Farrier Focus Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Doug Butler shares principles for shoeing gaited horses. He shares numerous lessons he has learned throughout the years of shoeing these horses and specific applications when dealing with club feet and quarter cracks. You'll get a lot of insight from this talk given at a previous Farrier Focus conference based on Dr. Butler's failures and successes with these horses over the years.

In this episode, we talk with Michael Wildenstein, CJF, FWCF (Hons) of Sharon, Vermont. Mike is retired from teaching farrier at Cornell Vet School in Ithaca, New York and now offers his services as a referral or consulting farrier, working in a hands-on capacity with a horse's current farrier and/or veterinarian for special problems, or to help farriers improve their skill on their home ground with their own tools and their own horses. Mike is one of three people in the world to have passed the extremely distinguished Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers examination in the United Kingdom with an "Honors" designation. We talk with Mike about how he got his start, lessons he has learned from his years as a farrier, and his thoughts on the future of farriery.

In this episode, Pete Butler, CJF (one of the instructors at Butler Professional Farrier School) shares lessons he learned about horsemanship growing up and while in Mongolia for a couple of years. He shares differences between how horses are used in Mongolia versus other parts of the world and shares insights about how to learn horsemanship skills from around the world.

In this episode, we talk with Scott Colson of Clinton, Mississippi. He started shoeing horses in 1962 and shares lessons he learned as he got started as well as some of the early history of the formation of the AFA and FIA. Scott also shares his thoughts about managing employees and numerous stories throughout his career about what it takes to succeed in the farrier business. Scott is an incredible storyteller and you'll laugh and learn from his great stories and valuable insights.    

In this episode, we talk with Chuck Milne of Kennadale, Texas. He owns and runs Texas Farrier Supply with two locations. He has been shoeing horses since 1972(for 47 years). Chuck tells about how he got into the farrier business, business lessons he has learned, the process in which anvils are manufactured, how he got several of his products started, the key things you need to know if you want to start a farrier supply business, and other experiences and lessons from his life and career.

In this episode, we talk with Certified Journeyman Farrier, Ben Mangan of Carthage, New York. Ben talks about his start when he was seventeen in Vermont. Later, he moved to New York and has been shoeing horses for the past twenty-one years. He shares valuable lessons from his career, business tips, and ways he gained new clients when he first moved into a new area. Ben also shares tips about competing and lessons he learned from being on the North American Horseshoeing Team three times.

In this episode, we talk with Joel Gough, a mounted police officer and horse trainer, from the Virginia Beach, Virginia Police Department Mounted Patrol. Joel shares how he got his start with training horses, some critical principles to understand when undergoing sensitivity training with horses, and lessons he has learned from working with horses on a daily basis. Joel also shares lessons about horsemanship and how farriers can get the contract to do the farrier work for a local mounted police force in their area. You'll get a lot of insight into the behavior of horses in this episode which will help you improve your horsemanship skills as a farrier.

In this episode,we talk with Certified Journeyman Farrier, Gene Lieser of Magnolia, Texas (northwest of Houston). He has been shoeing horses since 1994 and shares lessons from his experiences over the past twenty-five years. He shares how he got his start, lessons from competing and the contests he is most proud of winning. He also shares tips for competitors and those preparing for the certified and journeyman exams. Gene also shares details about the new vice and gate latch business he has created and the benefits of each of these innovative creations. You'll learn a lot about what it takes to succeed and why failure can never be an option as a farrier. 

In this episode, Dr. Doug Butler shares ways you can increase your value and double your income as a farrier. This is from a talk Dr. Butler gave several years ago at a Farrier Focus conference. We hope you will consider the questions and ideas he shares here to improve your skills and increase your value so you can double your income in the next twelve months.

In this episode, we talk with Certified Journeyman Farrier Eric Gilleland from Social Circle, Georgia. Eric shares insights he has gained from his farrier career since he started in 1990. He shares lessons he has learned from his multi-farrier practice and farrier supply business and offers powerful insights on what it takes to succeed in the farrier business today.

In this episode, we talk with Dwight Sanders of Eastern North Carolina. He has been shoeing horses for more than 58 years. Dwight shares his background of how he got into horseshoeing during his rodeo days. He shares numerous stories and experiences with reigning horses. You'll learn a lot from this farrier legend on what it takes to succeed as a farrier today.

In this episode, we talk with farrier Steve Stanley of Versailles, Kentucky. Steve has been shoeing horses for more than forty years and has spent the majority of his career at the Red Mile harness track in Lexington, Kentucky. Steve shares stories of how he got started, how he developed his observational skills, and lessons he has learned in the farrier business. He gives great tips and ideas that will help you be a more successful farrier in your business.

In this episode, we talk with Andrew Morrison of Edmonton, Alberta. He studied at Butler Professional Farrier School and has been shoeing for 3 1/2 years. Andrew shares how he got his start, how he found his first customers, and valuable lessons he has learned that have helped him have a profitable and rewarding start in the farrier business.  

In this episode, we talk with farrier and veterinarian, Dr. Scott Morrison of Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Morrison is a 1999 graduate of the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. He is also a graduate of the Eastern School of Farriery and built a successful farrier business prior to enrollment at Virginia Tech. Following graduation in 1999, Dr. Morrison completed a one year hospital internship at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. He was hired by Rood & Riddle as an associate veterinarian and began to develop Rood & Riddle’s Podiatry department. Today, Dr. Morrison, who is now a partner at Rood & Riddle, oversees the Rood & Riddle Podiatry Center. His schedule includes travel throughout the United States and Europe to consult and lecture. Dr. Morrison shares how he got his start as a farrier, interesting cases with farrier work and how farriers and veterinarians can be more successful when working together.

In this episode, we talk with Sarah Beane, FWCF. She is a native of Glasgow, Scotland and currently lives in North Yorkshire, England. Sarah is the first woman to receive the designation of Fellow in the Worshipful Company of Farriers (which she received in October of 2015). She is married to Steven Beane, FWCF who is a world champion farrier competitor. Sarah is also a world renowned competitor and a respected judge and clinician and shares how she got her start, lessons she has learned from shoeing horses for the past 17 years, and advice to farriers to improve their craft.

In this episode, we’re privileged to talk with Certified Journeyman Farrier Rob Sigafoos of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He started shoeing horses in 1976. He worked at the New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania staring in 1983 and worked there for 23 years until he retired in 2006. In this episode, he shares how he got his start, early work and developments with glue on shoes, lessons he has learned from working with veterinarians and numerous stories that will help you be a better farrier.  

In this episode, we talk with Danish farrier Henrik Berger, who is a Fellow in the Worshipful Company of Farriers. Henrik talks about how he got his start, his association with Jim and Allan Ferrie and how he passed the Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers in 2007, his AWCF in 2011 and his FWCF in 2017. Henrik also discusses how he got into making tools and the benefits of working a multi-farrier practice. You will enjoy this interview with Henrik sharing his stories and experiences and how the farrier profession is similar wherever you go in the world. 

In this episode, we talk with farrier and equine veterinarian, Dr. Stephen O'Grady of Keswick, Virginia. He was a professional farrier for ten years prior to obtaining his degree in veterinary medicine. He learned the farrier trade through a formal three year apprenticeship under "Hall of Fame" farrier, Joseph M. Pierce, of West Chester, Pennsylvania. He then returned to school, attended Haverford College and went on to graduate from the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science in South Africa with a DVM Degree in 1981. After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. O'Grady did an equine internship in Cape Town, South Africa. From here he went on to join Dr. Dan Flynn at the prestigious Georgetown Equine Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia where he stayed for 10 years before opening his own practice devoted to competition horses and farriery. In 2003, he opened Northern Virginia Equine in Marshall, Virginia and in 2014, he moved to Keswick, Virginia and opened Virginia Therapeutic farriery – both

In this episode, we talk with farrier and knife maker Neal Baggett of Bishop, Georgia. Neal shares his story about how he got started as a farrier and his transition into being a knife maker. He shares tips on selecting a knife, how to best sharpen knives and tips about horseshoeing and the process of knife making as well as numerous stories from his career.

In this episode, we talk with operations manager Josh Garner of GE Forge and Tool. He shares his memories of the history of GE Forge and Tool when his grandparents purchased and ran the business. He also shares insights into how tools are made, how long new tools take to go from an idea to production, and memorable stories about the innovations GE Forge and Tool has made with nippers and other farrier products over the years. This interview gives a behind the scenes look at tools and how they are manufactured and what goes into putting GE's innovations onto the market.