Throughout my life, I’ve raised and shown horses in multiple disciplines. It is still a big part of my life with my wife, Jana. Because of these experiences, I’ve become a better horseman, which has helped me improve as a farrier over 25 years in the trade.

At the American Paint Horse Association World Championship Show in 2016, I had a revelation. During the baby colt class, I was in the ring with one other person, waiting for the announcement of world and reserve placing. That other person happened to be one of my shoeing clients. As much as I enjoy winning with my own horses in the ring, I realized at that moment how much enjoyment and pride I gain from seeing my clients win. I ended up getting reserve that day.

Working with halter horses is a major part of my business, with Western Pleasure, cutting and all-around horses making up most of the rest. In this article, I’ll focus on key areas for success in working with halter horses. I won’t directly discuss performance halter horses because there are separate considerations. These are things that have allowed me to help more than 40 of my clients’ horses win world championships in the show ring last year. However, whether or not you shoe halter horses, I think there are important points within…