“What’s a sound horse?” asks Gordonville, Pa., farrier Elam Stoltzfus. “In my opinion, there is no sound horse.” 

Stoltzfus operates a haul-in practice in Lancaster County, an area with one of the largest Amish family populations in the country. He shoes about 35 buggy horses per week, whose owners live in the surrounding 5-10 miles. In his experience, these horses are worked harder and longer than any other equine discipline. They often travel upwards of 15 miles in a day pulling a 1,000-pound buggy with passengers on unforgiving asphalt roads. So, many of the horses he shoes come to him a little sore, stiff or bruised. 

Because of this, he often relies on the owner to tell him whether something is wrong and needs addressing. One of his biggest considerations is can the horse safely continue in work. If the answer is yes, then Stoltzfus’ job for the last 27 years has been to keep the horse comfortable and its feet well-maintained. 

“Anytime I shoe a horse, it’s therapeutic,” he adds. “I don’t fix any horses. I can shoe a horse and do what’s right for him today, but he’s not fixed. He has to come back again in 6 weeks. That’s how I look at therapeutic shoeing.” 

Prioritizing Joint Support

Keeping a buggy horse in work most of its life requires comprehensive management. The first horse of the day is an older gelding that’s stiff in the hocks and stifles and…