When Dan Burke of FPD talked with the winner of the “Day With A Clinician” drawing following the 2011 International Hoof-Care Summit, he knew right away he needed to go the extra mile.

As an Educational Partner with American Farriers Journal for the Summit, FPD awarded one attendee a chance to spend a day with one of the company’s clinicians. Of course, this would seem like an ideal situation for a relatively inexperienced farrier who gets a chance to pick up some tips and suggestions from more experienced hands. But this year’s winner of the FPD drawing was far from a novice.

Bob Lanners, a farrier from Carol Stream, Ill., not only has been shoeing horses for 39 years, he’s a specialist in the highly demanding field of shoeing Saddlebreds.

After his talk with Lanners, Burke got in touch with Eddie Williams, one of the best Saddlebred shoers in Kentucky, and arranged for the two veterans to have their own mini Bluegrass Saddlebred Shoeing Summit. They spent two days together in early March, one at a barn in Versailles and another in Shelbyville, where FPD has its headquarters. Lanners enjoyed a tour of the FPD facilities, as well as his time with Williams.

“It was an awesome experience,” Lanners says of the trip. “I think we both benefitted from it. Eddie is really a character. He’s a great farrier and a great horseman. He’s very open to sharing his knowledge and experience. We got to spend some time chitchatting. We…