Choosing Horse Farrier as a Career can be Very Rewarding and Satisfying

A farrier is a person who likes a blacksmith knows how to deal with metal shoes and also like a veterinarian knows the horse feet. A farrier is a person who specializes in horseshoes and is also someone who has knowledge of the horse hooves and also fixes the horseshoe on the horses. 

Although the farrier and the blacksmith might seem synonymous at first, they differ from each other. The farrier specializes in the horse hooves and mainly concentrates his/her area of a job on trimming and maintaining the hooves of the horses.

Farrier main purpose is horseshoeing and hooves maintenance. The job of the farrier may vary when in times of need when the horse is injured or has some disease in the foot then the farrier has to look after the horse hooves and trim them accordingly until they heal. Another job in hand for the farrier is the fixing of special horseshoe during horse racing, training, and other special occasions.

The farrier uses a variety of tools like nippers, rasps to trim the horse hooves. A good idea would be to have all the tools handy so as to work whenever required. To be able to maintain the foot of the horse the farrier trims the hooves every six to eight weeks.

Some farriers specialize in custom made shoes for the horses as they are trained in ironwork but mostly all the farrier use shoes that are available and need minimal reshaping. You can decide what you want to do based on your preference and love for horses.

The horse owner is clients who often consult the farrier and seek their recommendation on the food, supplements and other equipment. Since being a farrier is a demanding job the farrier are required to be fit and be able to stand and bend for long periods and lifting the horse legs.

Choosing farrier as a career

Most of the farriers are self-employed. About 90 percent are self-employed because the professional is flexible; hence this makes it possible for the farrier to travel across the country to offer farrier services to those in need. Another option fora farrier is to work part-time in their horseshoeing job and offer other services like horse training, vanning, etc

Farrier work does not only limit to horses; they can even work with zoo animals as well. The farrier works with different breeds of horses and can construct horseshoe for any animal.

Choosing farrier as a business

For those just starting in the business, many shoeing schools teach the basics of equine foot care along with some classes on physiology, conformation, equine anatomy, and behavior.

Some of the farriers work as an intern for some years to gain experience and then venture out on their own. The professional help the intern much with advice and lifelong lessons

The salary of a farrier

It is indicated that a full-time farrier earns as much as 92,600$. While a part-time farrier earns around 24000$.The farrier does not earn less if you take up farrier as a profession you’ll make a lot of money because of it a booming business.

Job Outlook

Horse farrier is steadily becoming more in demand than ever. Since being a farrier one earns good money; therefore, it is in great demand. With the years to come to the salaries of the farrier increase too. There are more than nine million horses in the United States alone, and they need foot care services a number of times in a year. It is expected that there will be robust job growth in this field over the next ten years.

As per the American Farrier’s Association (AFF), most farriers are male, but currently, females comprise 10 percent of the field, and that number is growing.

Horseshoeing

The domesticated horse requires horseshoes for many factors and reason. It is important for horse riding lessons as well. One of the main reasons why horseshoes are used on domesticated horses is because their hooves harden less than in the wild and their hooves come less in contact with hard surfaces, and this causes the hooves to wear off slowly.

Horseshoes are used because the horse hooves wear slowly, but the horseshoe is also used in horses who live in cold places and have to walk through the ice the horseshoe act as a shield to the cold and help the horse keep balance. Horseshoes are also used in racehorses and other performing horsesperforming horses. The farrier also removes old horses shoes trim the horse hooves and take care of the horse.

What one has to do to become a farrier

• To become a farrier, one has to have great physical strength; you also require to have good communication with the horse owners and vets. To become a farrier is not an easy task in hand because you’ve got to take lessons like those of a blacksmith because to make a horseshoe you’ve got to learn metal work.
• The second thing a farrier should know is using the trimming tools. The trimming tools should be kept properly and kept to be sharp for any usage.
• The other thing the farrier needs to know is the physiology and anatomy of the horse feet. The farrier should be well versed with the horse feet anatomy to be able to fix anything when it is damaged.
• Another thing a farrier should know is the foot abnormalities, and the farrier should be able to accommodate them by forging alteration in the shoes. Being a farrier, you should recognize if there are abnormalities in the feet of the horses and if there are any abnormalities, then you should take the horses to the vet for treatment.
• Another thing a farrier must learn is patience. The farrier has to be very patient with the horses and gain its trust for the horse to be comfortable enough to lie down and lift his legs towards the farrier.

So if you are looking to build your carrier as a farrier there are ways in which you can easily do it.

Author Bio:

Sujain Thomas is a writer specialized in equine subjects. She is an award-winning freelance writer specializing in equine subjects. Sujain writes many articles about horse care, disease diagnosis, and treatment of horse, and horse riding. Her articles are for all age groups – and although she doesn’t just write about horses, they find their way into most of her work and are an essential part of her life.