Horse Farrier Interview – Corey Minnick

Name
Corey Minnick, CJF

Website & Places you can find me online
Follow Corey on twitter: @MidValleyFandF
www.alphafarrier.com is a site I highly recommend that my friend Mike Poe, CJF put together, it has alot of good information for horse owners.

Where I am
Hagerstown, MD

Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I grew up in central/western Maryland and had backyard horses from the time we bought a little farmette.

I have been around horses for longer than I can remember, I have a picture of me on horseback when I was 2 weeks old.

My family is involved in Jousting, Maryland’s Official State Sport. We spear small rings, as the knights of the middle ages did for practice. I have been a professional farrier from the time I was 18 years old, and completed my American Farriers Association’s Certified Journeyman Farrier credential when I was 24 years old.

I currently shoe a full book of Pleasure, Hunter Jumper, Dressage, 3 Day Event, and Endurance Horses.

When did you first decide to become a farrier?
When I was 12 or 13, I worked on my grandfather’s dairy farm, as I did during the summers off school. One of those two years, our farrier came out, shod a couple of horses while we told stories and lies, and left with a handful of cash. I made my mind up that day, and I followed through.

What was it that inspired you?
Working on the dairy farm; riding everything I could throw my leg over as I was growing up. The ability to make a living with nothing but a good set of tools, my bare hands, and my brain; independence; the ability to develop my artistic capabilities; and the fact I like horses more than most people.

In your opinion, is barefoot really better?
Barefoot is better, shod is also better.

We apply shoes to horse’s hooves for three reasons: If the wear of the hoof exceeds the growth, Protection for the hoof capsule, and to compensate for conformational deviations that effect the hoof and/or leg.

I don’t care about what is popular, trendy, what is on the horse that is winning all the shows, what a celebrity trainer is endorsing, what space-age technology is used on a product, nor do I care what claims a company makes about any product.

I shoe and trim horses in a wide range of methodologies that are all based on what I have observed over the years. The bottom line is I try to do what is best for each horse I am working on, given their conformation, environment, training schedule, and footing they work in. If that means barefoot for an individual horse that’s great, if that means shod for another individual, that’s great too.

What do you see as the biggest problem facing the farrier industry today?
In my humble opinion, there is a lack of understanding of the basics of farriery. From anatomy, to a basic trim, to fitting shoes and forging/blacksmithing skills. A good trim is the most important thing some guys struggle with.

Regardless of shod or unshod the trim is foundation for the horse’s well being, the better the trim, the better the horse.

Complacency runs rampant in the human race, and farriers are no exception, hell, I have to jump start myself sometimes. On the same note, this gives farriers like myself and opportunity to excel in the field.

What is your favorite breed?
I like to be on top of Tennessee Walking Horses. I like to be underneath any horse of any breed that has alot of natural talent.

Do you own or ride horses yourself?
I have an Arab/Quarter Horse cross, and share time on a Spotted Walking Horse with my grandfather.

What effect do you think the Internet has had on the farrier industry?
It has opened up avenues for farriers, horse owners, and other equine professionals to network and share ideas and information.

On the flip side of that coin, it has opened up avenues for trends, fads, gimmicks, charlatans, and ideologues to run amok and in some cases take advantage of unsuspecting individuals.

Has it had an effect on your career?
It has given me a chance to network with farriers from near and far. I have progressed my knowledge and skills at a far greater rate than if I didn’t have access to the Internet.

What else are you passionate about?
Competitive horseshoeing contests. We make shoes from raw barstock, and shoe horses to predetermined standard, and we are judged by and against our peers.

Having the ability to produce any shoe for any horse on the site is a big advantage that myself and those who take the time to learn how to make shoes have. Also, the best blacksmiths are the best hoofsmiths, they can take a hoof a put the most beautiful, and anatomically correct trim on it.

It has been only less than a century that farriers don’t generally produce a majority of the shoes they apply, we have lost alot of knowledge in the last century that wasn’t handed down from generation to generation. We have to “discover” new ideas that were probably discovered a long, long time ago.

Any funny farrier stories?
Too many to mention, picking one would be a disservice to all the others.

If you could tell everyone one thing about caring for their horses feet, what would it be?
The better the environment, the better the hoof. The better the hoof, the better the horse.

This includes picking your horse’s feet, choosing the right bedding and mucking stalls regularly, providing adequate drainage in fields and around barns, and a proper ph balance in the soils you horse is in.

Also keep your horse on a tight shoeing schedule depending on its individual needs.

More to Come

Many thanks to Corey for answering our interview and be sure to follow him on twitter for more information about his work.

Also check out the interviews section for more interviews from around the horse industry.

Are you doing great things for horses or do you someone in the industry you’d like to see featured? Add your name and website in the comments below or drop me a note to get involved.