While you were watching the Times Square ball drop on television Saturday night, you could have been experiencing the launch of a new farrier association if you'd had your iPad on.
At midnight on the last day of the old year, someone somewhere flipped a switch and a new web site went live. Professionalfarriers.com snapped onto computer screens around the world.
Professionalfarriers.com is the home page for the new American Association of Professional Farriers (AAPF), an association that was "soft-launched" in December via a series of dramatic smoke-filled, drop-graphic videos on YouTube.
The message of the videos was that a new day in farriery was coming on January 1, 2012.
The founding members and board of directors are:
- Royden Bloom APF CJF (Drummond, Wisconsin)
- David Dawson APF (Uxbridge, Ontario)
- David Farley APF CF (Coshocton, Ohio)
- Jennifer Horn APF CJF (Dafter, Michigan)
- Scott Lampert APF (Lake Elmo, Minnesota)
- Bob Pethick APF CJF (Califon, New Jersey)
- Steve Prescott APF CJF (Hardeeville, South Carolina)
- Ed Reardon APF CJF (Lone Jack, Missouri)
- Jeff Ridley APF CJF TE (Leighton, Iowa)
- Doug Workman APF CJF (Cleveland, Georgia).
- President - Jeff Ridley APF CJF TE
- Vice President - Dave Farley APF CF
- Treasurer - Ed Reardon APF CJF
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| AAPF President Jeff Ridley of Iowa |
The mission statement on the association's by-laws states: The American Association of Professional Farriers will promote the integrity of the farrier industry by strengthening the knowledge and skills of its members through continuing education and support at the state, national and international levels while improving overall equine health through collaboration with other industry professionals.
Regular membership in the AAPF is open to any full-time or part-time farrier or veterinarian.
The AAPF hired Bryan Quinsey, former executive director of the American Farrier's Association, to serve as its first executive director. Most recently, Quinsey was a Customer Service and Marketing staff member at Farrier Product Distribution (FPD) in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
The new association added ten new members--seven American, two Canadian and one German farrier--in its first two days of existence. The early signups mean that the association begins with 11 regular life members, one associate life member, 66 regular members (now 76 with the additions in 2012), and one associate member, according to the web site.
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