Forging Brains Podcast
Gavine Cooper and Riley Kirkpatrick interview hard-working tradesmen, sharing their stories through podcasts. The show focuses on the greatest minds in the trades, highlighting their experiences and insights.
Episodes
Travis Burns-Two Masters Degrees, FWCF, and CJF- Education and Skills to Back it Up
This was an exciting episode sitting down to learn about Travis Burn's role at the Virginia Tech College. He's had a number of different roles at the college there throughout his time teaching there for 16 years. Was also great to learn how he was able to push himself to earn those Masters Degrees, as well as, becoming an FWCF through the Fellowship. Lot's of dedication and priorities
Third Edition Tool Time! What We've Been Up To & Working On. Trip to Jim Poor's w/Chris Madrid
Exciting things are in the works for Forging Brains! Recently we took a trip down to Jim Poor's shop, Flatland Forge, with Chris Madrid to document and tell Jim's story through some video series. We'll let you know soon when that'll be available to watch on the Forging Brains YouTube channel. We also caught up about what we've been up to for the past month with contests and cli
Tool Time #2! The Tools We Use Everyday in Horseshoeing as Farriers
We heard you guys enjoyed the first "tool time" episode we did so we did another episode talking about the tools we use in our everyday horseshoeing careers. There's lot of chatter about what tools are the best and what tools are the cheapest, blah blah bahh... But we broke down the tools we choose to use and what makes them special to us. Also got into the anatomy of these tools abo
Tool Time! Tool Anatomy-Talking About the Tools We Use and Why
The dynamic duo is back with both of us talking about what tools we like to use, why we use them and also breaking down the anatomy of different tools and their different characteristics. It was also a great catch up episode to talk about what we've been up to the past month since the Winter Clinic. Hope you guys enjoy hearing us breakdown different forging tools!Also check out our website-www
Toby Pedley- All I've Ever Wanted To Do Is Be a Farrier! Now First Time Being On England Farrier Team
Was great to jump on with another guest from across the pond, Toby Pedley! Toby comes from a multi-generational farrier family and from an early age he grew up watching his dad shoe horses so he grew quite an interest in the trade and started learning as early as 11 years old. Granted, there's rules and regulations over in England so he couldn't actually shoe any horses until he was licens
Brian Strelow- New Approach to Farrier Education. Straydog Forge Fundamental Farrier Training Course
Farrier training and education in the United States can be a touchy subject amongst people in our trade. Whether or not 6-8 weeks is long enough for someone to be able to successfully learn all the skills needed to become a successful farrier or if attending a school that has a large amount of students at that time if you're going to be able to get enough attention from the instructor to learn
Brian Buckner- Perseverance Pays Off By Never Giving Up No Matter What Life Throws At You!
This was a great conversation we had with Brian Buckner! We learned a lot from him how even when life can dang near cripple you... literally! That through faith, dedication, community and hard work you can pick yourself up and still accomplish and achieve life long goals you've set out for yourself. There's a bunch of inspiring moments Brian shared with us that I think people will like to
Marshall Illes-The Chief Steward for Calgary Back in the Day
While we were at Well-Shod for the WCB Winter Clinic, we were fortunate to sit down with someone who knows a lot of history about competing at Calgary when it was held at the Stampede grounds, Marshall Illes! There were some stories i was surprised to hear in this episode. Also check out our website-www.forgingbrains.comOur Proud Sponsors of the Showwww.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off y
New Year Wrap Up with Troy Wood! And our Winter Clinic Demo Announced
First episode for the new year of 2026! We were at Riley's shop last week and discussed what we have done over the past year with Troy Wood. Troy was Reserve World Champion in 2025 but also wrapped up and won the 2025 National Championship this winter in Ft Worth, Texas hosted by the World Championship Blacksmiths. Jam packed year with Troy and myself qualifying for the 2026 WCB Team along wit
Steven Beane- Six Time World Champ!
Our first "across the pond" episode! This week's guest is none other than the now 6-time World Champ, Steven Beane. It was great to hear how Steven got into this trade and learn about the ambition he has had since a young age. Carving his own spot in history as one of the most decorated farriers in our industry. In this episode you'll hear how Steven prepped himself to win his fi
Travis Koons-Master Koonzagi Is Back for Part 2!
Travis Koons is back! Our first episode with Travis wasn't long enough so we wanted him back to continue sharing more of what Master Koonzagi has to offer! We talked a little bit about what Travis has been up to since we last spoke to him and also the business side of shoeing, shoeing horses with concave and the many benefits and side effects flat wide shoeing affects a horse's limb/hoof,
Learn From Your Failures To Earn Success. Winning & Losing Are Both Humbling Moments
We've had a month to reflect on what has happened in the past 30 days ish.. And I was able to compete at 3 different contests in that time, the Blacksmith World Championships at Spruce Meadows, Farriers of Washington State Fall Conference, and the Virginia State Fair World Championship Blacksmiths competition. We talked about what happened at those contests, the highs and the lows, and what wa
Journey to Spruce Meadows 2025-Blacksmith World Championships
Another solo pod with Riley and myself! This time we're chatting about my journey to Spruce Meadows this year so far. The trials and tribulations of practice, what all the classes are at Spruce, how I have been preparing myself, and what are some of my goals for this year. We'll try and do a recap episode after Spruce to talk about how the week went for me and others as well. Also check out our we
Jennifer Horn- Determined to Succeed and Failure Wasn't an Option
We've got a special guest this week with Jennifer Horn. You'll hear in this episode that Jennifer had the determination from day 1 to become a successful farrier and blacksmith. She managed to build a successful business, become a Certified Journeyman Farrier and compete at farrier contests while raising a family and managing a horse farm. A lot of people have seen the great works of art s
Mason Mileski- Man of Motivation & Persistence Carving His Own Path Through The Farrier Trade
Mason may not be very well known yet but he is dang sure doing his best by climbing through the ranks and trying to soak up as much as he can from those who are willing to offer their knowledge to him. Mason Mileski is a Utah farrier who has been shoeing for a short period of time but has made a big impact on his career by seeking help from top farriers in the industry. He didn't attend a farr
Shorty Gorham- PBR Hall of Fame Bullfighter
We were honored to sit down with a legend in the PBR Bullfighting world, Shorty Gorham! You may be wondering what bullfighting and farriery have in common and why we sat down to hear from Shorty but in the short, it's work ethic. He didn't get into bullfighting for the fame or desire to get inducted into the PBR Hall of Fame, he did it because he enjoyed fighting bulls with a passion and t
Conrad Trow- Living The American Dream
This week's guest is one a lot of people know, Conrad Trow! Conrad set out to horseshoeing school when he was 18 in Kentucky, coming from South Africa, when back home for an apprenticeship for a few years before making the decision to move back to the States for good. He's living proof of the American Dream and taking advantage of every opportunity he was offered along the way! He's be
Weston Newsom-Cowboy, Cowman, Father, Farrier, Jack of All Trades
Most everyone in our scene has met our guest, Weston Newsom, and guarantee that everyone you ask will tell you that he's the nicest guy you'll meet and give you the shirt off his back. Weston shared with us his interests throughout the years from working ranches, like the 6666's and others, to then finding a passion for shoeing horses and competing at the WCB contests, building spurs a
Lone Rangers! Upcoming Contests, Past Contests. Things to Work On, etc..
It's that time of year where everybody is busy and busting their butts but we're back with another episode of Forging Brains Podcast! Just a recap of what we've been up to and what we have planned for the upcoming months as well. We look forward to seeing everyone out an about!Also check out our website-www.forgingbrains.comOur Proud Sponsors of the Showwww.farrierbox.com use code BRAI
Culture Exchange Student Ed Beeston and Q&A with Troy Wood
We recently asked you guys on the Forging Brains Facebook page if you had some questions you'd like for us to chat about on the podcast while we were planning on being at Troy Wood's shop. Just so happened that this years cultural exchange student, Ed Beeston was staying with Troy and happy to sit down with us for the recording as well. It was cool to hear what his journey has been like so
Robert Jukes-This isn't Goodbye, It's See You Later
Early on the podcast we had Robert Jukes as a guest of ours and is still one of the most listened to episodes we've uploaded. So when we heard Robert is moving back to his homeland in Australia, we wanted to get him on the podcast to hear what he has planned and how he plans to do a move halfway across the world.Also check out our website-www.forgingbrains.comOur Proud Sponsors of the Showwww.rust
Jim Poor, Chris Madrid, Bodie Trnka- 3 Generations Practicing Practical Shoeing to Win-They're Just Fronts & Hinds!
Last week's episode was with the judge of the next @wcbfarrier contest in Amarillo, Texas John McNerney of @yukonforge and this week's episode is with 3 highly skilled and devoted guys- Jim Poor, Bodie Trnka, and Chris Madrid to talk through how someone can break down a shoe list or their practice regimen to get to the top. These guys know what it takes to win and have a lot of wins un
Get an Edge on the Competition! WCB West Texas Ranch Rodeo Shoes with Judge John McNerney
Hear from the judge of the upcoming WCB in Amarillo, Texas! The West Texas Ranch Rodeo shoe list just came out and we sat down with John McNerney of Yukon Forge to hear how he made the shoes and what he's going to be looking for in each class as well. If you're looking for an edge on your competition, this provides great insight for what's to be expected from the judge of the West Texa
Billy Lovell & Matt Magan- Friends From the Beginning There to Help Each Other Any Way Possible
I've known these guys for over half my life now and if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't have a career as a farrier. Billy Lovell and I met in high school going to high school rodeos and then he encouraged me to take up the farrier program at Walla Walla Community College where we both took the class together. I met Matt Magan while I was in the farrier program as he graduated from there the
Juan Berumen-Humbled Man on a Journey Soaking Up Knowledge to Be The Best He Can Be
While at the AFA Convention we were able to sit down with Juan Berumen and hear his story how he has navigated his way through his career, working for some of the legends of our trade, and earning a spot on the American Farrier's Team as well.
Also check out our website-www.forgingbrains.com
Our Proud Sponsors of the Show
www.rustybrownjewelry.com use code BRAINS for 20% off your order!
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Judging Our First World Championship Blacksmiths Contest!
Riley and I were honored to be asked to judge a WCB event and took a lot of pride in trying to do the right thing to judge fair and honestly. In this episode we talked about our experience on how that event went for us to judge. Let me tell ya, it ain't as easy as you would think! There's a lot of shoes that get judged in three days as well as picking up a lot of horse's feet to be judged and sco
Ft Worth WCB Shoe List Tips n Details
Ft Worth WCB is dang near here! Riley and Gavine are judging this year and figured we should add some insight about the shoes before people are on their way to the contest. We went over each shoe on this and laid out things we'd like to see with each class but ultimately it's going to come down to the basics of horseshoeing. If you have the basic elements in your jobs, then you'll do well. Look f
Kayla & Lyle Shepherd-Husband n' Wife Multi-Farrier Practice Duo!
We recently attended the American Farrier's Association annual convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee and while we were there we got to sit down with Kayla and Lyle Shepherd. Really cool story about how they met initially and then became to be husband and wife starting a multi-farrier practice of their own. Kayla was involved with the Culture Exchange program, getting to travel across the world to
Chad Chance- Entrepreneur, Family Man, Farrier, Competitor, Auctioneer, Real Estate Agent, Man of Many Talents!
Chad Chance is a man of many talents and is a great entrepreneur in our industry. It's safe to say that Chad paved the way for us here on Forging Brains Podcast in the sense of being one of the firsts in the farrier trade to publish content to the internet and YouTube. Through his channel, HoofWatch, Chad has provided so knowledge with the collaboration of Craig Trnka and the WCB and also Mustad
World Championships at Spruce Meadows Recap
We sat down and talked about our experience at Spruce Meadows a few weeks ago from a competitors standpoint and as well as a spectator. Discussed some of the struggles and great things we experienced all week long. All in all, it was a great week!
Also check out our website-www.forgingbrains.com
Our Proud Sponsors of the Show
www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's or
How Was Your Go? 2024 World Championships Interviews After Pool of Shoes Class
While up at the 2024 World Championships in Calgary at Spruce Meadows, Riley was able to sit down with competitors after they had their "go" on Saturday's, Pool of Shoes Class. It's really cool to hear everyone's input after they've had a go to hear their thoughts while it's fresh on their mind, because we always like to ask each other while we're at a contest &qu
George Rogerson 2024 World Champion Blacksmith & Alex Collier Top 5 Finisher in World Championship
While up at the 2024 World Championships in Calgary at Spruce Meadows, we were able to sit down with guests we don't get to see often because they live across the world in England, so it was awesome to get to have a chat with Alex Collier and George Rogerson. What we find is really cool is that when we chatted, nobody knew who the new World Champion was going to be yet and now that we're r
Mike Stone- New Mexico Trio Los Diablos
We had a great conversation with our guest, Mike Stone. Unfortunately the wifi coverage wasn't the greatest and had some lag time and made our conversation cut short. But we got a great introduction of how Mike got into this trade of farriery. It's always interesting to hear how people didn't intend on shoeing horses in the beginning but ended up finding it and falling in love with it
Craig Trnka at WCB HQ
We recently were able to head down to New Mexico to hang out at WCB headquarters and while we were there we wanted to sit down with Craig to hear what else is on his mind and is going on within the WCB. Craig's a fountain of knowledge and a man that can shoot inspiration into you, if you're willing to listen. I gained motivation throughout our conversation to become better and strive for m
Robbie Mederos- If Life's leading You Down a Path You Don't Like, Change Direction & Pursue Your Dream!
Man this was a great episode with our special guest, Robbie Mederos! You'll hear in this episode that Robbie worked in a different field for over a decade and then one day decided enough is enough, quit that job and decided to pursue a career that had meaning and can bring happiness. Robbie is a second generation farrier that was taught by his dad is Bob Mederos who has had lots of success as
Travis Buck- 4 Time Canadian Farrier's Team 2 Time WCB Team & Edgewood WCB Judge Tips on Shoes
Bet you think it would be helpful to get an in depth look at the shoes on a shoe list before the contest happened? Well, in this episode you can! We sat down with Travis Buck to hear what inspired him to come up with this shoe list and what are going to be some key elements he'll be looking for when he's judging. Also, he broke down each shoe on how he went about making them! Travis has q
Gathering a Game Plan for the Edgewood WCB Shoe List
We sat down and thought it would be cool to talk about the shoe list for the next WCB in Edgewood as if we were to be getting ready to make the shoes for the first time. Consider it like if we were sitting down with each other and figuring out what steps we're going to be needing to do with each shoe before we even cut any steel. Getting a game plan together! Although we're not entered in
Bob Pethick- Maintaining Top Level Shoeing Relationships for 50+ Years & Whilst Competing on American Farriers Team for 5 Years
This week's guest can school us on a lot of things to become a successful, professional farrier- Bob Pethick. Bob has shod horses professionally for over 50 years and not only just regular type horses, high dollar, high stress, top level sport horses that compete at the highest level for the United States Equestrian Team for nearly his whole career. He had it set in his mind from day 1 of star
Ever Been to a Clinic? Ever Put On a Clinic/Contest? Quick Tips for Success in this Episode
If you're listening to this episode, you probably already know Riley & Gavine are firm believers in continuing education by attending clinics or competing in contests. But in this episode we covered some key tips for you if you are looking to host a clinic or competition. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to put on a successful clinic or contest. It requires a fair bit of in
Jim Poor & John McNerney- Yukon Forge Taking Over Flatland Forge Driving Hammers--Special Announcement!!
You've heard it here first folks and heard that correctly, John Mcnerney (Yukon Forge) is taking over for Jim Poor's (Flatland Forge) driving hammer business! It's no secret that Jim Poor has built a strong empire of tools throughout his career over at Flatland Forge and couldn't be more fitting for a guy like John to take over that part of the business. Lot of the time what happen
Tyson Clark- Everyone's Path is Different & You've Got to Forge Your Own Path in Life
We know we've been absent with uploading consistent episodes the past few weeks but sometimes we get super busy in life and they supersede other objectives we do but we are trying our best to get episodes uploaded on a weekly basis!
This week we have a great guest who a lot of you may know and love, Tyson Clark! As you'll hear in this episode, Tyson has been shoeing horses for many years
Mike Augenstein- Man Who Pays His Debts, Even if it Means Being a "Swiftie" for an Episode!
We've got another great episode coming to you live from the WCB Winter Clinic at Well-Shod in Amarillo, Texas with this week's guest, Mike Augenstein! Just like a lot of us, Mike had been introduced to horseshoeing through his dad as a necessity and then decided to pursue becoming great at it after meeting many top farriers throughout his early days. Even though Mike went to college and ea
Hank Chisholm- Man of the People, President of the American Farrier's Association
Coming in hot straight from the World Championship Blacksmiths Winter Clinic at Well-Shod, we got to sit down with a few cool guests and chat with them! This episode is with someone that most people know and respect because of how great a person he is, Hank Chisholm. Hank shared with us how he gained a passion for this trade and how he tries to share that passion with everyone through the American
Nigel Fennell FWCF (Honours) - The Jedi Knight Conquering All Things Steel
Kicking the year off right with what Nigel would refer to as a "belter!" of an episode! We had the privilege to sit down and chat with our first Englishman on the show, Nigel Fennell. It's amazing to hear about all the accomplishments and accolades Nigel has achieved throughout his career. He has achieved the highest level of certification in the Fellowship of Worshipful Company of F
Todd Walker- Man On Many Endeavors! American Farriers Team, WCB Team, Tool Maker, Mustad Rep & More..
We were fortunate to be able to sit down with Todd Walker while we were competing in Ft. Worth at the 2023 World Championship Blacksmiths Season Finals. So you may hear the tune of hammers banging on anvils in the background and the occasional train passing by in the background. We got to learn so much more about Todd and what has drove him to succeed at all the great things he has achieved throug
Thoughts & Impressions From Novice Competitors at Ft. Worth WCB!
We were just in Ft. Worth, Texas for the 2023 World Championship Blacksmiths Season finals and thought it would be really cool to hear from some of the competitors that competed in the Novice Class. Either this was this their first one or they have competed in all three for the year and will be deciding to move up into the Categories next year. Little different style format podcast than we usually
Trey Green- Chasing that Gold Buckle Riding Bulls or Competing as a Top Level Farrier in the World
We have a great guest this episode with the one and only, Trey Green. Trey has shod horses at the top levels of their discipline, as well as, competed himself at the top level of farrier & blacksmithing competitions with great success. Like many of you, Trey has his own unique way of how he became interested in this trade of farriery. Throughout that journey. he had secured himself a place on
Travis Koons-World Renowned Farrier & Competitor aka..Master Koonzagi
If you've been around for a while in this trade you more than like have heard of this week's guest, Travis Koons! Travis has resided in Southern California for most his life and most his career shoeing high level sport horses. You'll hear in this episode how Travis got his start into shoeing horses, his introduction to farrier competitions, the ups & downs he has faced throughout h
Craig Trnka, Kyd Kelley, Troy Wood, Brian Strelow- Spruce Meadows Recap-Future WCB Headquarters & more..
This past weekend I was at the FAWS (Farriers Association of Washington State) annual fall convention and contest, where Craig Trnka was our judge and clinician. So I figured what a perfect time to sit down with him and do a podcast to talk about their recent accomplishment with the World Championships at Spruce Meadows. We were also joined by Troy Wood, Jesse Wilson, Brian Strelow, Brandyn Davis,
A Year Behind Us With Many More to Go! Forging Brains One Year Mark
This marks the 1 year mark from when we dropped the first episode of Forging Brains Podcast! We want to thank all our guests and friends that have sat down with us to make the show happen. We certainly have enjoyed this journey getting to deep dive into people's lives and learn what it takes to become a successful farrier. This episode we talked about the highlights from this year, some of th
John McNerney- Yukon Forge, Badass Policeman Catching Bad Guys by Day, Farrier & Tool Maker by Night!
This week's guest and episode is a great one, John McNerney! Mostly everyone in the farrier world has probably seen or heard of the "Yukon Forge" line of tools throughout the past couple decades. But, something we learned in this conversation with John, is that he has the passion and dedication to serving his community by making it a safer place for those living in it when he decided
Stan Mullen-Former Kiwi Making His Presence Known in America
It's got to be quite an experience to move away to another country halfway across the world. Stan Mullen started that journey at 17 years old searching for a horseshoeing school and after that he decided he was going to live in the United States after growing up in New Zealand previously. Not only has been shoeing horses full time, Stan has been making his presence known in the competitive hor
Dan Salcito-Hand Crafted, Salcito Hoof Knives from Skull Valley Arizona
We got the opportunity to learn from Dan Salcito about what makes a great hoof knife and how or why he got into the hoof knife game to create the best hoof knives on the market today! If you've been to your state horseshoeing contest or a World Championship Blacksmiths competition, then you've probably seen some of Dan's hoof knives because he is so supportive of this trade and genero
Different Beginnings on the Same Path for Success- Life of an Apprentice Farrier
We all have a unique story about how or why we got into shoeing horses initially. Recently I had the chance to sit down with three farriers that are in the early stages of their careers and what their experiences have been like so far, as well as, what they are doing to help ensure their chances of success. The three guys in this episode are Brandyn Davis, Trey Hayden, and Richard Puglisi. Brian S
Austin Edens-aka..Captain Asshole-World Class, World Champion Farrier
You want to be a world champ one day? Or just be a top competitor? Or be the best farrier you can be? Well, Austin Edens is all of those and more! Austin has won the World Championship Blacksmithing competition in Calgary in 2003, crowning him a World Champion. That's no easy task. This episode, Austin let us in on the things he had done in his career to get him to become a world champ. As wel
Edgewood WCB Recap with Surprise Special Guest, Ben Snure!
A bunch of us got the opportunity to go compete in Edgewood, New Mexico at the World Championship Blacksmiths competition so we sat down to chat about what we experienced and learned about the trip. Midway through the episode, Ben Snure jumped on with us to share his experience about competing in the Novice Class too! We had a great time in New Mexico and also had a great time telling stories thro
Hanging Out with Troy Wood In His Shop
This past weekend I was at Troy Wood's shop practicing for the upcoming WCB contest in Edgewood, NM and we decided to sit down and do a podcast! We discussed some things about what we've learned in our practices together about the shoes and what we've got to be prepared for at the contest. Plus we BS'ed about other random stuff that's been going on in the world around us too. E
Tim "Hooter" Hoover
Most people know that Tim "Hooter" Hoover ain't afraid to have a good time and share laughs, and that's exactly this episode went! Tim shared with us on how he acquired the nickname Hooter and it isn't what you were expecting or thinking. We got to talk about how he started his career shoeing horses and also some of the trials and tribulations he had to go through living in A
Doug Russo- Resident Farrier at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Doug is a man of many talents. Although he has faced some challenges physically, he hasn't let that slow him down one bit when it comes to raising the bar and sharing knowledge about our trade to many people. Currently Doug is the resident farrier at Iowa State University and does A LOT of therapeutic shoeing there. Listen in to hear what he has to say about that. He also is a big advocate for
Spring Time Hustle & Bustle! Contests and Clinics Kicking Off in the near Future..Plus More
I think It's safe to say this time of year gets busy for a lot of people, or more busy I should say, and we're trying to stay on top of weekly episodes! But we got together and chatted about what's been making us more busy this past month. Gavine went on a fishing trip and Riley went on a bachelor party bear hunt. Listen in to hear how those went! Also, if you're interested in some
Caleb Payton-Full Time Farrier Turns to Law Enforcement Becoming Full Time Police Officer
Caleb Payton has an eye and developed the skills to be a top farrier. Even though he doesn't live in a densely horse populated area, he still does the best job possible for each horse. What i found interesting is that he made the decision to step away from shoeing full time to become a police officer. You'll have to listen to the episode to hear why he made that decision!
If you want a
Carl Via- Busy Man Lifestyle. AFA Tester, WCB Team Member, and Continuing the Family Farm Heritage
Carl Via is a busy man and we're glad he took some more time out of his busy life to do another episode with us! He's an AFA Tester and involved with a lot of pre-cert clinics, as well as, being on the current WCB Team and has been on the team for the past 4 years. So it was cool getting to hear a little more about Carl's busy life and also a little more about his family farm's his
Travis Smith- Retired Marine to Full Time Farrier that's Winning Best Shod Draft Foot at WCB Classic
Man we really enjoyed sitting down with Travis Smith for this episode. Travis enlisted in the Marine Corps straight out of high school, served our country, and then decided he wanted to shoe horses after his time was up because he thought getting to wrestle with horses would be "fun" but quickly realized that there's so much more to it than just wrestling horses! You'll have to l
Ben Snure- Hammer Making Blacksmith in the Farrier World
Ben Snure is a man of many talents! He has a long background in ranching which in turn exposed him having to shoe the ranch horses out of necessity for the job and that is what peaked his interest in blacksmithing. Ben later found his passion for building tools but mostly for some of the finest handmade hammers on the market currently. This episode shows how someone with no initial background in b
Forging Brains-What's Been Going on in Our Lives Recently
We're back! Two days late. Life's been busy and hectic but we got an episode out for you guys. Riley and Gavine sat down and just talked about what's been going on in our lives as of late and just some random conversations about this crazy messed up world we live in too. There's some shoemaking talk, toolmaking talk, and some social media buzz in here too. Enjoy this week's ep
Adam Fahr-Finding a Way to Make Competing FUN Again After Being Stuck in a Rut
This was a great episode with Adam Fahr, who owns River Bottom Forge, and we're really glad we got to talk with him. Adam has achieved a lot of goals in his professional farrier career. He's been on the WCB Team, American Farrier's Team, and some others that have done really well, as far as his competitive horseshoeing goes. Adam talked about there was a time that competing wasn't
Tyler Marshall- All the Little Details Matter
On this week's episode of Forging Brains Podcast we sat down with Tyler Marshall, who resides in New Hampshire. If you follow Tyler on social media, then you know he can build and forge badass mini horseshoes! Other than building mini shoes, Tyler is a top farrier in our industry, as well as, a fierce top competitor in the competitive horseshoeing world. We got to know a little bit about Tyle
Mike Poe, Jason Smith & Kurt Fisk While at the Sarah Baker Benefit Clinic
I was in the presence of Mike Poe, Jason Smith and Kurt Fisk while we were at the benefit clinic in Oregon and figured we oughta sit down and record a podcast! We've had Mike and Kurt on the show already but not Jason, yet. It was cool to hear from Jason about his beginnings and achievements through his shoeing career. Mike shared some cool stories about his experiences on the WCB team and al
Phillip Box & Andrew Wells- Cold Calling and Becoming Close Friends
This was a great episode with Phillip Box and Andrew Wells, not only to hear about how Phillip got into this trade and how he's taken it to another level, but the interesting thing is both these guys didn't have intentions of becoming farriers but yet, they both fully embrace it and have gone to another level in their careers. It's cool to hear that even though your sights aren't set on something,
2023 American Farrier's Team ~ 4 Top Competitors Working Together to Take the Top Step
Live at the WCB Winter Clinic Riley sat down with the 2023 American Farrier's Team- Bodie Trnka, Chris Madrid, Daniel Jones, Sawyer Spradling and Tom Petersen to talk about their approach for the upcoming year competing as a team together. They talk about what they've learned so far about themselves as a team up to this point and things they will have to work on to improve and get better as a team
Iain Ritchie & John Dixon- Mentor, Teacher, Competitors, Canadian Farriers Team Teammates, and Friends
We were fortunate to have Iain Ritchie and John Dixon come down south from Canada while we were having a team practice for the upcoming WCB contest "The Classic" to share their knowledge and criticism for us to become better prepared as a team. Top notch guys to lend their time out of their busy schedules to just to come help us! Says a lot about who they are, as respectable men. So thank you for
Billy Klapper, Terry Stever & Jim Poor- How to Build a Legacy
While at the WCB Winter Clinic Billy Klapper, Terry Stever and Jim Poor were present and had a great opportunity to sit down and hear stories from the legendary bit and spur maker Billy Klapper and Terry Stever who so many people have brought up who they look up to in their careers over the years. It was great having Jim Poor steer the ship and hear many stories.
John Harshbarger- Owner of Well-Shod Farrier Supply Who Loves His Job & Has A Passion For Our Trade
We are "Live" at the WCB Winter Clinic! We got to sit down with John Harshbarger who owns Well-Shod Farrier Supply and got to hear from him about how he and his partner Timmy Snider started the supply house in a feed store and how it has now grown to a massive farrier supply that is known worldwide. John also shared with us some business tips that might be helpful for others out there and how they
Troy Wood-"Discipline Creates Motivation"-Basic Elements for Shoe Making & Systems
Over the weekend Troy Wood came over to my place to practice shoes for the upcoming World Championship Blacksmiths (WCB) Classic Competition. While Troy was here we thought it'd be a great time to sit down and do a podcast with him. Since we last had Troy on Forging Brains Podcast he was competing for a spot on the WCB Team, but now he has earned himself a spot on that highly prestiged team!
Terry Dokken -Rock & Roll Farrier!
This week's guest, Terry Dokken, has multiple talents and passions! Terry's passion for the farrier trade and being an excellent musician have always pushed him to be great at both, even though, it may be hard to juggle between the two with other interests and family life. This was a great episode being able to chat with Terry about how he runs his business, shoeing different disciplines of horses
Bodie Trnka- Greatness Takes a Long Time to Achieve & Requires Commitment!
This week on Forging Brains Podcast we have the one and only, Bodie Trnka! Bodie grew up under the watchful eye of his father, Craig Trnka, who had taught Bodie how to shoe horses initially. It's what Bodie has done for himself after that that has proven successful not only in his competitive horseshoeing career, his farrier business, but also his personal family life. Bodie currently resides in M
Bill Poor- Damascus Billets & Knives, 4 Mile Long Range Shooting, Calgary Stampede World Champion
This episode we got to sit down with the one and only, Bill Poor! Bill competed a lot many years ago winning lots of competitions including the first ever season of the WCB and also became World Champ of the Calgary Stampede. He also shared a some cool information about forging damascus knives and billets. And as of late, Bill also holds the record of long range shooting at 4 miles. Enjoy this epi
Jim & Kathleen Poor-- It's All In The Mindset!
I think it's pretty common knowledge in the farrier industry that if someone asks you-"What's a good brand of tool to buy?" and guaranteed 9 times out of 10, people will say-"Jim Poor/Flatland Forge Tools!". That speaks volumes about not only, the tools themselves, but about the creators of those tools. Jim and Kathleen Poor have worked hard to be an honest, hard working, figure in this trade we l
It's a New Year! Let's Talk about Goals and some Pre Game Funk
It's pretty common with a new year that people talk about New Year's Resolutions. We don't necessarily try to come up with resolutions but instead, we talk about the Goals we have for ourselves-personally, professionally, with the podcast, and amongst being teammates with our friends. We'd also like to hear what other goals you guys have for the upcoming year as well. This episode we also got to c
Tom Petersen-Climbing Mountain after Mountain and Becoming a Journeyman isn't the Top of the Mountain
This episode was really cool. Tom Petersen is a highly skilled, talented and educated farrier that resides in Montana. Tom goes into depth about his up bringing about how he became to be a farrier and then on to winning multiple National and International Championship Titles. We got to hear how Tom shoes in his everyday business that would benefit a lot of horses out there if more people understoo
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