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Some years ago, I had the honor and pleasure of spending four days in Louisville , KY , where I lectured and provided daily demonstration on farriery for a huge event called Equitana USA . Always one to work without a net, I let the good folk at Equitana choose my topic. Evidently, they weren't dedicated readers of my articles and editorials, because they selected “ Horseshoeing and Technology .” I tried to be open-minded; honestly, I did. I even managed to find some technological elements I felt good talking about. X-rays and radiographic technology, injectable dies, thermography, and quite a few other technological innovations in the world of veterinary medicine have minimized the guesswork of veterinary diagnostics and subsequently improved the art of farriery. But in daily farriery, we're still doing much the same thing we've done for a millennium. And, in the end, my preparation only served to reinforce my strongly held belief that technology ain't diddly without technique. It also reinforced my gut feeling that most of the technology that really changes/alters what we do isn't directly related to horseshoeing. Yes, we have better materials than we've ever had. We have portable, propane-fired forges, so we don't have smoke pouring from our toppers as we drive down the road. It's nice not to get flagged down by passing motorists and the occasional highway trooper, agitated and concerned about our trucks being on fire. And we have real, workable acrylics, urethanes, and glues, which can occasionally make life easier. But conceptually, our use of these materials isn't terribly removed from what farriers did two centuries ago, when they used gutta-percha as a pour-in material and various resins for fillers and bonds. Likewise, although the hard-surfacing materials we currently work with are better and easier to use than in times past, the concepts aren't new; farriers have been turning and applying caulks for years, and ice nails were in use as early as 1286. Ultimately, then, it's not technology that drives our profession; knowledge, craftsmanship and horsemanship are still the mainstays of farriery. And if technology has a toe-hold in farriery, it's largely from our creative borrowing and innovative usage of technologies, not from any earth shattering revelations or understandings resulting from technological findings. So if you're looking for technology that's influenced and/or changed farriery, materials and techniques offer a little, but the real offerings have come in the area of communications. Almost six centuries ago, the Guttenburg Press changed the world, and today, the internet tightens that world even more. But alas, the things that make us stronger are often the very things that make us weak, and that's definitely the case with the press and the internet, which have both been vehicles that have done great harm to farriery. Don't get me wrong, I love the printed word, and I believe that farriers and horse-owners alike need and should have access to information about farriery. But, for the love of Pete, we should be discriminating consumers! Whenever I read about a “new shoe,” a “new pad,” or a “new trim” in a popular equine publication, I know that I'll get requests—and even demands—to use it. If it's new, it must be good. If it's in print, it must be worthwhile. If it worked on that horse, it will work on “Dobbin.” In the world of horseshoeing, then, much of the printed word tends to send people on a search for the magic horseshoe, the magic supplement, or the magic trim. But those farriers who have studied the canon of printed material already know about these things. They knew about the “heartbar shoe,” the “banana shoe,” the “natural shoe,” and a host of other shoes and trims before they became magical. They knew that these approaches were a trick to put in the bag—not the entire bag. Of course, one of the biggest problems with the printed materials on horseshoeing is that most of what gets into print isn't written by farriers. Likewise, some is written by shoers who should build and improve their own knowledge base before they preach and teach. Despite what the printed word and the salesmen who often utilize it may tell you, the shape of the wheel is still round and it still rolls. And the horse benefits more from farriers who study their basics and work to become craftsmen and artisans than he ever will from farriers who jump on the gimmick wagon to please themselves or their customers.
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