This past Saturday, it was time for my dog Duke to leave this world. Duke was a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and was a gift to me from my dear customer and friend Kathy Nebel. She gave me Duke when he was two months old. At first it was a struggle for Duke to learn how to become a horseshoeing dog, everything from chasing cats to playing around with peoples’ chickens (a little too hard, I might add). It didn’t take long for him to learn how to behave. You see Duke did not know any tricks or special comands, hell he wasn’t even smart, but he knew his job. He was there with me for seven years before he was retired at home after ACL surgery. He was a dog devoted to family and protector of the children. He grew at an enormous rate, 10 pounds a month. He was 120 when he turned a year old and got up to 140 at his largest. I had to buy a crew cab truck, so he was comfortable going to work. Duke loved people, he was a fixture of our horseshoeing business. Clients were so accustomed to his presents, they would question me on the days he didn’t go to work. When he could no longer go with me to shoe horses, he would still give me “those Duke eyes” asking for permission, as he did his whole life. I will miss him, he was the gentle giant and friend.

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We have been getting a lot of calls from people needing good farrier work. It is very hard saying no and it’s hard driving all over the country side. I decided to fix up a place to shoe horses here for those who can haul in. I feel that this added service is one more option folks have if I can’t get to them. We have room for trailers to turn around and unload. To start, I will be here most Friday afternoons and Saturday. I originally wanted to add on to my shop to be able to shoe there. The logistics of getting trailers up at the house and having enough room will be hard. The shoeing area is at my barn. We did some leveling, added some mats and additional lighting. My truck will be set up there to use. I hope this will be the beginning of something beneficial to everyone. If there is a true need for this I will build a shoeing shop. White Stone Forge is always looking to accommodate customers in new and different ways. Please feel free to call or email.  Thanks

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In the past week a new farrier association has hit the scene. The name of it is the American Association of Professional Farriers.  The AAPF is all about education for not only the farrier industry but the whole equine industry. Their program consists of the members getting credit hours for attending clinics,conventions and contests. I joined the AAPF this morning and with the years I have under my belt I will be an Accredited Professional Farrier (APF).  The AAPF website is the cornerstone of this project.  Members will have access to all kinds of educational material and tools to promote our business.

Jeff Crane CJF,APF

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This past April, the state of Alabama was hit by deadly tornadoes. The word got out that a farrier went to work to go shoe horses that morning and when he returned home, it wasn’t there anymore. The farrier community is one big family, a decision was made to have a farrier clinic to raise money.  The date was set for July 9th at Shiloh Farm in Lancaster SC.  I called Doug Workman CJF who is a farrier and clinician from Georgia. He in turn made some phone calls and we had three more clinicians coming. Out of the blue Dan Bradley of GE Forge and Tool called and asked if he could come and participate.  Dan is an awesome clinician as well so I jumped on the opportunity.

  Clinic time was here with Doug Workman starting off.  He had a powerpoint presentation on hoof balance.  It showed the differences, before and after on some of the horses he shoes. He talked about shoe position,break over and fit.

  Next up was Patrick Bone CJF. He did a live shoeing demo on the impotance of proper shoeing of the hind foot. The talk went in detail of properly fitting the toe, so the horse has enough purchase to propel itself forward. 

   Our third clinician was Bryce Burnett CJF.  He used a wooden hoof model showing proper heel fit as it pertains to certification. He followed that up with a live shoeing demo of a Journeyman front.

  A break was needed at this point for lunch and took the opprotuntiy to hold the auction.  We had everything there from hand made tools,knives,aprons and farrier supplies. 

  Directly after lunch some of the guys went to their rigs and took part in the hands on portion of the clinic. Those who didn’t do the hands on, focused on Jack Schwarz CF as he did a demo on modifying aluminum wedged barshoes for that perfect fit. He trimmed a horse and worked down the wedge to achieve the right coverage.

  Dan Bradley wrapped up the day with working and welding aluminum barshoes. He expressed the importance of using the proper safety glasses and mask when working with aluminum.  Dan was probably the hardest working guy there. He works for GE Forge and Tool. His rig is a mobile machine shop and offered to help the farriers by adjusting and sharing their tools. 

  This was a great day with so much sharing and fellowship. It would not be possible without the generousity of lots of people and companies:

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Evita is an Argentine/TB cross who had a good career as a show jumper owned by Melode and Jim Burton. Sometime ago she developed a lameness in her right rear hoof. The veterinarian was called out to examine the horse. The horse was treated for an injured muscle high up in the leg.  After being on stall rest and anti-inflammatories she once again was able to go back to work. During a scheduled shoeing appointment I discovered an abscess in the toe of that hoof. The abscess was treated and she returned to work and came up lame again. We shod her with normal shoes and a pour in pad, hoping this would alleviate some of her discomfort, it did not work.  Radio graphs were taken at this point to find some abnormalities around the coffin bone.  There was no reactions to hoof testers and the lameness was slight.

  From shoeing appointment to shoeing appointment, I noticed changes in the white line.  The white line started to stretch in the toe.  The hoof wall also started looking like a buttress foot.  The hoof pastern angle  was changing to a broken back axis.  Growing more and more concerned I then referred my customer to Dr. Smokey Puckett of Greenock Farm Veterinarian Hospital.  Dr Puckett came out and took new digital radio-graphs.  The new pictures revealed the same defect in the coffin bone.  Dr. Puckett consulted with several vets and universities.  While a diagnosis was hard to pin point, all agreed that surgery was necessary. 

     Dr Puckett asked me to go out and pull the shoe on the foot needing the surgery and trim it.  He also asked if I could apply some sort of support shoe on the opposite hoof, not knowing how lame she might be after surgery.  I shod her with a heart bar shoe on the left rear.

   Today was surgery day.  I had asked Dr Puckett if I could come and observe, and that was fine with him.  Evita was prepped and on the table, ready.  Dr Puckett cut a round window in the dorsal hoof wall using digital x ray to help guide him.  The plug was removed and the tissue had a dark necrotic appearance all the way down to the coffin bone. After more x rays were taken to help define other pockets needing debriding.  With more hoof wall needing to be removed, He asked me to grab my half round nippers that I brought in and sterilized.  I had the privilege to be the one to re sect the wall using my nippers and sterilized hoof knife that belonged to Dr. Puckett.  This is one of the coolest experiences of this farrier’s career. 

    After an hour and twenty minutes of surgery time, what started out as a dark necrotic hoof turned into pristine health tissue.  It was truly amazing to watch Dr Puckett carefully debride this hoof and clean it with a series of curettes.  When he was satisfied and the margines were clean it was time for Evita to recover.

    When it was all said and done, Evita was on her way to recovery and I was on my way to go shoe horse for the rest of the day.  Around 4pm I stopped back at the clinic to see Evita on my way home.  To my surprise and excitement, there she was standing and eating hay.  She was not only standing but bearing weight even resting the other foot.  I will be back to the clinic to apply a heart bar shoe with clips to support and stabilize that foot.

    On a personal note:

For several years I have worked with Dr. Smokey Puckett and the staff at Greenock Farm Veterinarian Hospital.  The education I have gained there, not only made me a better farrier but has helped me communicate with other veterinarians. The cases we have worked on are too numerous to count.  Everything from mundane shoeing to catastrophic injuries. From acute laminitis,chronic founders,toe and bleeding quarter cracks,fractured bones,club footed babies and severed tendons.  Most of these cases were up hill battles with us winning a lot more that the ones we lost and the battles we lost gained us valuable information to help the next case.  It was an honor to be included in today’s events.  Thank you Dr. Puckett and the staff at Greenock Farm.  I also want to thank Melode and Jim for giving me this opprotunity.

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In the last two days, so much has happened, I don’t even know where to start.  It all really starts a few months ago.  My friend Steve Prescott CJF and AFA Tester from the Savannah GA area called my up.  He was scheduled to speak about farriery at NC State at a Vet/Farrier short course workshop for the equine vet students.  He asked me if I would be willing to go with him and participate.  I said that sounds great.  The original plan was for Steve to come here a day early and shoe horses with me and leave Friday Night so that we can be there for the program on Saturday.  As the plan evolved in the coming weeks, I thought, instead of shoeing together why don’t we put on a clinic focusing on shoe modifications.  After talking to Steve I then called Douglas Morgan CF.  Douglas has over 25 years of experience shoeing horses so I enlisted his help as well.

   Steve arrived here on Thursday night and we hashed out a plan for our clinic.  Rigs started rolling in about 8:30 and I started getting very creative as to where to put them. After they were all here we had a total of 11 shoeing trucks and trailers in a tight area.  After The introductions, I asked each guy as to what they wanted to work on. About half the guys wanted to work on basic shoe modifications and the others wanted to focus on shoe building.  Everyone broke off into groups with me doing some demos on modifications in the shop.  Steve had some guys at his rig while he demonstrated making shoes and Douglas helping farriers at their rigs.  As the morning progressed with everyone working, Steve,Doug and I floated to every one’s work stations helping them.  Randy Crib of Peirce Farrier Supply came by to deliver supplies some of the guys ordered and did some networking.

  Just before lunch arrived, we brought some horses up so we can make some shoes using various measuring theories.  Steve put together packets for everyone of the system he uses.  The packet included instructions, diagrams that you can write your measurements on with a dry erase marker so they can be used over and over again and a marker. After lunch was over one of the participants, Nathan Campbell, worked on shoeing a horse with handmade shoes while the others worked at their forges.

 It was a great day of sharing knowledge and making friendships.  I would like to thanks Steve and Doug for coming. I would also like to thank my wife, Debi and my children for helping put this together.  Most of all I would like to thank the guys who came.

  The clinic wrapped up at four o’clock which was good,seeing Steve and I had to be in Raleigh by 7:30.  When we arrived at the hotel, we met with Dr. Scott Pleasant, DVM, MS, Professor and Chief , Large animal Surgery for Virginia and Travis Burns CJF, farrier for Virginia Tech for dinner.  Dr. Pleasant was the veterinarian presenter for the workshop.  The day started with some bagals and coffee before the power point presentations.  Dr. Pleasant went first, with a power point on hoof anatomy and pathologies.  His presentation included form and functions of the inner workings of the foot and hoof.  After a break, Steve Prescott CJF, did his power point presentation on shoeing horses. He discussed the tools we use and safety when working with the equine hoof. His presentation included video of the tools used and on how he evaluates hoof balance. There was a dozen enthusiastic students present with very good questions to ask.  Among the presenters and students there several other farriers there to help and learn. After a spectacular lasagna lunch it was time to go outside for a wet lab. There was a cadaver limb for every student. The farriers there trimmed and applied a shoe on each limb. After a brief review of the tools, the students learned how to safely remove shoes and use the trimming tools. The hospitality and gratitude the equine students showed was amazing.

  The workshop ended around 3pm and it was time to hit the road back to Waxhaw where there were steaks and baked potatoes waiting for us to end a spectacular weekend.  With all the information shared and friendships made, I was tired. It was great to kick back,eat and relax.  It was an honor to be apart of  such great group of farriers,vets and vet students.

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It feels like I have been on a chase for three years. You know what I mean. Kinda like in an old western movie, when the Marshall is riding day and night to catch a notorious outlaw not knowing if he will catch him or will he get away. Well this time we caught him!

      Three years ago I started down the path of becoming an AFA Certified Journeyman Farrier. I accomplished that, and the rewards were so numerous, it is hard to describe. Without really knowing what to do next, I get a letter in the mail stating that my name was added to the AFA provisional tester list.  Not really knowing what to do with it so the only thing I could think of was to become a tester. A provisional tester means you have to got to at least three different certifications and work under three different examiners where they evaluate your tester abilities and file all the paperwork. Once that is all done the paperwork is sent to a committee and if you pass that step it is forwarded to the AFA Board of Directors for final approval.  All this is done, of course, at the provisional testers’ expense.

   Last May, I started down the road to become a provisional tester. I went to a test in GA in May, then onto KY in June and did my third test here in NC this past January. Now let me tell what, the people I met and helped me go through the Journeyman test was so great I didn’t it would be possible to top that until I went through the tester program.  The hospitality from folks like the farriers in the Georgia Professional Farriers Assoc.,North Carolina Horseshoers Assoc.,South Carolina Farriers Assoc.,Sara and Jack Schartz,Monetta Farrier Specialties,Steve Prescott,Rusty Jenkins,Danvers Child and Dusty Franklin. There are many more but this is just a sample of the folks who went out of their way to help me.

  With all the paperwork done and filed with the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed, the Certification Committee met this past Monday and the AFA Board met on Tuesday and voted to approve me as a tester for the American Farriers Association. To be on the list along with some of the best farriers in the country and to be able to help farriers achieve their goals in becoming certified farriers is truly humbling. Thank you again to all the people who supported me through this process of becoming not only a CJF but a tester too. This would not been even remotely possible without hte unconditional love and support of my wife Debi. She is the glue that keeps this whole thing together.

Until next time, enjoy the brief Spring weather and gear up for Summer.

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One of my new goals for myself is to post more often. As I am sitting here with a touch of the flu, looking outside at the freezingrain, I find myself trying to get up the motivation to get ready to go to work. Winter has come very early this year and us folks here in North Carolina are trying to figure out why.  Working the past couple of weeks have been a bit difficult. Daytime temperatures barley above freezing makes my tools cold and the horses fresh.

As many of you know, January 1st Anvil Concepts will be no more. We changed the company to a LLC and with that I had to change the name. The new name is White Stone Forge LLC. Just to clarify things my front yard is covered in white quartz rock. I guess I should be digging for gold instead of shoeing horses, huh? 

Last week I attended a two day clinic at Monetta Farrier Specialties.  The clinician was Bob Pehick. Bob has been shoeing for over 30 years and has done and seen alot. He is an expert on conformation and gait analysis.  Friday was a hands on clinic and they had horses there for us to evaluate and shoe accordingly to their conformation. I know what you are thinking, doesn’t Jeff do this everyday anyway? Yes I do, but there is so much out there to learn and to see from the perspective of other professionals is very educational. The second day was an open clinic with power point. Bob show examples of his everyday work with high speed video. I didn’t realize how much stress is forced on the lower limbs of sport horses and how proper shoeing helps the athletes.

That will do it for now. Be safe and stay warm

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Well the summer heat is gone and the cool fall air is here, so we all can say is AHHHH!.  I have a busy fall coming up. This is clinic and contest season. First of all tomorrow night is the first of the fall “Hammer Ins”. I will be gearing up for the the NCHA Contest coming up the first of November. I will be attending several clinics and hopefully finishing up my last provisional test by the end of the year. I guess that will be all for now

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It has been just plain hot lately. Shoeing has been very busy as well. Last weekend I completed my second of three provisional testings in order to become an AFA Approved Tester. I have been learning so much about the the world of shoeing. working with other farriers from all over the country and helping candidates work through the process of the test has helped me evaluate my work with a more detailed eye.

            With the work going crazy and the early heat we have been having makes for some very long days. It has been very good though. Horses feet seem like that they are holding up better now than they were earlier in the summer and spring months. Farriers in our area have been needing to replace shoes often but it seems like that is easing up.

  Until next time keep cool and ride safe

Jeff

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