The old cliché about the basic qualifications for a farrier being a strong back and a weak mind certainly took a beating from the presenters at the fifth annual International Hoof-Care Summit. A high degree of expertise and sophisticated thinking was evident and in abundance.

I am an old hand in attending these kinds of functions. I’ve done so throughout my career and can say that I have never fail to learn something at these events. You may not always agree with a presenter, but in some cases, you may simply be a little ahead of him or her in terms of your education.

I’ve also observed that you will often have to sit for a long time and listen to pretty much the same information you have heard numerous times before. But suddenly, a piece of information comes out that you have not been exposed to.

That’s when you experience what I call the “Hey” moment. Your ears perk up and you feel as if another little piece of the horseshoeing puzzle has slipped into place. Because of different levels of experience, the “Hey” moments will be different for everyone.

My only criticism of the International Hoof-Care Summit is that there were times when worthwhile information was being presented in different classrooms at the same time. So my…