We conducted a survey with the readers of American Farriers Journal's weekly e-newsletter in which we asked farriers what are the most frequent questions that they receive from novice backyard horse owners. The 103 farriers who contributed to this survey have a combined average of 66% of backyard horses on their books. Here are all of the questions by novice horse owners, ranked in order of frequency in the survey.

Farrier Donnie Karr (Loomis, Calif.) gives some tips on shoeing working cow horses while explaining the difference between a reining horse and a cutting horse.

Farrier Donnie Karr (Loomis, Calif.) discusses shoe size, warning that using a small shoe to avoid lost shoes can lead to more serious problems. He then describes how he decides how big a shoe is needed.

Justin Frank of Granby, Colo., a 20-year veteran farrier, describes how horseshoeing and competitions helped him become better at ornamental blacksmithing.

The term "whole horse" has been used by many different equine professionals to describe a host of ideas and concepts. In this presentation, Hall Of Fame horseshoer Esco Buff will approach it in terms of a holistic picture in order to restore soundness and wellness to the horse.

August 2012 presented new challenges for working with a horse's severe club foot.

Much of the summer and fall, horses are racing on different tracks from one race to the next. Racetrack surfaces can vary greatly, requiring shoe changes. Sometimes two tracks that you think should be alike will fool you. For example, two limestone one-mile tracks are not necessarily going to be equal. Experienced trainers have raced all over North America and have learned the tendencies of each track. This knowledge is invaluable when shipping a horse to a certain track for the first time in order to compete in a big race.