Salary of a Journeyman Farrier

Qualified farriers are in high demand in the equine industry.

Farriers are a highly important human resource for the equine industry. Sometimes referred to as blacksmiths, they specifically work with the feet of a race, show or recreational horse. There are 9.2 million horses in the United States and more than 7 million are race, show and recreational horses. The U.S. equine industry provides for 460,000 jobs overall and more than 25,000 jobs for farriers. However, there is a severe shortage of professional farriers in the horse industry.

Factors Influencing Salary

Geographic location, more than for most professions, impacts a farrier's income. It is likely that higher demand markets like Louisville, Kentucky, will offer more compensation than other places. Further, a farrier can work for an employer full-time or part-time or work independently. The working status will directly impact earnings. Affiliation or membership at a farrier organization can also impact minimum salary requirements. Higher education, training, certification and years of experience positively influence earnings. Furthermore, not all farriers may receive 40 hours of work in a week. The total number of horses, number of clients and hours of work per week also predict a farrier's salary.

Journeyman Farrier

Farriers can broadly be divided into three categories based on education and experience. The three levels are beginner, journeyman and master. Beginners are farriers new to their profession and have completed not more than six weeks of training. Master farriers have several years of experience, educational credentials and certification which recognizes them as "masters" in their profession.

Journeyman farriers are mid-level professionals with sufficient higher education and/or training credentials. Some journeyman farriers earn a four-year college degree and some complete a full program of training from an accredited horseshoeing school. To be recognized as a journeyman, a farrier should get certification from at least one of these associations: the American Farrier's Association (AFA), the Guild of Professional Farriers (GPF) or the Brotherhood of Working Farriers.

Salary Range

Salaries in the farrier industry may range widely from $25,000 to $100,000 annually. Journeymen farriers in metropolitan areas such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston are in high demand and command prices as high as about $250,000 a year. However, salary for a full-time farrier working for an employer is more likely to be between $24,000 and $49,000 per year. Arkansas Horseshoeing School conducted a survey in different equine markets. They found, for instance, that farriers in Austin, Texas, and San Antonio, Texas, charge $60 to $200 per every horseshoe reset; farriers in Wichita, Kansas, charge between $70 and $120 per reset; and those from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, claim $150 to $300 per every shoe reset.
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Annual Salary

According to the November 2000 issue of the American Farriers Journal, a typical farrier works 39.5 hours per week, shoeing for as many as 35 horses. So a journeyman farrier working from Ohio who makes $31.55 per hour may be able to earn close to $65,000 annually.

References

• Equinest: Farrier Job Description
• Purdue University: Equine Industry Facts and Figures
• A Wind in the Woods Farm: The True Cost of Shoeing a Horse
• Arkansas Horseshoeing School: Farrier Guide & Employment Report
• Iowa State University: Certified Journeyman Farrier
• Hocking College: Farrier Science & Business

Resources

• The Guild of Professional Farriers: Registered Journeyman Farrier
• American Farrier Association: Certification