The Member Spotlight pages are to focus on one of our members and to let everyone read a short history about that person’s background
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Andrew Kempf, CJF, TE
I was born in 1986 in Southwest Wisconsin. The oldest of 12 children and horse crazy. My life
has always been and continues to be immersed in the horse and the farrier industry. As a young
lad growing up, I started quite a few colts and watched my dad, who was a part-time farrier, shoe
horses. I also worked on construction crews off and on until 2022 when I started shoeing full
time. Farriery has fascinated me ever since I could remember. I shod my own Hackney Pony
when I was around the age of 12 years old and I have been hooked ever since. My dad is kind of
like a gypsy and has moved around quite a bit. I have lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota part of
my growing up years, but mostly grew up in West Central, Illinois.
In 2006, I met the love of my life at a wedding in Chariton, Iowa. Leona and I have been been
married since 2007 and have been blessed with five boys and five girls; Elsie Irene, 17, Marcus
Andrew, 16, Leona Rose, 14, Katie Dorene, 12, Matthew Allen, 11, Myron James, 9, Kathy
Elaine, 7, Wanita Fern, 5, Kenneth Devon, 3, and Kevin Daniel, 1. I had moved to Iowa just
before we got married and have been here ever since, although I do still consider Wisconsin
home.
The biggest mentors in my growing up years were definitely my parents. They loved me when
they had reason to do otherwise. They taught me honesty and to love the Lord Jesus and accept
him as my savior and live my life for him. I sure wish I could say I have never failed since then,
but being human like I am, that’s not the way it is. Thank God for his forgiveness if we keep
trying to do better and keep growing spiritually.
My mentors in the farrier realm are way more than I could name and I won’t try for fear of
missing someone, although there are two that were and continue to be highly influential to me,
Chris Gregory, CJF, FWCF and Doug Russo, CJF, AWCF. My dad was the old cowboy type
shoer and continuing education wasn’t high on his priority list, but I did con him into buying me
a book on horseshoeing, authored by Don Baskins and edited by the Western Horseman. This
was my first introduction to a higher level of farriery and my insatiable desire for higher farrier
education was on fire. In my younger years as a farrier, I wanted to meet and associate with the
top farriers in the industry, but I did not know how to go about it or where to find them. One day
I stumbled upon an American Farriers Journal where I learned about the famous Chris Gregory
and a book that he had published with his articles in it. The spiral bound book was titled, “Better
Basics, Better Horseshoeing.” I ordered one right away and I also subscribed to the American
Farriers Journal. What an education I was in for! I devoured them from cover to cover. No, I did
not ingest them, but you get the picture. The Journal was my association with the outside farrier
world. It helped me immensely, although in the last couple of years it has dwindled down in
content, which I am sad to see.
By this point in my career, I wanted to attend clinics, but I had a young family to care for and
property to pay for. (I am still working on that one.) Money was scarce and buying forging tools
was out of the question. A friend of mine had given me an old Mankel forge, but I needed tools,
so I did what I thought was second best, although now I am not so sure. I grabbed some mild
steel and with the very limited knowledge that I possessed, I tried to make my own pritchels and
punches. The results were anything, but satisfactory, and the mangled pieces of steel that I called
horseshoes were living proof. Maybe if I had taken metallurgy classes first, the results might
have been different. Ignorance is not always bliss. Up until this point, I had never seen anyone
forge a horseshoe and man, did I ever make a bunch of mistakes. That’s OK, you are allowed to
laugh, but I was determined.
In 2011 Chris Gregory came out with his farriery textbook. I immediately ordered an
autographed copy, which I still treasure. By this time, I had been able to buy a few tools for shoe
building. I studied hard and kept stumbling along. In 2018, I finally had my breakthrough. I
found out about a two-day Chris Gregory Clinic an hour from my house. I signed up. The first
day was hands on forging with the ‘Legend’ himself. My life as a farrier has never been the same
since that day. This is where I met my friend Scott Kelber, CJF, and he introduced me to one of
the best farrier associations around, the Iowa Professional Farrier Association (IPFA) and the
American Farriers Association (AFA) where I learned about certification. After that day, I
attended every farrier clinic and contest I could make it to and the highlight of them all was the
AFA Convention. I was so inspired by that Chris Gregory Clinic in 2018 that I was driven to
sponsor and host a clinic at my shop the very next year in 2019 with Chris Gregory as the
clinician, followed by Doug Russo in 2020, Cody Gregory in 2021, Steve Sermerscheim in 2022,
Jacob Butler in 2023, Michael Wildenstein in 2024 and Steve Kraus is scheduled for the Fall of
- Beginning as a goal to provide farrier education for myself and a few local farriers, these
clinics have evolved into a joint effort with the IPFA. Attendance has grown each year with a
record of 40 attending the clinic this past year in 2024.
Once I became a member of the IPFA, I got to know my good friend and mentor, Doug Russo,
who keeps me headed in the right direction. I owe him so much for my success in certification
that I will never be able to repay him. Without his helpful tips and encouragement, I do not
believe I could have reached my current level of certification in just two years time. I passed my
Certified Farrier (CF) in March of 2023, my Certified Journeyman Farrier (CJF) in October of
2023 and my Therapeutic Endorsement (TE) in November of 2024. The journey was and
continues to be exciting! I have made so many farrier friends since I have joined these two great
associations, I could never name them all. They inspire me every day.
As a family, we really enjoy attending our Amish Community’s benefit suppers, auctions, church
functions, family reunions and just being included in a community where everyone is valued. On
a personal note, I love attending farrier clinics and certifications, fishing and traveling when we
have the time.
My best experience in shoeing is working with other farriers helping lame horses become sound.
My TE case study was an example of one of these experiences. I also appreciate clients that
appreciate and value me and my sons that help me shoe.
My worst experience in shoeing has been dealing with clients that do anything but show
appreciation for what you do. Horses that are not trained to stand or worse yet, not even trained
to lead correctly or tie because someone never took the time to train them properly.
What I like most about shoeing is being able to have my sons help me and watch their skills
develop from a young age, being surrounded by my peers and just horseshoeing in general. The
height of my education is determined by my own drive.
What I like least about shoeing is scheduling. I would rather just show up and work. Thankfully,
my son, Marcus, helps me out a with the scheduling. He has excellent skills for a 16-year-old and
learning how to schedule clients is one of them.
Some of the lessons I have learned are to stay humble and thrive on constructive criticism. You
learn more from that than you do praise, if you are willing to take it to heart and give it all
you’ve got. Keep a forever open mind. Study anatomy diligently, for it is forever the foundation
of farriery. Don’t neglect your family for the sake of farriery. (I am still working on that one as
well.) Make sensible working hours and stick to them unless it is an unusual situation, but don’t
make it a habit. Join your local association and the AFA. Pursue certification, as it will propel
you forward faster than anything else. Don’t be arrogant and always treat your clients like you
would want to be treated. Keep your ego in check as there is a horse out there just waiting to feed
you humble pie if you don’t. How do I know? I’ve ate it. It is good for a person, but not very
palatable. Learn how to read a horse’s body language to keep yourself safe. If you do not master
this skill, you will wind up getting hurt. Then you have to hope it is not career ending. It is hard
enough when you are paying attention, let alone being complacent. Seek out the best farriers in
the industry to mentor you. Show up on time and if you are running late, inform your clients
right away as this is something they really appreciate. That quality, in itself, can make or break
your business.
In closing, my wish is that you are as blessed as I have been.