Winter’s finally over and you’re ready to roll down the road. Your horse is fit, you’ve been coached to new heights, and visions of blue ribbons dance in your dreams. Suddenly, your happy dream turns into a nightmare as you recall what happened last year at that horse show, when your horse needed to be re-shod at the show.

What’s a horse owner to do?

You have a few options. You could marry a farrier. Or you could send one of your children to farrier school. If you have two children, send one to veterinary school and the other to farrier school. Maybe that would help. But would they be willing to go to all the horse shows with you, and be on standby in case of a thrown shoe or a pastern laceration?

Probably not