IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE that the rig Mike Rogers recently displayed at the first annual International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati is actually a 1996 Chevrolet pickup with 75,000 miles behind it.

LOOKING BACK at the first North American Horseshoeing Team, squad member Gordon Haight says, “We didn’t know what we we’re getting into.”

“C’MON IN AND HAVE A SEAT,” says Donald Jones, showing the way to a barber’s chair in the middle of the room. Jones sits down in an old office chair and turns away from a messy desktop in a corner of the slightly cluttered, dark-paneled office.

AFTER 30 YEARS, Bill Scalzitti knows what works best for his racetrack shoeing efforts. And it includes a rig design that lets him shoe as conveniently and comfortably as possible.

BEING AMONG THE WORLD’S best at something — anything — is a fantasy for many people. For a smaller number, it is a driving force in life.

AUSTIN EDENS, a 24-year-old from Graham, Texas, has been steadily climbing toward the top spot for a few years and finally reached the summit — the  title  of World Champion Blacksmith at the annual Calgary Stampede.

Craig McMillen of Nettleton, Miss., embodies all of the ideals behind the annual Mail-In Forging Exercise. He believes a good farrier should be able to forge a shoe.