This month, I was fortunate enough to learn valuable tips from farriers in Pennsylvania and Colorado. Away from home for about a week and a half, I spent a long weekend in New Holland, Pa., for the annual Amsterdam Farrier Supply clinic and to visit Amish farrier Elam Stoltzfus. The rest of the week was spent near Colorado Springs with Peyton, Colo., farrier Chase Rutledge.

About an hour and a half west of Philadelphia and not too far from Amsterdam Farrier Supply, Stoltzfus operates a haul-in practice in New Holland. Part of what makes his business unique is that about 20% of his income comes from selling artistic blacksmithing work. As a popular tourist destination, tour groups come through the area, one of which stops at Stoltzfus’ shop for a blacksmithing demonstration.

Many of the tourists know nothing about horseshoeing or blacksmithing, so Stoltzfus answers basic questions about the purpose of horseshoes, his tools and working with hot steel. He also says artistic blacksmithing helps him in his daily work to get a better feel for how steel moves and what its limits are. For an audience, he builds either a flower, a cross or a fish, a tactic that seems to get more people to check out his store, which is attached to his shop. There, he displays his artistic work, and tour groups are led through at the end of the demonstration.

Additionally, all of Stoltzfus’ clients are trail or buggy horses, which are shod differently than other disciplines. Nearly all of the shoes he tacks on receive Drill Tek, and he takes into consideration the weight these horses pull on a daily basis in his shoeing. Learn more from Stoltzfus about shoeing buggy horses in a future issue of American Farriers Journal.

Hall of Fame farrier Nigel Fennell at the Amsterdam Farrier Supply clinic in New Holland, Pa.

The Amsterdam Farrier Supply clinic had a great turnout, with about 120 people in attendance. Hall of Fame farrier Nigel Fennell was the clinician. He emphasized the importance of knowing the basics and that there are only 6 different moves on the anvil from which all shoes are made. Be on the lookout, a video with Fennell is coming soon!

In between Pennsylvania and Colorado, I got to spend a day in Philadelphia. I started around Reading Terminal Market, which offered an incredible selection of delicious food. Mostly, I was there to have a made-in-Philadelphia Philly cheesesteak, which was worth the trip by itself (if I’m ever in your town, don’t send me hotel recommendations. Send me your best local restaurant!). Unfortunately, many of the historical buildings I would have liked to see, such as the Liberty Bell, the Constitution Center and other museums, were closed. However, I did see Christ Church Burial Ground, where Ben Franklin is buried, and the archeological remains of the original home of the President.

Then it was off to Colorado. Unfortunately, there was no time for sightseeing there. Though I did get to drive across the Front Range during sunrise and see the mountains at dusk.

Before meeting up with Chase Rutledge, I was able to make a brief trip up to the Wyoming School of Horseshoeing, which sits on the Terry Bison Ranch. There, they offer train rides to hand-feed the buffalo, something I, of course, did not pass up.

As a farrier, Rutledge is knowledgeable in multiple schools of thought. As a previous instructor for the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization and an American Farrier’s Association certified journeyman farrier, he aims to marry the best of both worlds, something he says makes his shoeing better. Look out for more on Rutledge in a future issue of American Farriers Journal.

In the meantime, enjoy your Halloween weekend.