Several common themes become crystal clear when you spend some time with Mike Dawson. And it doesn’t take long to figure why the rugged shoer with the “give-you-the-shirt-off-his-back” personality from Las Vegas, Nev., commands so much respect within Southern Nevada’s horse community.

The 43-year veteran shoer, former rodeo rider and 13-term president of the Southern Nevada Horseshoers Association, maintains a unique, time-saving, business arrangement where teamwork between the farrier, an equine chiropractor, a horse trainer and a former apprentice-turned-farrier unite to build a successful business for each. This help-each-other-when-needed arrangement is proof positive that you can be profitable and save time without trying to tackle huge jobs alone.

Dawson is a true cowboy throwback who can stun you with his vast knowledge of hoof anatomy, conformation, locomotion, shoeing techniques and a never-ending thirst for self-education and professional improvement. The 63-year-old’s story is a road paved with impressive achievements and refreshing outlooks on the shoeing business.

Dawson is one of those individuals who strongly believes that you can blend a genuine care for the health of the horse with an ideology of helping others in the shoeing community with professional…