The Mid-Year Report from Chattanooga

Dear AFA Members,

This past weekend in Chattanooga your AFA Officers and the Board of Directors gathered for our Mid-Year meeting. It was a productive time which began with a moment of silence to remember our beloved Past-President Allen Smith who passed away earlier this year. Allen served to two terms as President and Chaired the By-Laws Committee. We honored the spirit of Allan’s leadership style and work ethic by renaming the AFA’s Administrative Award in his honor.

The meeting got under with the reading of Officer’s reports. The Treasurer’s Report remained optimistic as Mr. Blombach emphasized he is fastidiously monitoring the bottom line in the current economic slowdown.

Among the actions taken by BoD, the most debated and divided was the proposed By-Law amendment to open the offices of President, President-Elect & Vice-President to members who are Certified, not only to Certified Journeyman Farriers.

During the debate, it was very clear how respected the talent of CFs is and that when a farrier passes the AFA Certification exam and earns his or her CF they are a highly qualified farrier. However, the majority felt that to represent the AFA in a leadership capacity one should be a CJF. Excelling through the rigors of achieving Journeyman status is certainly an experience one would draw upon in future leadership endeavors, as it is a true test of skill, ingenuity and determination.

The lack of nominated candidates for AFA Office will no doubt keep this debate in the forefront. The amendment did not pass and the By-Law remains that AFA Officers in succession for the Presidency must be CJFs. Please contact your area reps and let them know your feelings on this issue.

Among the chief concerns of the BoD … COMMUNICATION WITH MEMBERS! The BoD made it crystal clear to the Professional Farrier & NoFootNoHorse publisher that it is imperative to deliver the newsletter and magazine in a timely manner on a regular schedule to all members. The PF is in continual need of new articles. If you have material to share please send it to Danvers@AFAPublications.com. The AFA’s #1 asset is the skill and talent of its members. Recording and sharing your shoeing experiences will serve to help other farriers, improve hoof care for horses and give you credibility as a “published” writer! Writing for the PF is a win-win-win.

Additionally, the BoD voted to accept two new endorsements for CJFs; Specialty Forging & Educator:

The Specialty Forging Endorsement will be comprised of a two-part exam for a total fee of $100. It will require the following of Candidates:

Part One: Produce and submit 7 high quality horseshoes created from past AFA contest shoes along with a detailed article about forging one of the shoes. Shoes and article will be evaluated by a panel of 3 AFA Examiners; Bob Medaris, Dusty Franklin and Jason Harmeson. Upon completion of 7 PASSING shoes and a detailed article on one, the Candidate will proceed to Part Two.

Part Two: Candidate will attend a Certification at which he or she will be tasked with completing 2 shoes on-site within one hour. The shoes will be selected by the Examiner from the current Specialty Forging list at that time. If shoes are completed within the specified time period, said shoes will then be sent for evaluation by a panel of 3 AFA Examiners.

Upon the successful completion of Parts one & two within a two-year-period the Candidate will be presented with an AFA Specialty Forging Endorsement.

The Educator’s Endorsement is in the hands of Mitch Taylor, CJF & Pat Gallahan, CJF who will be forthcoming with specific details on how CJFs can attain this endorsement.

The BoD sees these new endorsements as a way to recognize specific and additional skills possessed by Certified Journeyman Farriers.

The remainder of the afternoon session was spent updating the AFA Policy Manual with the help of Parliamentarian Steve Small. The Policy Manual is now up-to-date with an accurate recording of previous motions passed.

All in all, the spirit of the meeting was one of cooperation and optimism.

If you have any further questions, concerns, suggestions and /or ideas please contact your BoD representative. In the meantime, let’s continue to work together and make AFA best farriery organization on the planet!

Respectfully,
Andrew