Can anyone guess who this is?

[Bradley-1stChoice]

Originally Posted by Gary Hill

You got it Denise. Ron had on the side of his rig "The Horseshoer".

Gary
Now you have to tell us about him . . .


. . . Please.

[Gary Hill]

I met Ron back in 79 when I joined the Florida State Farriers Assn. He was/is an impressive type of a man. You know the kind we all grew up with that taught us how to work! Anyway, he was full of advice if you listened and sponged up what he offered. Kinda of a hard man to me, but I was used to that. He had many articles in the early days of the AFJ and stood tall at FSFA. Made me nervous as hell shoeing in front of him! He picked my work apart, but ya know that was good for me! He was a big Circus fan and knows many of the same and others I didn't know, but I know he was respected by them also.

[Rick Burten]

It was my good fortune to know Ron after he returned to Illinois from Florida. A little gruff? Yes. But a fountain of information and an absolute willingness to help anyone who stepped up and asked.

I was present when Bob Skradzio, who was giving a clinic for the LLHA got together with Ron at the clinic and the two of them built some shoes. Just listening to them talk about "the old days" was more than worth the price of admission. Sadly, due to his advancing age and lifetime of hard work, Ron was having some difficulties that day, but it didn't matter.

One other memory I have of Ron is when he decided to upgrade his CJF by making a new bar shoe as was the requirement at that time. He took one and only one look at the hoof he was to build the bar shoe for, went to his truck, fired up his forge and in just a shade over 10 minutes, threw a finished shoe down on the ground. He never took the shoe back to the foot to check the fit. I asked him about it and he said "Sonny, if after all these years, I can't look at a foot and build a shoe to fit it then there is something wrong with me. " When it came time to judge the shoe, the shoe flunked. Why? because it was 1/16" tight on the medial side. Ron's only comment was that it would have only taken him one lick with the hammer to fix that but he thought he had built it right in the first place......

I more memory that flashed across my mind as I was typing the above,
Ron was giving a clinic for the LLHA and someone asked him to show us how to draw a clip. Ron wanted to know what kind of clip we wanted to see? Rather than waiting for an answer, Ron grabbed an old worn out standardbred racing plate that he had in his truck, threw it in the fire(coal of course ) and then proceeded to draw about twenty clips using different tools, hammers, parts of the anvil, whatever he could think of to use to pull a clip. They might not all have been 'contest quality' but all would have nailed for money. It was quite an impressive display of skill, knowledge and ability.

I really miss that old man!

[Gary Hill]

Rick when Ron chunked a shoe at your feet it was atad intimidating! He did have spot on eagle eye for sure!