A History of NC Tool

Donald and Ruth Ann Jones: Founders

NC Tool Co was founded by Donald and Ruth Ann Jones from Pleasant Garden, NC.

At the age of 25, Donald’s horseback riding hobby led him to learning how to shoe his own horses. He learned the trade by watching other farriers and his father-in-law, who was raised in a blacksmith shop.

Donald became a fulltime farrier in 1965, and for the next 10 years built a strong reputation for shoeing performance horses in the southeastern states.

How NC Tool Came To Be

Realizing the need for a school with emphasis on basic farrier skills, Donald with the help of his wife Ruth Ann founded North Carolina School Of Horseshoeing Inc. in 1976. The school ran until 1983.

Once the students were trained, they had problems finding the equipment needed to begin their profession.

To help the students, Donald designed and developed the NC line of Farrier anvils with special features for shaping shoes. The gas fired forge now known as the NC Whisper Forge soon followed and was patented in 1981.

Today, NC Tool is a leading manufacturer of farrier tools and horseshoe supply company.

NC Tool is still family owned and producing the same quality products while making several improvements over the years.