On August 25, 2001, Mike DeLeonardo checked his e-mail from his Salinas, Calif., home and opened a message simply entitled “Advice.”

DeLeonardo read the message, which was asking for his help on a shoeing case. Unfortunately, DeLeonardo couldn’t hop in his car and help the writer of the e-mail, but he had a good excuse — he was more than 8,000 miles away from Saudi Arabia.

So, DeLeonardo did the next best thing for Garry Manson. He reread the message, looked at the five attached pictures and offered his best advice.

Why DeLeonardo?

Out of all the farriers around the world who could help the Daharan, Saudi Arabian shoer with his problem, why did he choose DeLeonardo?

For one, DeLeonardo is a past president of the American Farrier’s Association (AFA). He’s also an AFA Certified Journeyman Farrier who owns and operates a supply business. But, most important, Manson had met DeLeonardo at a clinic while in the United States just months earlier. The two spoke briefly and DeLeonardo mentioned that he specializes in exotic shoeing problems.

“I first met Mike in Louisville, Ky., in 2001 at the Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium,” Manson says. “Mike told me that he had dealt with a lot of laminitic horses using Dr. Ric Redden’s philosophy. So, when I needed someone to confer with on this particular case, I thought of Mike and e-mailed him. He was more than happy to help me out.”

The Problem

A new client had brought Manson a lame horse with…