In September 2013, Marleen lost her battle with cancer.  She is remembered and loved by the hundreds of farriers that came to her horseshoeing supply store.  I was one of those and it didn’t take her long to become my hero.

I started Double D Acres LLC in 2003.  I lived in Desoto, MO.  I bought my first anvil, anvil stand and forge from Bob.  Bob’s shop was quite a few miles away so I ordered most of my supplies.  Then I moved to Arnold, Mo at which time I started doing business with Bob because I was closer to his place.  It was the best move I made in my business.  The three people pictured above were my heroes and always will be.  I will never be able to thank them enough.

 

 

A Little History of Spanish Lake Blacksmith Shop

The original blacksmith shop was started in 1874 by Jacob Wilhelm.  In 1976 the blacksmith shop passed its century mark.  Robert Schantz became the blacksmith in the old shop.  Bob moved to Tennessee in 1973 to attend horseshoeing school and practice the trade.  Bob then moved back to his native St .Louis and opened the Spanish Blacksmith Shop with the help of his father Chester Schantz, who was a carpenter.

By the early 1980s, Bob had developed and patented an atmospheric propane forge.  He manufactured the forges in his shop and entered the realm of selling horseshoeing supplies with his wife, Marleen.  Bob then made the decision to cut back on horseshoeing and spend more time blacksmithing.

It wasn’t long before the shop became too small and outdated for what Bob wanted to accomplish so in 1993 a new shop was built on a parcel of property in Foristell, MO, owned by Marleen’s family.  It was then that a full scale farrier supply store was born.

In 2004, Bob’s peers elected him to the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame located at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.  In 2013 he would retire from blacksmithing and sell that part of the business.   Marleen and Bob continued to keep farriers supplied with horseshoes and supplies and I will always be grateful they made that decision.

Marlene’s niece Charlene Mahood now manages the Farrier Supply business which supplies many farriers and their reputation is impeccable.  The store is complete with shipping facilities and ships Nationwide.  Charlene is knowledgeable about the farrier business and Bob is always eager to share his knowledge and there to help a farrier with a problem.  Bob is a firm believer in Continued Education and in the winter hosts some roundtable discussions and clinics.  I can’t say enough good things about them.  You can find them at http://www.spanishlake.com.

 

Bob is a wealth of horseshoeing knowledge and he knows his products.  I have overheard him more than once helping a farrier with a certain problem and do his best to help the young farriers and those just starting out.

 

As some of you know, I am an Art Ambassador for Diamond Horseshoe Company.  The “How To” videos I have done are taped and edited by Bob.  He also went one step further and started http://www.horseshoecraft.com.  It is a great place to find plans and supplies  Be sure to check them out.

A hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit, who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people.  A hero to me is someone who saves people and really deeply cares.” – Debi Mazar

I thank everyone who took the time to read my blog and leave a comment.  It is very much appreciated.  Remember to share the love.