Today I am speaking with Dave Farley. Dave is a well known and sought after farrier in the Sporthorse world. He is also well known and respected in the farrier world as a generous educator. Many a farrier and vet have ridden in the truck with Dave and his son Jay for a day of mentorship. I met Dave over dinner in Wellington one night and I was amazed at how much information he shared. He imparted upon me decades of knowledge for the mere cost of a dinner at Chilli’s.
Dave’s passion for the job started when he was just 7 years old when he visited the local Blacksmith and Coal Mine Tool Maker shop in 1961. By thirteen he was nailing on shoes. In the seventies, he took over a Farrier Shop at the county fairgrounds in Coshocton, Ohio where he worked on Standardbreds. On the recommendation of a veterinarian named Dr. Gable, he then started working at Ohio State University as the resident farrier. Then in the eighties, as the standardbred industry started to dwindle he started working on Hunter/Jumper and Dressage horses in Columbus, Ohio.
His quest for knowledge has never dwindled and he credits his first two mentors Mr. Fritz Bookman and Mr. Frank McGinnis for instilling in him this desire to learn and to pass it on.
Dave’s list of accomplishments is long, so here are just a few of many:
Past Resident Farrier at Ohio State University
Farrier Instructor at Otterbein College
Farrier for the American Quarter Horse Congress
First Official Farrier of the National Reining Horse Association
American Farriers Association “Clinician of the Year”
Founding member of the North East Association of Equine Practitioners
Founding Member of both the American Association of Professional Farriers and of the International association of Professional Farriers as well as past president of both
Member of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame
He has also shod several horses competing in several Olympic Games
I was very excited to have the opportunity to interview Dave. He has a lot of well-earned wisdom we all could benefit from. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
So let’s get to it….
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