. He is genuine. And in a world that can often be sharp-edged and hurried, Jim reminds us to take our time, do it right, and treat people well.

He embodies the very spirit of Farrier Week — not just honoring the trade, but elevating it.

Please join me in recognizing Jim Apple, APF-I, for his profound contributions and unwavering example in the farrier world.

— Joshua Speer, Richland, Mo.