Each year, American Farriers Journal celebrates three young farriers who have made exceptional progress in their hoof-care careers within 3 years of graduation from farrier school.
Honored at the International Hoof-Care Summit, this award not only recognizes the footcare leaders of tomorrow but promotes the importance of education and encourages farriers to strive for success in their careers.
Created in 2009, this award is co-sponsored by Pyranha Animal Health and American Farriers Journal.
Charles Glantz
Charles Glantz
Medford, N.J., farrier Charles Glantz stood out in the Cornell Farrier Program from the beginning. Early into the course, he fell and hurt his wrist. While many students might have gone home, realizing how a strained ligament would hamper their work, Glantz continued to learn while he healed. He quickly became Steve Kraus’ right-hand man, always anticipating what needed to be done and doing so without being asked.
As the course went on, Kraus noticed that his supply of bar stock was dwindling faster than usual. He learned that Glantz was coming in after hours to practice. By the end of the course, he had nearly 100 different usable horseshoes under his belt. In the final exam, which uses the American Farrier’s Association (AFA) Certified Farrier exam criteria, he scored in the 90th percentile, and his shoe display of AFA modifications was top-level, earning him the distinction of graduating at the top of his class in April 2022.
Glantz started his career by taking on challenging cases, learning from local veteran farriers and attending forging nights. When he returned to Cornell to prepare for the AFA Certified Farrier exam, he passed along his own knowledge and experiences to the new group of Cornell students. He continued to practice and kept in contact with Kraus to relay his progress. The effort paid off when he passed his Certified Farrier exam.
Glantz continues to hit milestones, including logging his first $1,000 day and winning Best Shod Food in the Maryland Farriers Association competition.
Drew Thomas
Drew Thomas
Braham, Minn., farrier Drew Thomas took a leap of faith after burning out in the mechanic trade and decided to pursue farriery after urging from local horseshoers. For Drew, it was the right decision, and he hasn’t looked back.
Under the instruction of Brian Quammen and Pat Schroeder at the Minnesota School of Horseshoeing, he developed his beginner farrier skills quickly. As a former mechanic, it helped that he was already good with his eyes and hands. Following the advice of Quammen and Schroeder, Thomas continues to enter state farrier contests, attends and volunteers at clinics, continuing education events, horse shows and other networking opportunities. This led to him completing his Certified Farrier exam in 2024.
After school, Thomas began working with Tim Wampfler, who he says quickly became his equal. He is Wampfler’s quickest student to date to work on his clients’ horses without supervision. Bringing the grit, determination and work ethic from his previous career, Thomas puts in the work, and it pays off. He also built a network of experienced farriers to learn from, including Warren Bengston, Fred Solinger and Scott Holland.
From his entry into the field 3 years ago, Drew has developed a full-time business for himself. He is a testament that hard work, determination and focus pays wonderful dividends.
Brandt Walden
Brandt Walden
Wilkinson, Ind., farrier Brandt Walden was one of the fastest and easiest students to teach that Chris and Cody Gregory have had at Heartland Horseshoeing School. He was an AFA Certified Farrier within 4 months of attending Heartland and became a Certified Journeyman Farrier before graduation.
He went home to Indiana and built a successful business where he is a full-time farrier.
