In 2009, American Farriers Journal joined six industry suppliers to create the Rising Shoeing Star award to be given out each year at the International Hoof-Care Summit. This award is presented to three farriers who have made incredible professional progress within 3 years of graduation from farrier school.

This year’s award co-sponsors include Delta Mustad Hoofcare Center, G.E. Forge & Tool, Life Data Labs, Purcell Farrier Supply, R.J. Matthews Co. and Vettec.

Each winner received a plaque, a 1-year subscription to American Farriers Journal, the AFJ “Kitchen Sink” package (a practical footcare library with over 3,500 pages of reference material) and free registration to the Summit.

In addition, the first-place recipient receives $1,000 and the two runners-up each receive $500. The schools that produced the three winners also receive plaques and copies of the Kitchen Sink package for student use.

The farriers honored at the 2015 Summit were Cassidy Robyn of Hollister, Calif., Sarah Coltrin of Roselle, Ill., and Sam Zalesky of Lexington, Ky.

Cassidy Robyn

Robyn is a graduate of Bob Smith’s Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School (PCHS) in Plymouth, Calif. He chose this school because a farrier whom Robyn was apprenticing for referred it to him. Robyn says it was a great decision.

“PCHS offers an extensive anatomy and physiology portion of the course, a good forge program, the opportunity to work on therapeutic cases with Bob and it gave me the flexibility to come home on weekends to ride with other farriers,” he says. “Bob Smith has been…