Commitment to education and community.
The origin of the EOFA dates back to 2016 when Kemptville-based farrier, Brandi Hawley, had a devastating injury that prevented her from working. To help support her during her recovery Mark Struthers and Jess Paveley helped cover her clients while she rode along with them in the truck. From those conversations arose the idea for the EOFA, a farrier organization that would provide single-topic educational clinics utilizing experts local to the area. With the input from Brandi Hawley, Brandon Buchan, Jess Paveley, Mark Struthers, and Tommy MacFarlane the EOFA was conceptualized.
The Eastern Ontario Farrier Association was founded in 2017 on the core principles of a commitment to ongoing education and fostering community within the farrier profession, extending to other equine professionals, all for the benefit of the horse. We support the American Farrier Association certification and The American Association of Professional Farriers credentialing processes and offer support to any farrier working towards certification. As a community we have developed a system and application process to support our members in the occurrence of debilitating injury. We exist as an inclusive organization that does not tolerate discrimination in any form.
Our clinic series has been met with enthusiasm and continues to grow and improve each year. We have had the honour of hosting clinics with some of the most accomplished farriers of our time and look forward to the exciting clinics yet to come.
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Mark, Jess, and Tommy
EOFA Founding Members
