There is a seemingly insurmountable mountain of knowledge to absorb or implement when starting your practice. For 2024 Rising Shoeing Star Amanda Smith, the key is to keep moving forward and say yes to every opportunity. 

Smith was honored as a Rising Shoeing Star at the International Hoof-Care Summit in Kansas City, Mo. The program — sponsored by Pyranha Animal Health, Victory Racing Plate Co., and American Farriers Journal — recognizes farriers making incredible progress in their first 3 years after farrier school. In partnership with industry suppliers, the program highlights the importance of education and motivates new farriers to succeed.

Born in Costa Rica and raised in Switzerland, the California farrier knows what it means to make big changes and roll with the punches. Smith grew up around horses. Her parents were involved in the breeding scene in Switzerland, so it wasn’t difficult to transition to equine behavior specialist for a large horse rescue in the Mojave Desert. It was a position that facilitated her earning the Certified Equine Behavior Management Specialist designation through the Animal Behavior Institute. 

“I was helping with the training and behavioral correction of horses that were going through their first trimmings…