Just when I had given up, there it was on the kitchen table, the new Professional Farrier arrived. Excellent product, professionally packaged, overall a good read. Maybe this is a sign of things to come.

Thanks to all involved in the production.

Guy Buck

I agree. Special Kudos to Danvers and April.

My information is that the next issue is in the pipeline.

Great to hear. So if you guys got your's now, I should get mine around the middle of December.

Good article Mikel...

Good to see the drive of life goals keeping us moving. Good luck in your endeavors.

Regards,

Mikel,
Thanks for the motivation. I have been kicking around the idea of competeing. SOmething new and when there is something new there is something to learn. I like that sort of thing.

A friend of mine competes and has been giving me hell about it. I kind of go back and forth about it. I'll get out in the shop a few nights a week and start to get somewere and then it lays there until next winter.

I ain't to great at the anvil. I can try though. It really seems like fun though.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Don

I was real glad to see a new PF in the mail. Very nice issue indeed...... I, too, had long since given up on ever seeing anything again and had decided to not renew my AFA membership next year, ( I had already written my membership off as just a very expensive magazine subscription... I think they owe me some missed issues). I am tired of all the bickering and felt that the Association was continually shooting itself in it's own foot..... in my eyes, they had become the American Forging Association and had long since been absent from the rest of the farriery world. I had seen a couple of presentations by the AFA, (at least a few members professing to represent the AFA), at a Nationally recognized horse expo and was very embarrassed by some of the answers to the audience's questions on what I consider very basic anatomy in our profession. They weren't even close.... but I digress......... I am so happy to see this issue..it's very well done and was interesting to read... Very nice article, Mikel. I'll be looking for the next one.... I have 'till February before I have to decide what to do..... good job to all involved.
Dave

lol.... I just noticed that this is the "July/August" issue.... calender started in Oct... I got it Nov 8th.....oh well.............

Thanks you all,
I got inspired by a friend of mine to do it. I figured what the heck, nothing to loose. I knew I wouldn't place, but did present a pair of shoes and got a score, so I didn't finish last. For me it wasn't all about the contest, it was to do it and meet other farriers. Yea, it was kind of a kick in the pants and had a lot of fun.

Mikel; Good for you.
I also entered my 1rst forging contest a few weekends ago. I had a ball.

Danvers and crew, My hats off to you folks for a nicely put together magazine. Just got mine today here in northern Vermont.

I do wonder though, will there be a time when we will recieve a couple of months magazines to actually catch up.
I know, I am asking a lot with all you have had to go through.

Can you make an issue of double the size and call it Sept.,Oct., and
Nov./ Dec. and in that way we could receve Jan. Feb. in the actual month ?

I am sure you folks are working on a way to close the gap of mnths for delivery.

Thanks again for a good magazine. You do the AFA proud.

Hey Mike excellent article and fun read. Good job on both your contest and article. Just got my magazine yesterday and read your article today. The shoe in the photo looks great.

Guy_Buck wrote:
Hey Guy, Thanks for the kind words! It is a sign of things to come; it'll only get better

Rick Burten wrote:
Thanks to you as well Rick! And, yes, the next issue is in the works. It goes to the printer next Monday... although then we wait on printing and then we wait on the mail house and then we wait on the USPS. This issue went in the mail on the 30th. There were people in Colorado who had it on the 2nd, and there were people in Indiana (where it was mailed from) who received it yesterday.

I've tried to track the way these things get delivered, and there's just no rhyme or reason to it. As Trosin would say, it's more mysterious than crib death!

Dave Whitaker wrote:
The year will be short one issue (the Mar/Apr was skipped as they tried to pull things together). We'll be making up for the quantity with quality

Dave Whitaker wrote:
I think most of us are tired of the bickering, and we're looking to avoid it and forward the positive. As for the focus on forging... To a great extent, content is dictated by contributers, and we tend to have more people willing to contribute articles on how to forge a particular shoe than anything else.

Dave Whitaker wrote:Thanks! We just need folks like Mikel to make us all look good You'll be won over by February! And not just for the magazine... the convention is shaping up to be a great one.

Dave Whitaker wrote:YUP! We're playing a heckuvacatchup game! Just as you've received the Jul/Aug, we're going to print with the Sep/Oct and working furiously on the Nov/Dec.

vthorseshoe wrote:
Thanks Bruce. I wish we could have done a bundle; it would have made life much easier! As it is, we just can't do that... First of all, we're generating content on the fly. We didn't have a file cabinet of materials to work with, so we simply didn't have enough material to produce one big issue. Second, to do that, we would have had to hold back even longer, which wouldn't have made anyone happy. I, too, like to get my magazine on time. And we couldn't hold back because a lot of the material is time-specific. We had to get the contest registration forms and the new shoe drawings out in this issue; they couldn't wait any longer. Likewise, the next issue will have general Convention registration forms and AFA election materials that can't wait any longer.

In any case, we'll be back on track for your Jan/Feb issue. Do remember though that Professional Farrier is on a strange distribution schedule to begin with. Whereas most bi-monthly magazines show up before the first month listed, Professional Farrier is set up to be delivered on the first day of the second month listed (e.g., you should get your Jan/Feb issue on the first day of Feb).

Thanks again to you and to all the folks who have provided us with feedback. Keep those cards and letters coming!

Danvers;

As far as improvement, first let me say the time you took to answer not one post but all the posts goes well beond anything or anyone in the past.

2nd you didn't breeze through it. Reading your replies definitely indicates you read all our posts and questions thoroughly.
Not once did you shine anyone an with answer to just mearly satisfy them.

Its folks like you with your sincerety and honest interest in what your doing that will ontinue to make not only the PF a succss but the AFA one also.

My hat is off to you.

Looking forward to the next issue.

Bruce

Thanks Bruce. It's an inspiring and motivating group--the AFA and the farrier community in general. BTW, there was a lot of help that came from the folks on these boards.

Mikel obviously contributed a wonderful article. Also, you might have noticed that I used the photo Gary posted of that giant stack of hay; he pointed me to the right sources to find copyright issues for it. Additionally, you might not have recognized the name on the photo credits for those nice photos in the AFT/Stoneleigh results, but those were courtesy of Smitty.

I hope I'm not leaving anyone else off the list, but there were so many people who helped out (as always)!! Thanks to all!