Did you go to Denver's stock show last month? I like watching the horses. They have so many horse events; dressage, cutting horse, bareback broncos. The best of the best get to come to Denver every January.

These finely bred equine athletes all perform differently, but they all get the same meticulous attention. Entrants spend thousands to assure that their horse is ready to show. They take a chance on losing an event if an animal has even a slight health problem. Of particular importance are the horse's feet and legs, which need to be in top condition to compete. A sprained pastern, something stuck in the sole, or a loose shoe means the horse is not going to move correctly. My novice eye might not detect a sudden slip in gait, but the rider or veterinarian should alert to it immediately. What might seem to be a small problem can result in a couple of extra seconds in a barrel race, or the difference between first and fifth place.

A horse's hooves are like massive, heavy-duty fingernails. They grow constantly, like our nails. And like our nails, they need continuous clipping. They can crack and become deformed if they're not cared for regularly by a skilled blacksmith who specializes in shoeing horses. Such a specialist is called a farrier.

The image brings to mind the renowned poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

UNDER a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

... His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

A farrier worked with my mare every couple of months when I was a girl. I rounded her up while he backed up to the corral gate. The smithy wore heavy leather chaps which had honorably aged by tons of hooves rubbing them over the course of a brutal career. Jack, a cowboy who was generously muscled and tanned by an outdoor livelihood, had everything he needed on his truck for the job: hoof clippers, tongs, rasp, nail puller, pliers, cutters, nippers, hammer, nails, shoes, anvil, and a generator on board to fire up the forge.

I held my horse's lead and stroked her face while Jack cleaned her feet, clipped the hoof and artfully shaved the edges. Then, for each foot, he tried on shoes; this one, then that one, until he found the right size.
When the forge was hot, he laid the shoe in the fire until it reached the optimum temperature and pliability, so he could shape it to fit that particular hoof. He removed the shoe from the flame with his tongs, held it on the hoof to see where it needed more work, and hooked the shoe over the anvil.

Clang, clang, clang! He hammered and shaped it, and double checked it against the hoof. If it cooled, he heated it. Back and forth he went, from forge to hoof to anvil until the shoe was just right. When it finally fit, he skillfully hammered the shoe to the hoof using horseshoe nails, which he clipped and bent back. Then he rasped the hoof smooth. One hoof done; three to go.

Farriery is a craft that takes a lot of practice to master. Jack watched others and studied the art before he tried his own hand at it. Even then he had an expert at his side to guide him. He knew horses, and he knew his tools. He also knew that he couldn't shoe every horse the same way, because no two are alike. Not all horsemen shoe their own steeds. They rely on specialists for that work. Farriers know that each hoof on each horse is a little unique.

Your history, market, products, services, mission and goals make your business unique. You can't be certain to achieve the same success as your competitor by using their techniques. Likewise, your business and market conditions are transformed continuously over time, so you can't expect the same results in 2008 that you received in 2007. As horses need new shoes, your marketing and communications materials need to be skillfully re-crafted periodically to keep your business healthy and competitive.

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In Jack's memory, I'll end with this verse:

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought.

Gail Kirkegaard
Business Writing Services
please visit my Web site: www.gailkirkegaard.biz