Like many equine veterinarians and farriers, Jay Merriam says his work was his only hobby for many years.

It’s hard to find a good buggy whip these days. It has been for quite a while. Times change, people find better ways to get things done, and their tools change with their methods.

If you haven’t yet read the report by the 2007 Lameness Research Meeting and Panel, we’d suggest visiting the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Web site and downloading a copy. The report includes some food for thought for everyone in the hoof-care industry — not only in its recommendations but in how they were arrived at.

Mentoring is a topic that gets a lot of play in business schools and publications. But it’s nothing new in the horseshoeing world — even if a “ride along” is a lot less formal than the programs you’ll read about in textbooks.