Gary Gullo Jr.

Lessons from the track 

Gary Gullo Jr. grew up in the horse racing industry in Long Island. Both his grandfather, Thomas TJ Gullo, and father, Gary Gullo Sr., were trainers. “When I was twelve, my dad put a rake in my hand.” At fifteen, he became a hot walker, then a groom, then a foreman. But he still wasn’t sure he wanted to be a farrier. “I have to admit, picking feet wasn’t one of my favorite things.” 

Yet he’s built a thriving practice and a great life, starting with his supportive family. Gary and his wife Andrea just had their third child in September. And besides newborn Anamaria, they have a two-year-old, Noah, and a five-year-old, Liam. Working both in the New York area and Florida, Gary couldn’t be happier with both his growing family and business. Between shoeing and raising three young ones with Andrea, he prioritizes his work as a clinician, working with farriers sometimes as far as Puerto Rico.  In fact, when Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare sought a speaker with expertise in racehorses to speak with the Puerto Rican Gaming Commission, Jesse Eastman, a farrier working closely with off-the-track Thoroughbreds through The Equine Rescue of Aiken, recommended Gary to speak, and teach clinics at both Hipodromo Camarero and the Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Center.

But well before the racing and the clinics, it was Andrea who inspired him to commit to farriery when she became pregnant with their first child. Suddenly, making money was a serious undertaking. Mike Vinas, a talented farrier who worked with Gary’s father, offered to teach the soon-to-be apprentice how to clinch and finish. “I tried it out, and I loved it right away.” Soon after, Gary entered the farrier program at Cornell, working with Steve Kraus, and graduating in 2017.

But soon, Gary would be at the receiving end of a major, life-threatening event. “My dad had this one horse called Wilburnmoney, and she was a nice horse. But, while I was going to shoe her, she was flying backwards, so we got the vet to tranquilize her. She experienced a rare reaction to it, seized, flipped over on top of me, and broke my hip.” 

This is where things got interesting. “They did CT scans because I was really out of it and found that I had kidney cancer. Fortunately, they were able to operate on it and I am now four years completely cancer free. My doctor said if they had found this cancer—clear cell renal cell carcinoma—when symptoms arose it's usually a grim prognosis.  So now I don't care how backbreaking the work is; give me another horse.”  

When horses run, this farrier’s heart races

Gary has since built his practice in the racing community, a high-stakes, high-stress world. “I enjoy it, but it’s not for everybody. I know guys who are extremely talented but they want nothing to do with a Belmont Stakes horse or anything like that. I don't blame them. If a horse you shod blows a shoe or gets scratched from the race with a sore foot, it could ruin your entire career.” 

He tells the story of working with Todd Boston. “He called me the day before the Haskell Stakes, the biggest race in New Jersey. Boston said, ‘I’ve got a horse who shipped into Monmouth, can you go and check him out for me? So I go and look, and the horse definitely needed to be shod. Todd asked if I’d do it on race day. And then I found out it was Cyberknife.”  

“The entire night, I'm nervous. But I set everything up in my head. To keep the horse calm, I made that my first stop so I could get it done before any cameras get there. And it panned out. The horse won the race and set a track record and Stakes record.”

Products That Reflect Farrier Input 

This unpredictability influences the stock Gary keeps. “I keep as much stock as humanly possible. I have more than most stores.” During the pandemic, he was even able to help out other farriers. 

Gary is more than just a fan of the new St. Croix Forge ST (Safe Toe) fronts; his expertise as a farrier helped shape them. Field Sales Manager Rob Logsdon asked him for input during both the development and prototyping phases. “I like that Mustad is willing to listen to farriers, instead of just saying, ‘here it is.’”

He appreciates the sole pressure relief they provide—which reduces pressure points and bruising—as well as the width of the web. Gary insists that the St. Croix ST fronts grab the track better.  Because they are boxed in the heels, he can fit the hoof more fully, with less work. This minimizes shoe loss, supports the hoof better, and allows more expansion.  

3.5 XL Capewell race nails are his favorite. “They don't shear. They fit flush with almost every race plate. I like the XL because you can drive them up higher.”

Gary chooses the Heller Red Tang Rasps because they stay sharp and shave really well, which makes for more efficient rasping. He’ll use a new red tang on the bottom of the foot and switch to an older one for finishing. 

For his racing clients, he’s found the Comfort Mix Hoof Cushion Super Soft 15 works best given the stresses of racing and training. 

His approach to white line disease, which he sometimes sees affecting race-ready two-year-olds, shows the benefits of well-designed products. “The foot will be almost hollow. You'll Dremel all of it out, and use 3D pads and impression material to try and stabilize the hoof capsule. It helps the hoof wall grow out because it’s not taking such a beating.” 

Whether it’s white line disease or prepping a horse for race day, Gary’s commitment to his work is about developing the best solution to whatever challenge is in front of him. If there’s a new, better approach, he’ll focus on learning it – adding more than just products to his toolkit. 

It’s no wonder he’s always adding to his skills. Gary feels like he’s been given a second chance at life. He’s not wasting a minute of it.