A few years ago I had the pleasure to be 'up close and personal' with one of the teams that had shown up at Christmas time for the "Lighting of the Courthouse" in Marshall, TX. I was totally blown away at how large and yet gentle these wonders were. I was 10yrs old all over again! And yes, I did ask for one of the used shoes explaining that I was a blacksmith and would just like to have one. The handler told me that one family does all of the farrier work now. IIRC, he said they are out of San Antonio, TX. When one of the horses needs a shoe, no matter where in the world they are, the farriers are flown out of San Antonio to do the horse. The shoes that are removed are sent to St. Louis, MO to be distributed from there. Most going to dignataries, polititians, and other "important" folks. And no, I didn't rate high enough to get one of the shoes.
