Some farriers wear the fact that they aren’t computer savvy like a badge of honor.

But like it or not, shoers in this day and age are going to be dealing with the Internet and the World Wide Web — even if they never put their fingers on a keyboard or place their palm over a computer mouse.

Packing a hoof is something farriers do regularly — perhaps too regularly, according to some people who provide hoof packing.

The biggest problem confronting a farrier who’s asked to shoe a mule for the first time may very well be fear of the unknown.

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.

Eddie Watson, the Keswick, Va., farrier, has had a hand in helping along a lot of shoers and veterinarians during his long career — not to mention horses.