In 2002, a veterinarian friend stopped in the shop where I was working as the resident farrier for a large equine medical center. She had a simple question: “How do I get farriers to take the time to communicate?”

Leslie Phillips is a veterinarian who practices chiropractics and acupuncture. She has a successful practice and was explaining that in many instances, the horses that she works on are not shod properly. In her experience, some shoeing changes that support her efforts also benefit the horse, making him more comfortable. Her frustration arose from farriers’ responses that were usually anything but constructive.

Getting Organized

Over the next few months, we organized a meeting for farriers and vets to bring all of the talking behind each others backs out in the open with the hope of improving communication. Delta Horseshoe Co. agreed to sponsor our efforts.

We chose to hold the forum at 6 p.m. on a Thursday because we believed that if the farriers and vets went home after work, they would not come back out. We didn’t want to hold it on a weekend because some folks have to work and others prefer their weekends off.

We offered pizza and soda so people would know they did not have to go home to eat. Delta has graciously paid for those expenses and door prizes for us every year.

Leslie and I decided to call it the Farrier-Veterinarian…