At last week's International Hoof-Care Summit, we sat down with Welsh farrier Haydn Price. It is hard to pinpoint a single segment from this conversation that stands out as important information or keen insight. Rather, when you speak with someone like Price who possesses this depth of knowledge, the entire time spent in conversation is more like a personal classroom.

It was certainly a surprise when we heard the Calgary Stampede was dropping the World Championship Blacksmiths' Competition after 35 years. Not only was this decision a surprise to the farrier community, but it also was also a shock to the blacksmith competition organizers who had not suspected the elimination of this valuable learning experience.

As we noted here, long-time AFJ Managing Editor Pat Tearney retired at the end of 2013. While cleaning out his office, I came across dozens of bins and folders of farrier images, all of them predating the very comfortable and convenient age of digital images.

Faced with continually increasing costs from one of the major computer operating system providers, the folks at Ontrack Equine in Lake Elmo, Minn., have decided to pull back on further development and maintenance of its system.

Results from a recent poll conducted by The Horse magazine reveal interesting data regarding horse owners' preferences for winter footcare.

Each issue of Practical Horseman features a questions posed to readers about a variety of equine topics. In the January 2014 issue, the editors ask the readers for feedback on the most important trait looked for in a vet and/or farrier.

Find your own way of getting the most from hoof-care educational events