What they can’t buy, talented farriers can custom build at the forge and anvil, or create from their own ingenuity using modern materials. As a result, it is tempting to look to shoes as the be-all-end-all answer to hoof-care problems. Blanchardville, Wis., farrier Martin Roche prefers to look to the horse.

More than 30 years ago, Roy Bloom set his sights on making the American Farriers Team. He spent a great deal of time in the fire to improve his skills, efficiency and time, all while shoeing full time. Then he felt it.

Two years ago, the gross annual income for full-time farriers crossed the $100,000 mark for the first time in the American Farriers Journal Farrier Business Practices Survey. For 2019, the full-time farrier yearly income increased by an $14,283 compared with that 2017 figure.

As summer gives way to fall, the diets of your clients’ horses change with the seasons. Hoof quality often transitions with it. Once winter arrives in cold climates, protecting the foot becomes increasingly challenging. Horses are often turned out in snow and mud where their hooves absorb moisture. Those with poor hoof quality become a playground for opportunistic bacteria. Improving the nutrition of a horse with compromised horn can play a part in preventing problems heading into the winter months.

American Farriers Journal has been a valuable tool to farriers for over 4 decades. In each issue of the magazine this year is featured an article looking back at a moment during that time frame. As we reflect on this history, I find myself thinking about the history of another, essential farrier tool: the horseshoe.

After a client invests $40,000 on footing for their arena, it’s hard — maybe impossible — to convince them it’s ruining their horse’s feet. Uxbridge, Ontario, farrier Dave Dawson had a client express concern that their horses were frequently tripping and stumbling.

The second confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was in Chicago — about 60 miles southeast of Marengo, Ill., home and headquarters of MVP’s Farrier Service, Inc. Like in many other states, it was around mid-March that the governor issued a disaster proclamation. First schools and dine-in restaurants were closed and restrictions were imposed on large-group gatherings. Eventually, this gave way to a shelter-in-place order.

Study Links Bone Loss to Proximal Sesamoid Bone Fractures in California Racehorses A recent study by Sarah Shaffer, International Equine Veterinarian Hall of Fame member Dr. Susan Stover and colleagues at the J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine sought to characterize bone abnormalities that precede proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) fractures and determine if pre-existing abnormalities are associated with these fractures.