I always enjoy creating my posts for Gene Velten’s Bay Horse Innovations of New York because I'm always learning something new about farriers and vets. Like any horse trainer, our vets and farriers are very much part of the success of our horses, so they have always been considered part of our “team”. Writing about Gene and his crew as they design and build custom vet and farrier rigs gives me a new perspective! At the moment, Gene and Brent Chidsey (Brent is the man behind Bay Horse Innovations of Kentucky) are at the trade show at the International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati.

When Gene sent me this picture set up day at the booth, I had to call him right away to ask him what I was looking at?

The answer—it's a photograph of a Shoe Board from a collection in a museum! I confess, I had never heard those two words strung together before. In this case, the shoe board (think of it as a portfolio for farriers) and the man in the photo with this one— Lee Liles—provided me with a terrific story to share with those of you who, like us, have relied on the craftmanship and skill of farriers all our lives, but not yet had this peek into the history behind the craft.

The reason that the Bay Horse Innovations booth at the trade show was hosting a photo of Lee Lile’s with one of his collection of shoe boards is because, up until his death in August, the Museum lived at Carrousel Farm and with his passing an effort is underway to provide the National Museum of Horsehoeing Tools with a new permanent home! The photo displayed at the Bay Horse booth (owned by Brent) is just a very small taste of what the museum features.

For a great online look at the Museum and more information about making a donation towards the fund-raising effort, click on the image below and you’ll end up at their very excellent website!