A pair of roadsters is at the center of the 2011 exercise

The 2011 Calgary Mail-In Exercise presents a double-barreled challenge to entrants. Farriers will be asked to forge not just one shoe, but two: A pair of roadsters, to be precise.

The Mail-In event is sponsored by American Farriers Journal and the World Championship Blacksmiths’ Competition. It was created as an educational exercise to give farriers a chance to practice their forging skills and be a part of the World Championships, which are held each year as part of the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta.

As usual, Chris Gregory, owner of the Heartland Horseshoeing School in Lamar, Mo., has helped us out by providing a “how-to” article on building the Mail-In shoe, that includes numerous photos to guide your efforts.

Gregory, a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame, as well as a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers of Great Britain and an American Farriers Association Certified Journeyman Farrier, thinks the choice of shoes is a good one … or is that two?

Skill Builder

“I was always told that there were two shoes that everyone should practice if they wanted to get good at shoe building,” says Gregory. “Those two shoes were a pair of roadsters.”

Gregory compliments Marshall Iles, the Calgary, Alberta, farrier who is chairman of the World Championship Blacksmiths’ Contest, for his selection.

“As Marshall said, there are a lot of farriers out there that can make one good roadster,” Gregory…