Hoof testers have been a part of the farrier and veterinarian toolbox for many years.

When Marshall Iles and I first discussed the 2010 Calgary Mail-In Forging Exercise, the shoer from Alberta said he wanted something that had a real Calgary feel, yet was a departure from the ordinary.

If you have been around horses for long, you have probably had to deal with an abscess. For farriers, treating abscesses is part and parcel of what we do for a living. An abscess is simply an infection in the sensitive structures of the foot. Often it is from a puncture in the sole that allows bacteria into the solar corium. However, they can occur from a bruise that becomes infected or from the introduction of bacteria from other situations, such as severe wet or environmental changes.

This year's Calgary Mail-In Exercise shoe, a Saddlebred shoe, is an interesting one for me. Normally, the shoes I make have a typical shape that I can relate to a foot.