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Steven Beane, FWCF
This six-time World Champion proved that commitment, not age, determines a farrier's skill.
How the Man of Steel reclaimed his crown
This six-time World Champion proved that commitment, not age, determines a farrier's skill.
After winning five World Championships in his thirties, Steven Beane had every right to simply sit back and enjoy his titles. But after two disappointing finishes at the reinstated World Championships at Spruce Meadows (third place in 2022 and second in 2023), Steven knew he wasn’t quite done.
He wanted to try again.
Steven had no delusions about his chances. He recognized that doing what had helped him win in the past was no longer enough.
“You look around now and everyone is good,” says Steven. “You don't see anyone and think, 'That horse isn’t very well shod.' They're all exceptional. So I told myself, ‘You're not good enough to win. You’ve got to practice more. You've got to train differently.’”
It was a humbling admission for a champion farrier with a career spanning nearly three decades. But at 46 years old and eleven years removed from his last world title, Steven Beane, FWCF, of North Yorkshire, England, wasn't interested in coasting on past glory.
He started with the basics—and a team.
Steven took himself back to relearning the basics. And he pulled together a team of experts to help him.
He brought in Nigel Fennell, CF, CJF, FE, DWCF, AWCF, FWCF (Honours), a fellow Mustad clinician (and best man at Steven’s 2024 wedding), for motivation. "He brings a lot of energy,” says Steven. “He nicknamed me the Man of Steel about 15 years ago.”
For technical critiques, Steven recruited Lewis Balfour, DWCF, in Scotland, who would analyze the videos and photos Steven sent.
Andrew Nickalls, DWCF, kept him grounded: "Make sure you get enough sleep. Make sure you're rested up."
And then there was Matt Argo, DWCF—the young apprentice Steven had trained since he was 15 years old. When he told Matt he was planning to compete and asked him to be his striker, Matt said, “Can I have 10% if you win?"
Steven agreed without hesitation.
"I didn’t want to win for the money,” says Steven. “It was for myself, and the title."
Soon Matt was calling twice a week to practice. He had skin in the game, and he kept Steven focused.
People told me, 'You're just not good enough anymore. It's not your time. It's a new generation. You're too old. You’re too thin.
The Vancouver edge
A crucial turning point for Steven came months before Spruce Meadows, at a warm-up competition in Vancouver. Despite being jet lagged, with limited time to prepare, Steven used the event strategically.
"I went there thinking, 'I need to find out what the judges like and dislike,'" he says. Whenever the judges were examining the work of his top competitors, Steven was there watching, taking mental notes.
He learned some crucial things.
“Everyone has their own opinion of how much width the shoe should have, or how much foot you should take off, or how high the nail should be, or what shape the clench should be. The basics are the basics, but when I was there, I really learned the details,” says Steven.
“For example,” he says, “I live in a really wet environment, so when I shoe at home, I have to round the feet slightly to keep them strong. But the Swiss judge, in particular, he didn't like that at all.”
“So I said, ‘Okay then. When I get home, I'm gonna have to alter my shoeing style.”
He left Vancouver motivated and armed with insights, and he spent the next seven weeks honing those details.
You have to make your weaknesses your strongest point. And keep doing that.
Turning the tables on his competitors
On his final day of competition at Spruce Meadows, Steven made another calculated move. While his competitors' anvils all faced the same direction, he told Matt to turn his around.
"On the final day, I was confident," says Steven. "Shoeing is my strongest class (I had practiced these classes the most, as I had a feeling I would have to come from behind). Turning the anvil did two things: It meant I was facing the clock and facing the competitors. If I pulled ahead, they would see me ahead, and chasing is hard—you cut corners and start to make small mistakes. But it was a risky move. If I fell behind, I would be in the same predicament. I knew the system and I decided I had nothing to lose."
It was a psychological play—and it paid off.
A comeback for the ages
On the final day of competition, Steven started the day in fourth place—but he was nowhere close to giving up.
“I told myself, ‘No excuses. You have to be better. You have to try harder.’"
Before the final round, he pulled up to third place.
Matt later told him, "If you hadn't been in third going into the last round, I don't think you'd have won. You knew you had to do a faultless job. If you’d been in the lead, you wouldn’t have tried so hard."
Sure enough, in the final shoeing class, everything clicked.
“I was 28 minutes in, feet trimmed and both shoes fitted,” says Steven. “I had to tell myself, ‘Calm down—there’s 32 minutes left, let’s nail this.’”
And once he finished?
“I just knew my shoes were good enough to win. It's not very often I'm happy with something I do, but in that last class I was. I thought to myself, “If this isn’t good enough, then I'm not good enough.’”
Don't let anyone make you give up on your dream. And stop making excuses. That was my motto.
A hard-won victory
When his name was called, eleven years after his last world championship, Steven Beane was overcome with emotion.
The farrier who placed second—Troy Wood—is 24 years younger than Steven. The one who placed third—Stan Mullin—is 20 years younger. Both are Mustad clinicians.
“Both of these guys are very seasoned competitors and you need to be at your very best to beat them,” says Steven. “Luckily, on the last day, the best version of myself turned up.”
All three stood on the podium together, with Steven noticeably shorter than his towering competitors.
"You two are massive," Steven remarked.
Stan looked down and grinned: "And you still whipped the shit out of us."
Being good comes with a sacrifice—and my wife, Kathrine Beane, who's also a farrier, always supported me and never made me feel guilty to practice every day. Without Kat in my corner, winning wouldn't have been possible.
What's next for the Man of Steel
In January 2026, Steven announced on social media that he’s stepping away from major individual farrier competitions. He admits it’s been a difficult choice, but it feels good to go out on top.
And he’s looking forward to helping the next generation.
"That's the beauty of being a clinician for Mustad," Steven reflects. "If you don't pass it on, what happens? The stuff I've learned needs passing on."
“Don’t give up on your dream.”
Steven Beane’s 2025 victory proved something important: A farrier's skill isn't determined by age.
"People told me, 'You're just not good enough anymore. It's not your time. It's a new generation. You're too old. You’re too thin,'" Steven says. Some of those doubters were at the competition. "That made it even better when I won."
"Don't let anyone make you give up on your dream," Steven says. "And stop making excuses. That was my motto."