The air is cool in the Appalachian Mountains on this late May Virginia morning, but the weather has been dry and there’s a promise of higher temperatures later in the day. Farrier J.C. Maloyed and his partner, Travis Thompson, are eager to get their day of “Shoeing For A Living” started — hoping to get the majority of their horses done before the day gets too uncomfortable.

With the Sandia Mountains looming overhead, members of the American Farrier’s Association gathered along the banks of the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, N.M., for their annual convention from Feb. 27 to March 3.

What does it mean to “Balance the Hoof?” Ask a farrier if he balances a hoof and he will say, “Yes.” Ask him to describe how he balances it and he will generally describe very convoluted ways of doing so without having any specific reference points for others to copy.

Danny Ward has always believed a person with a good work ethic can do almost anything with about any tool.

Farriers have long tried — with varying degrees of success — to convince horse owners that regularly scheduled appointments for trimming and shoeing are important for equine health.

Dandi had been lame on and off for 3 years. He was over 30 years old, but his exact age was unknown (at least to me). I was called in on this case at the suggestion of the farrier who was working at the barn where Dandi was stabled, near Pearl City, Ill.