From 1915 to 1981, Illinois was I believe the first of only two or three states to have a licensing requirement for farriers. One of the requirements for a license was having completed a 3-year apprenticeship. Most farriers I spoke with who were affected by the licensing law had nothing good to say about it. They felt that it was unfairly applied and discriminatory. If you were friends with the examiner and/or they needed more farriers at that time, you had a much easier time of passing the test and being licensed than if you were not friends with the examiner or if they did not need more farriers — no matter how good you were.

When it comes to taking hoof measurements, some farriers are pretty meticulous while others are rather casual.

With more farriers relying on radiographs, you need to realize that there could be liability issues if something goes wrong. There’s even more concern if you’re taking your own radiographs.

You just opened a letter written by a lawyer, and it accuses you of malpractice. The lawyer was hired by one of your customers named Bill.

One of the best things about attending events like the 2003 American Farrier’s Association convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, in late February is the opportunity to pick up little nuggets of advice from the real masters of the shoeing trade.