The willingness of the horseshoeing community to rush to the rescue when one of its own or a group of horses are in trouble never ceases to amaze me.

In this issue, we report on farriers who volunteered to serve on a task force that went to the rescue of horses who were rescued from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. In our “Local Spotlight” feature, we often report on organizations or groups that put together fund raisers to help farriers who have been injured or who are unable to shoe due to an illness.

It’s true that there may be a touch of self-interest in that generosity. After all, farriers are all too aware that it only takes a moment for an unruly horse to put them on the injured list — or even end a shoeing career.

And while the generosity of your fellow farriers is something you can always count on, you also have to make a point of relying on yourself.

A Career-Ending Injury

In this issue, you’ll also find the story of David Woodward. The farrier from North Carolina, with the help of his wife, Ann, and their friends, is in the process of rebuilding his life following an accident that left him unable to shoe horses any more — and please note that Woodward was not injured by a horse that he was shoeing. He broke his back in the kind of fall that isn’t that uncommon.

Woodward is another farrier…