Mikey Spickard from Ozark, Missouri

This blog is about a young Christian man from Ozark, Missouri, named Michael Spickard. Better known as Mikey, partly because of his real name, and partly because of Mutant Ninja Turtles. He came to Heartland Horseshoeing School with that nickname, and it fits him really well.

Like a lot of farm kids in the Midwest, Mikey grew up with horses on the farm that would get a little attention in the summer, and then be forgotten all winter. My wife grew up like that, so you can imagine how impressed her father was when he found out her husband was going to be a farrier. Pretty sure he thought we would have a future of fighting over the pork in the pork-n-beans and licking the label. This trade does surprise a lot of people.

One thing Mikey does not enjoy is reading, so high school was not a ton of fun. He had normal jobs throughout such as lifeguard, O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, vet office, and then Summit International as a mechanic. Mikey thought that job was his future, but then he got fired when he didn’t get into college. That was a big shock to Mikey, and he ended up spending some time at a stable where his little sister was riding. His mom had suggested that he learn how to forge from watching Forged In Fire, and knew he would be really great at that part of it. At the farm he met the farrier and that helped put all the pieces of the puzzle together. The farrier was Shannon Fehr, a Heartland Horseshoeing School graduate from 2000. Shannon has built and run a great business in the Springfield, Missouri, area, and he steered Mikey towards the Heartland. Mikey feels a great deal of respect and gratitude to Shannon for changing his life by taking him under his wing and directing him towards the great craft of farriery.

Mikey is always ready to help.

 

 

Mikey came to the Practical Farrier Course in 2017, and then decided the best way to meet his goals would be to come back this year for the Journeyman Farrier Course. He grew up in a mechanic family. His dad owns and runs a very successful business keeping motors running, and Mikey assumed that would be what he did. He told me that God has a plan for him, and he thought he had it all figured out, and then God flipped it and he went from working on horses under the hood to working under horses for real.

Competing in Oklahoma

Mikey loves most activities outdoors enjoying God’s creations. He has done a couple of mission trips to Africa and really enjoys doing that sort of work. He draws a little and enjoys time with friends and his girlfriend. Like most of us that were meant to shoe horses, Mikey feels a sense of thankfulness and fulfillment by finding this trade. He hopes to have a comfortable life and living on a small farm in Missouri, raising a family and enjoying the trade that found him.

Dressing a hind foot