In this episode, we talk with Dr. Tracy Turner, an equine veterinarian who was trained as a farrier.

He was raised on a small ranch in southwestern Colorado. As a youth he was active in the local 4-H Horse Program. As a young adult he apprenticed with a farrier in 1972 and used those skills to help finance his education. From that time on he has dedicated his life to horses. He received his DVM degree from Colorado State University in 1978, after which he was able to pursue his interest in equine medicine and surgery.

He is board certified in Veterinary Surgery (Dipl.ACVS) and Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (Dipl.ACVSMR). He served on the faculty of the University of Illinois, University of Florida and the University of Minnesota. He joined Anoka Equine Clinic in 2004 and started his own practice in 2016 dedicated strictly to Sports Medicine, Lameness, and Surgery. Dr. Turner consults for the USDA Horse Protection, Federation Equestriene Internationale (FEI) and United States Equestrian Federation.

Dr. Turner has had the privilege of working at 3 Pan America Games, 1 Olympic Games and at 1 World Equestrian Games. He recently was selected to work at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Dr. Turner is a member of the Am Vet Med Assoc (AVMA), the Am Assoc of Equine Practioners (AAEP), the Minnesota Assoc of Equine Practitioners (MAEP), the Am Farrier's Assoc (AFA), the American Association of Professional Farriers and the Minnesota Farrier's Assoc (MnFA). Dr. Turner has served as chairman of the AAEP's Farrier Liaison Committee and is serving on the AAEP Foundation and Educational committees. He is a past president of the MAEP.

Dr. Turner has been active in the horse community. He served 2 terms on the Board of Directors of the Central States Dressage and Combined Training Association.

He has served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Horse Council since 2002 and is presently serving his fifth term as President.

Dr. Turner is married to veterinarian, Dr. Julie Wilson. They have 2 adult sons, Tarren and Tristan. They are surrounded by other family members, 4 dogs, 6 horses, 2 birds and 2 cats. In their spare time Drs. Turner and Wilson love to ride and travel.

You'll get a lot out of this episode from a farrier veterinarian who talks about how to improve communication between these two professionals, memorable experiences from his career, his thoughts on navicular disease, and what he thinks farriers and veterinarians will deal with in the future.