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Mitch Taylor is the Director of Education at Kentucky Horseshoeing School in Richmond, Kentucky, and is widely recognized as one of the leading educators in the farrier profession. His dedication to advancing farrier education has earned him the American Farriers Association (AFA) Educator of the Year award three times (2007, 2011, and 2022), the AFA Clinician of the Year award in 2012, and the Kentucky Association of Career Colleges Rising Star Instructor award in 2015. That same year, Mitch was inducted into the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame, one of the profession’s highest honors.

Throughout his career, Mitch has mentored countless successful farriers. Among his former students are 12 members of the AFA U.S. National Horseshoeing Team, six members of the AFA Apprentice Team, two National Team coaches, and farriers who have served the Olympic equestrian teams of the United States, Japan, and Taiwan. His graduates have also gone on to work with leading veterinary hospitals, university veterinary schools, elite equine organizations, and have even shod Kentucky Derby winners.

An internationally respected clinician, judge, and lecturer, Mitch has presented educational programs throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. His career has included serving as a featured speaker at the North American Equine Practitioners (NAEP) Annual Conference on Lameness, teaching racehorse hoof care courses for the Turkish Jockey Club in Istanbul, serving as keynote speaker and judge at the Mexican National Horse Congress, presenting at the International Veterinarian and Farrier Conference in Bergamo, Italy, judging the Ayrshire Shoeing Competition in Scotland, and conducting clinics at Stoneleigh, England. He has also presented original research at the International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot and remains the only farrier to have presented original research at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Annual Convention. Most recently, Mitch served as Director of Podiatry at the Equine Veterinary Medical Center at Al Shaqab in Doha, Qatar.

Mitch began his farrier career in 1975 and became an AFA Certified Journeyman Farrier in 1982. After completing his initial training at Colorado Mountain College, he apprenticed in Southern California, specializing in jumpers and dressage horses. In 1985, he relocated to Kentucky to pursue graduate studies in Animal Science at the University of Kentucky, where he studied under the renowned equine lameness expert Dr. Maxwell Gluck.

Beyond the forge, Mitch has played an instrumental role in shaping the future of the farrier profession. He has served as President of the Registry of Professional Farrier Educators, Chairman of the AFA Education Committee, a member of the AFA Board of Directors, and a member of the AFA Equine Research Committee. He has also participated in the KTOB/Keeneland International Emerging Markets Program, serves on the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit Shoeing and Hoof Care Committee, and currently works as a consultant for HISA, helping develop national standards for farrier education.

A prolific author and researcher, Mitch has contributed extensively to the profession through publications in Professional Farrier, American Farriers Journal, and numerous other industry journals. He served as the principal author of the American Farriers Association Education Manual, a foundational educational resource used throughout the industry. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Midway University, teaching equine science laboratory courses.

Today, Mitch continues to collaborate with researchers, veterinarians, and industry leaders around the world while leading the educational programs at Kentucky Horseshoeing School. His lifelong commitment to scientific research, sound hoof care, and excellence in education has helped shape generations of professional farriers and continues to influence the future of the profession.