Forging Brains Podcast

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 cover some pictures of work you guys sent in to us too. So, thank you!

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 starting his career that he wanted to shoe the highest level caliber horses and made that happen for over 37 years now. That just blows my mind to be honest! I think that speaks volumes about the quality of work Bob commits to every day and also Bob's character for being able to maintain those relationships for that long. All the while he was able to do this, Bob competed at the highest level and was selected to become a member of the North American Horseshoeing Team 2 times and also earning a spot on the American Farriers Team 5 times and those years were with some of the more well known guys in our industry like Jim Poor, Craig Trnka, Shayne Carter and many other badasses! Amongst many other accolades and accomplishments Bob has earned, Bob was inducted into the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame in 2006. I think there's a lot to be gained by sitting down and listening to a guy like Bob talk and soak up the knowledge he has to share. Enjoy the episode! 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 order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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 infrastructure for everything to go smooth and keep your clinician happy, as well as, the clinic attendees. So, we broke it down with what may be required if you're looking to host a clinic of your own. Also, there's some tidbits in there if you haven't attended a clinic or contest before, what to expect to bring or have with you when you attend an event. If there's something you think we've missed in the episode, feel free to drop a comment and let us know! 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 order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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 and didn't get into the competitive horseshoeing world until 15 years after he initially started shoeing. Tyson has been an avid competitor and ambassador of this trade through many associations. He has been on the American Farrier's Team two times and many top 5 finishes with the World Championship Blacksmiths. I think one great takeaway from this episode is, everyone's path in life is different and that's perfectly ok. Just because you're not flashing through all your goals and accomplishments right away, doesn't mean that they will never happen. You have to keep working at them and putting forth that effort to succeed. We hope everyone that is headed of to the WCB season opener in Madison, travels safe and has a great time competing there this weekend! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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 earned an Engineering Degree, he had a passion for this trade and wanted to continue his journey shoeing horses. You'll hear in this episode that Mike was faced a serious decision to either, accept a high paying job as an Engineer after spending many years in college, or setting down a path of happiness to pursue a career as a farrier. That was cool to hear! Mike has also been on the American Farrier's Team and has won a great number of contests. We also covered what it means by paying his debts and being a "swiftie" for an episode that will make more sense after listening to his story. Mike had a lot of great stories about his trials and tribulations it took for him to become a great farrier and once he found guys to help him, he was able to start climbing that ladder to becoming a CJF or on the American Farrier's Team and/or a successful businessman and family man. Hope you enjoy this episode and thanks for listening! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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 Farrier's Association. Most people were pretty dang excited when Hank was elected to be president of the AFA. Speaks volumes when you hear everyone say only but good things about a person as to who the type of person they are, and that would be someone you want to be the head honcho of an association like the AFA. We also covered what Hank has done to be involved with improving the AFA and the AFA certification process. And from the sounds of it, it's no easy task! We hope you enjoy this episode and thanks for tuning in everyone! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order! The app Hank talked about can be found in the App Store- American Farrier's Association or www.americanfarriersassociation.com for more info.

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 Farriers, the FWCF with Honours. And he said that there's only a handful of people to ever achieve that since the beginning of the Fellowship in the early 1300's. Amongst all his achievements in his professional farrier career, from contests and certifications, Nigel has taken to his creative side with full size horse sculptures made completely from steel. You'll have to check out his instagram page @nigel_fennell_fwcf_honours to get a full grasp on the intensity of these beautiful animals he has built through thousands of hours shaping and welding them together. There were so many great little nuggets you can takeaway from this episode to help yourself, I hope you learned as much as we did from hearing Nigel speak. Thanks for tuning in everyone! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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 throughout his life and career. Todd has been on the American Farrier's Team and WCB Team numerous times each. He also shared with us, he won the WCB "Striker of the Year" the first year it was offered and boy what a whoopin that sounded like! And still qualified for the WCB Team that year having to strike every go-round throughout the year. That's a tough accomplishment! Todd has recently become a rep for the major farrier products manufacturer, Mustad. He expressed how much he enjoys the challenge of something new and plans to be the best he can be working with Mustad. Todd shared a bunch of valuable knowledge throughout our conversation. Share with us what you learned and thought provided you with some value for yourself in the comments. Thanks for listening and what a way to kick off the New Year with Todd Walker on Forging Brains Podcast! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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 do but you'll have to let us know if you really liked this or not! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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 the American Farriers Team multiple times. as well as, the WCB (World Championship Blacksmiths) Team more than once! Trey shared many great stories about his bull riding lifestyle after he served in the Marine Corps, which then led him to becoming one of the top farriers in the world. Give it a listen and leave us a comment/review about what you liked, or disliked, about this episode and also what your favorite story Trey told us during our conversation! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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 his career, and as well as the men and women that have been most influential to make a big impact in his life. He has also competed at the highest levels of farrier competitions in the world and done very well throughout. This is a longer episode, so buckle up, and enjoy! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees) www.yukonforge.com use code BRAINS for 10% off your order!

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, Richard Puglisi, Butch Whitaker and Kid Kelley to join in on this episode. Craig filled us in on the success they had from bringing the World Championships back for the first time in many years. He also shared with us their future plans for WCB Headquarters which is something that's been needed for our trade for a long time. Big things on the horizon to come! Let us know what you think and how it'll impact you and this trade by leaving a comment. Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees)

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 the lows, and just some goals we have for ourselves and the show in the future. Congratulations are also in store for the newly crowned World Champion Blacksmith, Matt Randles! Must've been a really fun an exciting contest to be a part of and we hope to make it next year. We appreciate all the support from our listeners and look forward to sitting down with more badass guys in this trade to hear their stories and what they have to say! Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees)

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 to become a Policeman. John has completed his tenure on the force and during that time he was dedicated to catching the worst criminals off the streets. He talked about how he needed a new passion or goal to strive for in his life and found that by training himself and his K-9 to be at the top of their game and part of the elite. Becoming a policeman isn't the only highlight of John's career, John has been on the American Farrier's Team multiple times, competed at Calgary World Championships, winning the Forged in Fire television series, creating some of the best farrier tools on the market, and much more that you can hear about in this episode. Our Proud Sponsors of the Show www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com use code BRAINS for 10% off in their online store! (not including membership/contest entry fees)

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 horseshoeing scene by kicking ass and taking names! The last WCB he won all 5 classes, making himself the Overall Champ. He's currently on the WCB Team and prepping to go to the World Championships in Canada at Spruce Meadows next week. Good luck to all those competing there! www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order!

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 generous for wanting to give back by donating numerous knives to associations so you have something cool to remember that event by. Dan also shared with us his upbringing about the trials and tribulations it took to try and make a top quality product. If you want to purchase Salcito Hoof Knives, you can find them at Well-Shod.com! www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order! Here's the link to the video Dan mentioned about sharpening hoof knives https://youtu.be/5U0BnHd_5Bk

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 Strelow is in this episode too because the 5 of us were headed down to the Oregon Farriers contest last weekend and stayed the night at Richard's place and figured this would be a great episode for people to hear. Hope this helps inspire some of you on your journey! www.farrierbox.com use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's order! www.well-shod.com use code BRAINS for a surprise product in your order!

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 well as, how he felt after winning the title and up to that point (Not what you'd expect). Besides Austin's competitive horseshoeing accolades, he has also been very active in the farrier industry with the tools he makes and provides us. He has given back to the industry by doing clinics and demos all over the world for us to learn. Lately Austin has been developing a new frog support pad, "Plexus Pads" to give us farriers better tools to use for the horses we work on. This episode hits home for many of us with what Austin shared throughout the conversation because he has, been there done that, and we all have goals we work on in our everyday lives that we can relate to. If you found something that you related to in this episode, leave us a comment and let us know what that was! To earn a 25% discount on your first month's FarrierBox go to, www.farrierbox.com and use code BRAINS at checkout for that 25% off! They provide you with the top tools we use in our everyday work that have tried and tested by the elites in our trade!

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 throughout this episode. We shared a lot of laughs, as well as, gained some knowledge about what we can do to become better in our next endeavors too. Can't forget to thank our sponsor, FARRIERBOX! You can earn 25% off your first month's order by going to www.farrierbox.com and use code BRAINS at checkout to receive some of the top products used in our industry by top professionals.

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. Enjoy this week's episode and maybe we'll see you in Edgewood! If you'd like a deal on your first month's order with FarrierBox, go to www.farrierbox.com and use code BRAINS for 25% off your first month's shipment!