American Farriers Journal
American Farriers Journal is the “hands-on” magazine for professional farriers, equine veterinarians and horse care product and service buyers.
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Freedom Is The Nature Of His Business
Oregon farrier molds his practice to provide quality hoof-care, while enjoying the High Desert of the Pacific Northwest
Pictured Above: Most think of the Pacific Northwest as a wet climate; however, Kurt Fisk lives and works in the High Desert of central Oregon where it rains about 10 inches a year. The climate can result in dry, hard feet.
Farrier Takeaways
- Finding a balance between work and your personal life is an important factor in your happiness and career longevity.
- Inspecting your work from the previous shoeing will provide you with important information on improving your fit.
- A quick burn and knife work on hard feet often will ease the
trimming process. - Bringing the foot to the peg can highlight flares that you might not have noticed when it’s on the floor.
“I own my business — it doesn’t own me.”
Kurt Fisk lives by this maxim. The Bend, Ore., farrier has found that he’s much happier and successful in his hoof-care practice as a result.
“It’s huge to be able to go out into nature and do stuff,” he says. “I’ve set up my book so I can do that. I’ve set a budget. I know what I need to make, and I’m comfortably making it. I’m fortunate enough that I could shoe three horses a day and I’m good. I have the freedom to move the rest of the horses to another day during the week if I have to. I can go mountain biking, hiking or paddle boarding. In my mind, why kill myself?”
Fisk uses a stud puncher to create holes in a Castle…
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American Farriers Journal is the “hands-on” magazine for professional farriers, equine veterinarians and horse care product and service buyers.
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Videos
Farrier Education: Heartland Horseshoeing School
Farriery requires knowledge and skills to provide proper equine hoof care. In this series, sponsored by VICTORY, American Farriers Journal visits Heartland Horseshoeing School in Lamar, Mo. In this edition, Chris Gregory discussed his journey to becoming an educator, his focus in teaching farrier students and the state of farrier education.
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EMS (IR) and PPID: Diagnosis and Management (Part 1) Webinar
Date: 02/26/24
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Top Directory Listings
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Kawell USA
Kawell develops and produces copper alloy horseshoes and inserts, giving horses the care that they need to fight issues associated with white line disease, seedy toe and thrush.
SmartPak
From the feed room to the tack room, SmartPak offers innovative solutions to help riders take great care of their horses. SmartPak was founded in 1999 with the introduction of the patented SmartPak™ supplement feeding system. The revolutionary, daily dose SmartPaks are custom-made for your horse, individually labeled and sealed for freshness.