Farriery can be an isolating profession. Horseshoers are often stuck behind a wheel for a good chunk of their time, while others might spend their day alone under a horse. The busyness of routine — another lost shoe, another bill, another day juggling family and work — can easily turn into missing that clinic just an hour away or forgetting to call an old friend to chat. 

Forging community and maintaining a perpetual hunger for learning are vital parts of a farrier’s continued success. Leaning on others is what helps the industry progress together, which is a philosophy Purcell Farrier Supply acts upon. The 2026 Supply Shop of the Year (please see “Purcell Invests in You, So You Can Invest in Yourself”), located in Purcell, Okla., is a beacon along I-35 for any traveling farrier to stop in and say hello. 

“I’m usually not the only guy buying,” says Oklahoma farrier Cole Morgan. “There’s three or four of us in there at one time buying shoes, and then we get in our trucks, and we go our separate ways. But one thing Purcell has done for all of us is allow us to go to the same place and become united. 

“I’ve seen farriers in there that I haven’t seen for a few years, and I got to see them because I had to go over there to buy supplies. I got to see that guy that maybe I worked alongside for a little while, or maybe…