The 2015 International Hoof Care Summit (IHCS)will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio February 3- February 6, 2015.  Among the many distinguished veterinarians, farriers, and clinicians presenting at this conference is John “Smitty” Schmidt.  John is well known to the Tennessee Walking Horse Industry and previously served on the TTEC Vet/Farrier panel at the industry conference in 2012.  He was featured in an article published in the American Farriers Journal last year that was positive for the industry and has been a strong supporter of the TWH.  His presentation will detail “Shoeing for Specific Needs: Common Conformational Faults of Flat Shod Tennessee Walkers”. 

Farriers, trainers, horse owners and anyone responsible for the care of horses are encouraged to attend the IHCS and the brochure and registration information can be viewed and downloaded at:
www.IHCS2015.com

Bio from TTEC:
John “Smitty” Schmidt is a member of the American Farrier Association (AFA) and is a Certified Journeyman Farrier (CJF), the highest classification obtainable with only 20% of the AFA members receiving this designation.   His Dad was a farrier for forty-five years starting out in New York and later moving to Florida.  John was born into the trade and grew up in the Ocala, Florida area with the opportunity to work with many equine breeds.  His focus has always been on walking horses with his current clientele including both performance and pleasure walking horses, and everything from dressage to hunter-jumpers.  John moved to Tennessee in 1990 and has been a farrier for about twenty-two years.  He and his wife Sally, a veterinarian, are avid horse fans and already have their two young sons acclimated to follow in that direction.

Taken from International Hoof Care Summit Brochure:

“SHOEING FOR SPECIFIC NEEDS: Common Conformational Faults Of Flat Shod Tennessee Walkers.”

Second-generation Shelbyville, Tenn., farrier John Schmidt has worked with top Tennessee Walking
Horses (TWH) throughout his 20-year career. Following a survey of the breed and shoeing rules, he’ll
discuss the needs of gait analysis with these horses. Schmidt maintains that gait faults and lameness
are by-products of the conformation problems common among TWH. By understanding these relationships, the farrier is better prepared to keep these
horses competing in the show ring.