Horses - Farriers - Shoeing And The Joy Of Being A Farrier


by John Silveira - Date: 2007-03-09 - Word Count: 759 Share This!

First off, on the humorous side let's just clear something up right now. Shoeing horses is very arduous strenuous work and as a result it may very well be "Joy" is the last thing you might be feeling while shoeing. Mostly you're just sweating and praying the horse behaves - at least that's my take on things.

As a Farrier part of my job is to accept an enormous amount of responsibility. Responsibility to keep my clients horses free from lameness. In fact my reputation depends on it. Fortunately from the beginning of my career I discovered a method of shoeing not taught me in the school I attended or in any textbooks I've ever read which has produced for me a 16 year 100% track record- Not One Single Lame Horse. I hope you can realize how good it makes me feel to have this track record. Personally I don't know how long I would have continued to shoe horses if I were responsible for horses coming up lame due to my shoeing methods.

Well I have been the Farrier for a ranch in Palo Alto California for about 16 years. It was one of my very first accounts. For years I would faithfully just show up every Saturday morning right at 9:00am on the dot. I never knew how many horses or people would be waiting for me that day. Sometimes there'd be several horses waiting and then as the hours would pass more and more people would show up for me to shoe their horse. Not quite sure but my best day there may have resulted in 11 or 12 horses being worked on. It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it.

Interestingly enough sometime in 2006 I started to get the feeling I was being taken for granted at the ranch. Maybe because I made it so easy for people to have me as their Farrier there by just showing up every Saturday on time the boarders could just expect for me to be there. So I'm not immune to getting my feelings hurt so I just decided to stop showing up on those Saturdays at all. My reasoning became "Ok if they want or need me they can just call me and make an appointment". Problem was I had changed cell phones and most of the people there didn't have a way to get in contact with me.

It was about 7 months before I decided I kind of missed the ranch and one day I was in the area and decided to stop by to say hello. Well to my surprise I was welcomed with open arms, it was as if everyone was and had been looking for me. While I had been gone people were forced to use someone else as their horseshoer. Some of what I heard was along the lines of "well we thought that other horseshoer was good" - but then something happened and my horse doesn't seem to be traveling too well - or my horse is coming up sore etc. And we need you back.

It's not that I like to hear that someone's horse has become sore or lame but the truth is I do like to feel appreciated for the quality of work and effort I put into my shoeing to make sure my clients horses continue to stay sound for them. So the joy for me was hearing the praise for my work and watching the people's face's light up when they saw me again. Validation! Reputation! Self esteem.

I'm one of the lucky ones. Having not caused a lame horse due to my method of horseshoeing has been very rewarding for me. As I mentioned - if I were making horses sore and lame I may have quit the Farrier trade long ago. It's really all about the horses and the clients who own them. It's just not acceptable when horses come up lame due to improper shoeing practices. Yes I've been lucky and I suppose even blessed. So now i would like to pass this luck on to you.

Do you want to be lucky? Would you like to feel sure you've done everything possible for your horse's safety to prevent lameness? Lameness is a risk you - and your horse - really can not afford to experience. Find out for yourself the truth about shoeing correctly and remove the risk. Find out what the schools and textbooks can't tell you. Just visit the website below in the author bio. Your horse will love you for it.

Reprint rights allowed providing nothing is changed.


Related Tags: bones, feet, horses, saddle, jumping, horse, equestrian, riding, shoe, shoeing, lameness, hoof, ligament, founder

Author Bio: John Silveira a practicing Farrier since 1991 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Native born and still living in San Mateo California. Having graduated from one of the most prestigious horseshoeing schools at the top of his class went on to discover a method of shoeing that has produced a 16 year 100% track record- Not One Single Lame Horse. The information available at: http://Farrieritis.Care4Horses.com

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