Today, we’re privileged to talk with Dr. Rachael Shuster, an equine veterinarian who practices and is licensed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Having ridden since a young age, Dr. Rachael Shuster knew that she wanted to work with horses and therefore pursued equine studies. She graduated from Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 1995.
Dr. Shuster worked in various multiple-doctor equine ambulatory practices; interests were lameness, wound management, and a passion for podiatry, before starting her own practice, Shuster Equine, LLC in 2006.
Realizing that western medicine is limited in certain protocols, and wanting to increase her diagnostic skills and therapeutic options for patients, Dr. Shuster decided to further her education and became certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) in 2002, and the Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) in 2006 in animal chiropractic and acupuncture, respectively.
Shuster Equine, LLC encompasses chiropractic, acupuncture and dentistry while keeping in mind the importance of podiatry and western medicine diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities.
Dr. Shuster strives to keep an open, one-on-one dialogue with others working with your horse, including veterinarians, farriers, trimmers, massage therapists or trainers.
She continues to expand her knowledge, furthering her skills in servicing horses to be the best that they can be. Through her ongoing commitment to continued education, Dr. Shuster attends multiple professional meetings and one-on-one sessions with colleagues throughout the year.
Dr. Shuster is a member of:
Dr. Shuster has a unique perspective on what it takes to succeed as a farrier and veterinarian and includes valuable insights, stories, and suggestions on how to enhance the farrier-veterinarian relationship.
In this episode, we talk with Cristiano Biacca who is a certified farrier and veterinarian from Parma, Italy. He was trained as a farrier at Butler Professional Farrier School. He shares how he got his start as a large animal veterinarian and what made him decide to become a farrier as well.
He also shares insights into the farrier profession in Italy, some memorable cases he has worked on, and lessons he has learned over the years learning and teaching about farriery to others.
In this episode, we talk with farrier Travis Burns. He is a Certified Journeyman Farrier (CJF), holds the Therapeutic (TE) AND Educator Endorsements (EE) from the AFA, and is a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (FWCF). He was recently elected as the president of the American Farriers Association.
He is currently the Chief of Farrier Services at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia and has been shoeing horses professionally for more than 16 years.
In this wide ranging interview, we talk about how Travis got his start, lessons he learned from his early mentors, differences between the American and British certification exams, his vision for the next two years as AFA president, and several of his memorable experiences. You'll get a lot of insight from his experiences and his thoughts on how farriers can be more unified as a profession.
In this episode, we talk with Guy Karsh who lives about 25 minutes outside of Jerusalem in Israel. He has been shoeing horses for 25 years. He shares experiences from becoming a farrier, learning from his father and other mentors, the importance of continuing education for farriers, and memorable experiences he has had while shoeing horses in Israel.
This is a fascinating discussion about how the farrier business works in another country that you can learn a lot from and apply in your farrier business.
In this episode, we talk with Certified Journeyman Farrier Andrew DeVisser from Ayr, Ontario, Canada. He has been shoeing horses for 9 years. He attended Butler Professional Horseshoeing School in 2009.
Andrew shares his insights about the value of horseshoeing school, the benefits of the AFA cultural exchange program that he was a part of, how he prepared for his certification exams, and the benefits of competition. He also shares his thoughts on how farriers can build and maintain successful farrier businesses.
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Tracy Turner, an equine veterinarian who was trained as a farrier.
He was raised on a small ranch in southwestern Colorado. As a youth he was active in the local 4-H Horse Program. As a young adult he apprenticed with a farrier in 1972 and used those skills to help finance his education. From that time on he has dedicated his life to horses. He received his DVM degree from Colorado State University in 1978, after which he was able to pursue his interest in equine medicine and surgery.
He is board certified in Veterinary Surgery (Dipl.ACVS) and Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (Dipl.ACVSMR). He served on the faculty of the University of Illinois, University of Florida and the University of Minnesota. He joined Anoka Equine Clinic in 2004 and started his own practice in 2016 dedicated strictly to Sports Medicine, Lameness, and Surgery. Dr. Turner consults for the USDA Horse Protection, Federation Equestriene Internationale (FEI) and United States Equestrian Federation.
Dr. Turner has had the privilege of working at 3 Pan America Games, 1 Olympic Games and at 1 World Equestrian Games. He recently was selected to work at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Dr. Turner is a member of the Am Vet Med Assoc (AVMA), the Am Assoc of Equine Practioners (AAEP), the Minnesota Assoc of Equine Practitioners (MAEP), the Am Farrier’s Assoc (AFA), the American Association of Professional Farriers and the Minnesota Farrier’s Assoc (MnFA). Dr. Turner has served as chairman of the AAEP’s Farrier Liaison Committee and is serving on the AAEP Foundation and Educational committees. He is a past president of the MAEP.
Dr. Turner has been active in the horse community. He served 2 terms on the Board of Directors of the Central States Dressage and Combined Training Association.
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Horse Council since 2002 and is presently serving his fifth term as President.
Dr. Turner is married to veterinarian, Dr. Julie Wilson. They have 2 adult sons, Tarren and Tristan. They are surrounded by other family members, 4 dogs, 6 horses, 2 birds and 2 cats. In their spare time Drs. Turner and Wilson love to ride and travel.
You'll get a lot out of this episode from a farrier veterinarian who talks about how to improve communication between these two professionals, memorable experiences from his career, his thoughts on navicular disease, and what he thinks farriers and veterinarians will deal with in the future.
Jeff Rodriguez passed away after a long battle with lung cancer in November of 2016. A native of Tampa, Florida, he moved his practice to Golden, Colorado and built a profitable and successful farrier business. He spoke many times at Farrier Focus conferences and in this episode, we share a talk he gave about what it takes to build and maintain a successful farrier image and business.
With his trademark wit and humor, Jeff shared personal experiences and stories to help farriers build more profitable businesses. We hope you enjoy these observations and comments from a remarkable farrier who was committed to helping farriers be more successful and that this talk will help you carefully evaluate the image you project and the type of business you want to build.
In this episode, Bob Smith of Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School shares insights into how to successfully market your farrier business. He shares the differences between products and services and that how and why you market your horseshoeing services will make all the difference between the perception that clients have of you and the price you can charge. You'll get a lot out of this talk from a previous Farrier Focus Conference.
In this episode, we talk with Kevin Oliver of Eddington, Maine who went to Cal Poly in winter and spring of 1973. He has been shoeing horses for more than 44 years and shares experiences and helpful hints from his years as a farrier that can benefit you and your business.
Kevin shares his thoughts about the importance of continuing education, the value of attending a horseshoeing school, tips about treating laminitic horses, and his thoughts about the most valuable tools in the farrier business. You'll get a lot of insight from this master farrier who has spent a lifetime learning the tricks of the trade.
On this episode, we interview Bryan Quinsey, the Executive Director of the American Association of Professional Farriers (AAPF) and the International Association of Professional Farriers (IAPF). He has been involved with the farrier industry since 2003.
Bryan talks about how he got his start, how the AAPF got started, and his thoughts about the future of the farrier business.
In this episode, we talk with Ian Bevington, CJF about his career, advice on running a multi-farrier practice, raising prices, how he got into owning a farrier supply business, and his thoughts on how farriers can be more successful in their careers.
Ian grew up in Valley, Nebraska and completed his farrier training in 1998. He is a certified Journeyman Farrier and participates in clinics and horseshoeing competitions throughout the country. Ian works closely with area veterinarians to ensure the best possible care for horses and to allow for collaboration on treatment options. He is currently the owner of 3B Farrier Supply store in Valley, Nebraska.
In this episode, we talk with Walt Taylor, the founder of the AFA and WFA. He started shoeing horses in 1948 and has been involved with the farrier industry ever since. We discuss stories from his career, memorable experiences from the beginnings of the AFA and WFA, and his work with Working Together for Equines, Inc. (a whole horse equine charity). We also discuss his views on being a professional farrier, licensing, his feelings about the state of the farrier industry, and what farriers should be thinking about and preparing for in the future.
In this episode, Dr. Butler explains the levels of certification in the United States and United Kingdom and the benefits of certification for farriers in reaching a higher standard of their profession.
In this episode, farrier Chris Minick shares how he uses technology and computer skills to improve the way he provides and breaks down his invoices for his clientele. You'll get a lot of insight about how to better run your business with the advantages of technology to make end of the year tax preparation much simpler and easier to navigate. You'll also learn some time saving tips that will help you more efficiently run your farrier business.
In this episode, Farrier Focus Podcast host Jim Butler shares his perspective on The Dark Side of Horseshoeing and how farriers can overcome discouragement and adversity in their businesses. You'll hear several inspiring stories about what it takes to succeed in the farrier business and quotes and ideas that will help you be more of an optimist in your daily work. This was from a talk that was given at a previous Farrier Focus conference.
In this episode, learn how farrier Brian Fitzgerald got his start, lessons he has learned on the track, and how he is now transitioning into a new specialty in Georgia. Brian shares his expertise about staying motivated, learning new skills, and the best way to set prices and work with farriers in a new area.