Veteran Farrier Joins Cornell University Staff

With over 40 years of experience in the Finger Lakes region of New York, Steve Kraus was recently named head farrier for the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. He replaced Mike Wildenstein, who has been with Cornell since 1991 and accepted an early retirement package offered by the state of New York.

Kraus has considerable experience working with dressage, event, polo, endurance, Western performance, Morgans and driving horses. He is the recent past president of the New York Farriers Association and a member of the board of directors for the American Farrier’s Association.

Kraus will assume responsibilities for the work and teaching currently in progress and recruit students for the Cornell Farrier School. He will also support patient needs within the equine and farm animal hospitals and manage the farrier shop.

“My primary goals are to insure the continuity of the farrier program for the students, as well as meet the needs of the patients of the Cornell University hospital for animals,” he says. “I also intend to bring more horses into the program, which will give the students an opportunity to practice what they’ve learned while serving horses whose hooves need attention. This combination will provide a great foundation of theory and practice.”

A graduate of the Cornell University ag school and an AFA certified journeyman farrier, Kraus has served as farrier for the Cornell athletic department’s polo and equestrian teams along with the physical education riding program for 43 years…