WHILE THE SUCCESS of top performing reiners and calf-roping horses depends on their ability to slide, several Oklahoma farriers and trainers maintain there are some distinct shoeing differences.

“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.

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.