Forging Brains Podcast
Episodes
Steven Beane- Six Time World Champ!
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our first "across the pond" episode! This week's guest is none other than the now 6-time World Champ, Steven Beane. It was great to hear...
Travis Koons-Master Koonzagi Is Back for Part 2!
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Travis Koons is back! Our first episode with Travis wasn't long enough so we wanted him back to continue sharing more of what Master Koonzagi has ...
Learn From Your Failures To Earn Success. Winning & Losing Are Both Humbling Moments
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've had a month to reflect on what has happened in the past 30 days ish.. And I was able to compete at 3 different contests in that time, the Bl...
Journey to Spruce Meadows 2025-Blacksmith World Championships
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Another solo pod with Riley and myself! This time we're chatting about my journey to Spruce Meadows this year so far. The trials and tribulations of p...
Jennifer Horn- Determined to Succeed and Failure Wasn't an Option
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've got a special guest this week with Jennifer Horn. You'll hear in this episode that Jennifer had the determination from day 1 to become a...
Mason Mileski- Man of Motivation & Persistence Carving His Own Path Through The Farrier Trade
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mason may not be very well known yet but he is dang sure doing his best by climbing through the ranks and trying to soak up as much as he can from tho...
Shorty Gorham- PBR Hall of Fame Bullfighter
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We were honored to sit down with a legend in the PBR Bullfighting world, Shorty Gorham! You may be wondering what bullfighting and farriery have in co...
Conrad Trow- Living The American Dream
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest is one a lot of people know, Conrad Trow! Conrad set out to horseshoeing school when he was 18 in Kentucky, coming from South Af...
Weston Newsom-Cowboy, Cowman, Father, Farrier, Jack of All Trades
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most everyone in our scene has met our guest, Weston Newsom, and guarantee that everyone you ask will tell you that he's the nicest guy you'll...
Lone Rangers! Upcoming Contests, Past Contests. Things to Work On, etc..
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time of year where everybody is busy and busting their butts but we're back with another episode of Forging Brains Podcast! Just a r...
Culture Exchange Student Ed Beeston and Q&A with Troy Wood
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We recently asked you guys on the Forging Brains Facebook page if you had some questions you'd like for us to chat about on the podcast while we w...
Robert Jukes-This isn't Goodbye, It's See You Later
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Early on the podcast we had Robert Jukes as a guest of ours and is still one of the most listened to episodes we've uploaded. So when we heard Robert ...
Jim Poor, Chris Madrid, Bodie Trnka- 3 Generations Practicing Practical Shoeing to Win-They're Just Fronts & Hinds!
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week's episode was with the judge of the next @wcbfarrier contest in Amarillo, Texas John McNerney of @yukonforge and this week's...
Get an Edge on the Competition! WCB West Texas Ranch Rodeo Shoes with Judge John McNerney
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hear from the judge of the upcoming WCB in Amarillo, Texas! The West Texas Ranch Rodeo shoe list just came out and we sat down with John McNerney of Y...
Billy Lovell & Matt Magan- Friends From the Beginning There to Help Each Other Any Way Possible
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I've known these guys for over half my life now and if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't have a career as a farrier. Billy Lovell and I met in h...
Juan Berumen-Humbled Man on a Journey Soaking Up Knowledge to Be The Best He Can Be
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While at the AFA Convention we were able to sit down with Juan Berumen and hear his story how he has navigated his way through his career, working for...
Judging Our First World Championship Blacksmiths Contest!
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Riley and I were honored to be asked to judge a WCB event and took a lot of pride in trying to do the right thing to judge fair and honestly. In this...
Ft Worth WCB Shoe List Tips n Details
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ft Worth WCB is dang near here! Riley and Gavine are judging this year and figured we should add some insight about the shoes before people are on th...
Kayla & Lyle Shepherd-Husband n' Wife Multi-Farrier Practice Duo!
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We recently attended the American Farrier's Association annual convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee and while we were there we got to sit down with K...
Chad Chance- Entrepreneur, Family Man, Farrier, Competitor, Auctioneer, Real Estate Agent, Man of Many Talents!
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chad Chance is a man of many talents and is a great entrepreneur in our industry. It's safe to say that Chad paved the way for us here on Forging Bra...
World Championships at Spruce Meadows Recap
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We sat down and talked about our experience at Spruce Meadows a few weeks ago from a competitors standpoint and as well as a spectator. Discussed som...
How Was Your Go? 2024 World Championships Interviews After Pool of Shoes Class
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While up at the 2024 World Championships in Calgary at Spruce Meadows, Riley was able to sit down with competitors after they had their "go"...
George Rogerson 2024 World Champion Blacksmith & Alex Collier Top 5 Finisher in World Championship
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While up at the 2024 World Championships in Calgary at Spruce Meadows, we were able to sit down with guests we don't get to see often because they...
Mike Stone- New Mexico Trio Los Diablos
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We had a great conversation with our guest, Mike Stone. Unfortunately the wifi coverage wasn't the greatest and had some lag time and made our con...
Craig Trnka at WCB HQ
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We recently were able to head down to New Mexico to hang out at WCB headquarters and while we were there we wanted to sit down with Craig to hear what...
Robbie Mederos- If Life's leading You Down a Path You Don't Like, Change Direction & Pursue Your Dream!
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Man this was a great episode with our special guest, Robbie Mederos! You'll hear in this episode that Robbie worked in a different field for over ...
Travis Buck- 4 Time Canadian Farrier's Team 2 Time WCB Team & Edgewood WCB Judge Tips on Shoes
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bet you think it would be helpful to get an in depth look at the shoes on a shoe list before the contest happened? Well, in this episode you can! We ...
Gathering a Game Plan for the Edgewood WCB Shoe List
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We sat down and thought it would be cool to talk about the shoe list for the next WCB in Edgewood as if we were to be getting ready to make the shoes ...
Bob Pethick- Maintaining Top Level Shoeing Relationships for 50+ Years & Whilst Competing on American Farriers Team for 5 Years
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest can school us on a lot of things to become a successful, professional farrier- Bob Pethick. Bob has shod horses professionally f...
Ever Been to a Clinic? Ever Put On a Clinic/Contest? Quick Tips for Success in this Episode
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're listening to this episode, you probably already know Riley & Gavine are firm believers in continuing education by attending clinics ...
Jim Poor & John McNerney- Yukon Forge Taking Over Flatland Forge Driving Hammers--Special Announcement!!
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You've heard it here first folks and heard that correctly, John Mcnerney (Yukon Forge) is taking over for Jim Poor's (Flatland Forge) driving ...
Tyson Clark- Everyone's Path is Different & You've Got to Forge Your Own Path in Life
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We know we've been absent with uploading consistent episodes the past few weeks but sometimes we get super busy in life and they supersede other o...
Mike Augenstein- Man Who Pays His Debts, Even if it Means Being a "Swiftie" for an Episode!
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've got another great episode coming to you live from the WCB Winter Clinic at Well-Shod in Amarillo, Texas with this week's guest, Mike Aug...
Hank Chisholm- Man of the People, President of the American Farrier's Association
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Coming in hot straight from the World Championship Blacksmiths Winter Clinic at Well-Shod, we got to sit down with a few cool guests and chat with the...
Nigel Fennell FWCF (Honours) - The Jedi Knight Conquering All Things Steel
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kicking the year off right with what Nigel would refer to as a "belter!" of an episode! We had the privilege to sit down and chat with our f...
Todd Walker- Man On Many Endeavors! American Farriers Team, WCB Team, Tool Maker, Mustad Rep & More..
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We were fortunate to be able to sit down with Todd Walker while we were competing in Ft. Worth at the 2023 World Championship Blacksmiths Season Final...
Thoughts & Impressions From Novice Competitors at Ft. Worth WCB!
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We were just in Ft. Worth, Texas for the 2023 World Championship Blacksmiths Season finals and thought it would be really cool to hear from some of th...
Trey Green- Chasing that Gold Buckle Riding Bulls or Competing as a Top Level Farrier in the World
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have a great guest this episode with the one and only, Trey Green. Trey has shod horses at the top levels of their discipline, as well as, competed...
Travis Koons-World Renowned Farrier & Competitor aka..Master Koonzagi
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you've been around for a while in this trade you more than like have heard of this week's guest, Travis Koons! Travis has resided in Southe...
Craig Trnka, Kyd Kelley, Troy Wood, Brian Strelow- Spruce Meadows Recap-Future WCB Headquarters & more..
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This past weekend I was at the FAWS (Farriers Association of Washington State) annual fall convention and contest, where Craig Trnka was our judge and...
A Year Behind Us With Many More to Go! Forging Brains One Year Mark
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This marks the 1 year mark from when we dropped the first episode of Forging Brains Podcast! We want to thank all our guests and friends that have sa...
John McNerney- Yukon Forge, Badass Policeman Catching Bad Guys by Day, Farrier & Tool Maker by Night!
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest and episode is a great one, John McNerney! Mostly everyone in the farrier world has probably seen or heard of the "Yukon Fo...
Stan Mullen-Former Kiwi Making His Presence Known in America
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's got to be quite an experience to move away to another country halfway across the world. Stan Mullen started that journey at 17 years old sear...
Dan Salcito-Hand Crafted, Salcito Hoof Knives from Skull Valley Arizona
19 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We got the opportunity to learn from Dan Salcito about what makes a great hoof knife and how or why he got into the hoof knife game to create the bes...
Different Beginnings on the Same Path for Success- Life of an Apprentice Farrier
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all have a unique story about how or why we got into shoeing horses initially. Recently I had the chance to sit down with three farriers that are i...
Austin Edens-aka..Captain Asshole-World Class, World Champion Farrier
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You want to be a world champ one day? Or just be a top competitor? Or be the best farrier you can be? Well, Austin Edens is all of those and more! Aus...
Edgewood WCB Recap with Surprise Special Guest, Ben Snure!
09 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A bunch of us got the opportunity to go compete in Edgewood, New Mexico at the World Championship Blacksmiths competition so we sat down to chat about...
Hanging Out with Troy Wood In His Shop
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This past weekend I was at Troy Wood's shop practicing for the upcoming WCB contest in Edgewood, NM and we decided to sit down and do a podcast! W...
Tim "Hooter" Hoover
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most people know that Tim "Hooter" Hoover ain't afraid to have a good time and share laughs, and that's exactly this episode went! T...
Doug Russo- Resident Farrier at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Doug is a man of many talents. Although he has faced some challenges physically, he hasn't let that slow him down one bit when it comes to raising...
Spring Time Hustle & Bustle! Contests and Clinics Kicking Off in the near Future..Plus More
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I think It's safe to say this time of year gets busy for a lot of people, or more busy I should say, and we're trying to stay on top of weekly...
Caleb Payton-Full Time Farrier Turns to Law Enforcement Becoming Full Time Police Officer
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Caleb Payton has an eye and developed the skills to be a top farrier. Even though he doesn't live in a densely horse populated area, he still doe...
Carl Via- Busy Man Lifestyle. AFA Tester, WCB Team Member, and Continuing the Family Farm Heritage
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carl Via is a busy man and we're glad he took some more time out of his busy life to do another episode with us! He's an AFA Tester and involv...
Travis Smith- Retired Marine to Full Time Farrier that's Winning Best Shod Draft Foot at WCB Classic
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Man we really enjoyed sitting down with Travis Smith for this episode. Travis enlisted in the Marine Corps straight out of high school, served our cou...
Ben Snure- Hammer Making Blacksmith in the Farrier World
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Snure is a man of many talents! He has a long background in ranching which in turn exposed him having to shoe the ranch horses out of necessity fo...
Forging Brains-What's Been Going on in Our Lives Recently
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back! Two days late. Life's been busy and hectic but we got an episode out for you guys. Riley and Gavine sat down and just talked abou...
Adam Fahr-Finding a Way to Make Competing FUN Again After Being Stuck in a Rut
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This was a great episode with Adam Fahr, who owns River Bottom Forge, and we're really glad we got to talk with him. Adam has achieved a lot of go...
Tyler Marshall- All the Little Details Matter
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode of Forging Brains Podcast we sat down with Tyler Marshall, who resides in New Hampshire. If you follow Tyler on social med...
Mike Poe, Jason Smith & Kurt Fisk While at the Sarah Baker Benefit Clinic
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I was in the presence of Mike Poe, Jason Smith and Kurt Fisk while we were at the benefit clinic in Oregon and figured we oughta sit down and record ...
Phillip Box & Andrew Wells- Cold Calling and Becoming Close Friends
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This was a great episode with Phillip Box and Andrew Wells, not only to hear about how Phillip got into this trade and how he's taken it to another le...
2023 American Farrier's Team ~ 4 Top Competitors Working Together to Take the Top Step
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Live at the WCB Winter Clinic Riley sat down with the 2023 American Farrier's Team- Bodie Trnka, Chris Madrid, Daniel Jones, Sawyer Spradling and Tom ...
Iain Ritchie & John Dixon- Mentor, Teacher, Competitors, Canadian Farriers Team Teammates, and Friends
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We were fortunate to have Iain Ritchie and John Dixon come down south from Canada while we were having a team practice for the upcoming WCB contest "T...
Billy Klapper, Terry Stever & Jim Poor- How to Build a Legacy
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While at the WCB Winter Clinic Billy Klapper, Terry Stever and Jim Poor were present and had a great opportunity to sit down and hear stories from the...
John Harshbarger- Owner of Well-Shod Farrier Supply Who Loves His Job & Has A Passion For Our Trade
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are "Live" at the WCB Winter Clinic! We got to sit down with John Harshbarger who owns Well-Shod Farrier Supply and got to hear from him about how ...
Troy Wood-"Discipline Creates Motivation"-Basic Elements for Shoe Making & Systems
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend Troy Wood came over to my place to practice shoes for the upcoming World Championship Blacksmiths (WCB) Classic Competition. While Tr...
Terry Dokken -Rock & Roll Farrier!
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest, Terry Dokken, has multiple talents and passions! Terry's passion for the farrier trade and being an excellent musician have always ...
Bodie Trnka- Greatness Takes a Long Time to Achieve & Requires Commitment!
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Forging Brains Podcast we have the one and only, Bodie Trnka! Bodie grew up under the watchful eye of his father, Craig Trnka, who had ta...
Bill Poor- Damascus Billets & Knives, 4 Mile Long Range Shooting, Calgary Stampede World Champion
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode we got to sit down with the one and only, Bill Poor! Bill competed a lot many years ago winning lots of competitions including the first ...
Jim & Kathleen Poor-- It's All In The Mindset!
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I think it's pretty common knowledge in the farrier industry that if someone asks you-"What's a good brand of tool to buy?" and guaranteed 9 times out...
It's a New Year! Let's Talk about Goals and some Pre Game Funk
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's pretty common with a new year that people talk about New Year's Resolutions. We don't necessarily try to come up with resolutions but instead, we...
Tom Petersen-Climbing Mountain after Mountain and Becoming a Journeyman isn't the Top of the Mountain
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was really cool. Tom Petersen is a highly skilled, talented and educated farrier that resides in Montana. Tom goes into depth about his u...
Daniel Jones- Best Shod Foot at Stoneleigh International Farrier Competition!
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Forging Brains Podcast we got to sit down with Daniel Jones! Daniel is a top farrier in the world. He has many years of experience ...
Forging Brains Pre-Game Funk #3! Listener Submissions Q&A Feet Pics and Shoes
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Here on the Forging Brains Podcast we ask you guys, the listeners, to send in your own questions regarding shoeing or forging that you're wanting some...
Kurt Fisk & Butch Whitaker- Live In Action @ Riley's Shop in the Wall Tent & Mini Fire Place
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We were all at Riley's shop one weekend wanting to do some forging and after that we decided to do a podcast. Earlier that day the four of us forged o...
Craig & Christine Trnka- Forging a Community Through Competition
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast we sat down with Craig & Christine Trnka, the founders and owners of the World Championship Blacksmiths. These two know a thing or...
Chris "Money" Madrid- Put the Kids to Bed, I'm Gonna Give You Some ClickBait Today!
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Madrid, also known as, "Money", is definitely known as a top competitor in the farrier world. Most guys we've talked to on the podcast have even...
Andrew Wells - Finding Yourself Through a Trade You Never Expected and Succeeding
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This was probably one of my favorite episodes yet, you don't want to miss it. Andrew Wells has an interesting and quite different story about how he b...
Jake Engler
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We sat down with Jake Engler and talked about how he got into shoeing horses, competing and much more. Riley and I laughed quite a bit in this one and...
Mr. Tom Willoughby
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Willoughby is a well known, exceptional blacksmith. He was even a farrier for a large part of his career too. Tom tells some great stories in this...
Pre-Game Funk #2 with Gavine & Riley Going Over Listener's Feet Pics They Sent In!
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We told you guys to send us some pictures of your work you wanted critiqued and we got some work to discuss! In this episode Riley & Gavine go ove...
Getting Personal with the Judges of Ft Worth WCB Patrick & Mckenzie Dutton!
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick and Mckenzie Dutton are what we would consider a "power couple" in the modern day farrier world. Riley & Gavine got to sit down with the c...
WCB Teammates Carl Via, Mike Poe & Stan Mullen
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
These guys know what it takes to get to the top level of being a farrier and competitive horseshoeing as well. Riley dives in with these 3 and finds o...
Pre-Game Funk with Gavine & Riley on Forging Brains Podcast
16 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Before each episode Riley and I sit down and chat a little while before talking with our guests discussing what's been going on with our lives day to ...
Episode 4- Andrew Neilson
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Forging Brains we got to visit with our friend, Andrew Neilson. Andrew is a multi-generational farrier residing in Pennsylvania. He...
Catching up with Team PNW after 2 days @ WCB Contest-Wheelie Boys & Hurricane Ian in North Carolina
09 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We sat down with Team PNW-Brian Strelow, Troy Wood, Jesse Wilson and Riley Kirkpatrick after two days of competition had passed them to share their ex...
Episode 3- Robert Jukes
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we sat down with the one and only, Robert Jukes! Robert gave us a lot of insight on what it was like growing up in Australia to then m...
Episode 2-Team PNW-Brian Strelow-Troy Wood-Jesse Wilson-Riley Kirkpatrick
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast Riley Kirkpatrick & I sat down with Team PNW after they finished up a team practice where the shod a Draft Horse with Handmade Pla...
Episode 1 - Forging Brains Introduction with Gavine Cooper & Riley Kirkpatrick
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the introduction podcast between Riley Kirkpatrick & Gavine Cooper, getting to know each other a little more and giving you guys a little ...