How Does a Farrier Spend a Workday?

Telephoning, Preparation, and Driving

During the evening, the farrier may call customers scheduled for horse trims and shoeing the next day to remind them of their appointment times. Farriers usually want the horse owner or stable owner in attendance during hoof trimming and shoeing for the safety of the horse and for liability protection. Because farriers typically work outside or in barns without climate control, the farrier must dress appropriately for the day's weather conditions. Before heading out to the first appointment, the farrier refills supplies needed for the day, such as horseshoes, shoeing nails, and thrush medication. When preparations are complete, the farrier drives to the first scheduled appointment for the day.

Upon arrival at the first appointment, the farrier will put on leather chaps that offer some protection during trimming and shoeing. The farrier gathers the needed tools, including rasp, hoof knife, hoof nipper, shoe puller, and hoof stand, and heads towards the barn usually expecting the owner to have the horse on a lead rope. The owner usually holds the lead rope while the farrier trims, however some horse owners crosstie the horse to limit its movement. Once the horse is standing, the farrier will walk around the horse to see how it is standing to ascertain if corrective trimming is necessary. For example, if a horse is standing toed-in, the farrier can adjust the height of the outer side of the hoof and heel so the horse will stand correctly.

Farriers usually begin trimming a front hoof and work their way around the horse ending at the other front hoof. The farrier lifts the hoof, cleans it out, and inspects it for problems such as hoof rot. If the horse wears shoes, the farrier must remove the shoe to trim the hoof. Then the farrier uses the hoof nippers to trim the entire hoof, and the hoof knife to trim the frog. The rasp is used to file the hoof smooth, similarly to the way a person uses a fingernail file. If the horse wears shoes, the farrier will put the shoe back on if it is in good condition or replace it. Once the shoe is in position, the farrier uses hoof nails and hammers the shoe securely onto the hoof. This process is completed on each hoof. The farrier will walk around the horse when finished to double check the horse's stand for proper alignment. There is usually more than one horse at each stop, so the farrier repeats the process with each horse. When finished, the farrier takes the tools back to the vehicle, schedules the next appointment, usually in six to eight weeks, and receives payment for the completed trims. The farrier drives to the next scheduled appointment to trim some more horses. The number of appointments in a day will depend on the number of horses at each stop. Each horse takes about 20 minutes to trim; shoeing can take up to an hour per horse.