Country Lifestyles
It’s not just a Man’s World- Profile Nikki Smith ASF, CJF, AWCF
By Jessica Crabtree
Few people will know the clicking and clanking sound that comes from the anvil of a farrier. In ancient documents it was found that the earliest of hoof protection was primitive shoes made of hide and woven plants. In the first century, people began to realize the animals that were counted on for heavy farming and travel needed protection for their feet to maximize their use. Sometime after, shod hooves traversed the roadways set down by ancient Romans. To protect their valuable steeds, the riders outfitted their horses with coverings inspired by the sandals strapped to their own feet. These leather and metal “hipposandals” fitted over horses’ hooves and fastened with leather straps. In Europe around 1000 A.D., horses’ hooves were fitted with a cast from bronze. These shoes were lightweight, scalloped along the outer rim with six nail holes. Every century since, the horse shoe has evolved and still to this day is a debatable topic and ever-growing industry.
The horseshoeing industry has long-time been a male dominated world. Why? For the long hours, backbreaking work in grueling conditions? Possibly, or the fact you are dealing with thousand pound animals with minds of their own. In an American Profile article from 2011, Eric Nygaard, then president of the American Farrier’s Association, based in Lexington, Ky., said, “Men outnumber women more than tenfold in the physically demanding horseshoeing trade.”
Today the paradigm is shifting and female farriers are more common. Born in Arizona, raised between California and Utah, Nichole (Nikki) Smith made her way to the Lone Star state at the age of 16. From a young age, Smith can remember always having a passion for horses. To read more pick up the February 2016 issue of NTFR.
By Lacey Vilhauer
Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
¼ cup water
Directions:
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree the strawberries in a food processor and add to the lemon mixture along with juice of one lemon and water. Taste and add more juice as desired.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Nicholas Waters
As winter plods along – come Spring and gopher mounds – homeowners and farmers find themselves playing a familiar song – fiddling while Rome is burning.
Let’s make a mountain out of a molehill. Those mounds on your lawn and pasture could be moles, but they’re more than likely gophers; Plains Pocket Gophers to be pragmatic – Geomys bursarius to be scientific.
These rodents dig and chew, and the damage they can do goes beyond the mounds we mow over. Iowa State University cited a study in Nebraska showing a 35 percent loss in irrigated alfalfa fields due to the presence of pocket gophers; the number jumped to 46 percent in decreased production of non-irrigated alfalfa fields.
The internet is replete with academic research from coast-to-coast on how to curtail gopher populations, or at least control them. Kansas State University – then called Kansas State Agricultural College – also published a book [Bulletin 152] in February 1908 focused exclusively on the pocket gopher.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Annette Bridges
Everyone needs a room with a view that makes their heart happy. My honest favorite panorama would be either the mountains or the ocean. I have yet to convince my hubby to make permanent moves to either, although he does enjoy the visits as much as I do.
The location of our house on our ranch does not provide the expansive field of vision of our land that I would enjoy. So, I have created a room decorated and furnished in a way that gives me smiles, giggles, and a wonderful peace-filled feeling when I am hanging out in it. I am in that place right now writing this column. I am in a lounging position with my computer in my lap on the chaise that was once my sweet mama’s. I had it reupholstered this year to give it a fresh look.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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