If you want to work with horses and the people who value them, farrier school may be the best opportunity for you. Becoming a farrier is a great career opportunity that is often overlooked in today’s horse industry. Farriers work for affluent people who have discretionary income and have the “horse habit.” There are only a few thousand persons doing full time farrier work and many are approaching retirement. While it is true that the work is physically hard, requires focus, and years of practice to become highly skilled, one can get training, get started in business, and be making a good living, in a relatively short time compared to other jobs.

The media has succeeded in scaring many people from venturing into self-employment as evidenced by an article on the front page of section B of USA Today September 8, 2011. The author, Laura Petrecca, says more people are opting to work for wages in light of increased government intrusion and regulation of small businesses. She says that start up money is harder to get with tightened bank lending and the outlook is bleak due to sluggish consumer spending. Those that have lost jobs during the recent depression in our economy are opting for “safer” work instead of self-employment. “Constant news about a difficult economy makes people hesitant to venture out on their own,” she says.

However, no job is safe when you are subject to one other persons’s evaluation of your abilities. Farriers are self-employed. They get most of their business through word of mouth advertising. Many start out with another job and work part time until their business grows enough to be practiced full time. There is a lot to know and it may take many years of learning and practice to achieve the highest skill level. However, the learning curve can be reduced with good instruction and professional coaching.

Farrier work is very physical and for that reason many shy away from it. But if you like animals, have some mechanical ability, and can tolerate and even enjoy the physical exertion required, farrier work may be just the thing for you. The best beginning courses range from 6 to 12 weeks in length. (Courses shorter than 6 weeks don’t provide the preparation needed by most beginners). Tuition is inexpensive enough that you can enroll without debt. A set of the basic tools necessary to begin work will cost less than $2000. Since farriery is one of the last remaining skills that is not regulated by government bureaucrats, you have great freedom in where and how you practice your profession.

Farrier work depends upon you. You are the business. Therefore, you must take care of yourself and spend the time and money necessary to get training and become skilled so you can be all you want to be. You are totally responsible for the outcome. You can be very mobile, and if you stay free from debt, you can be very independent.

Contrast all this with college. In her article, “Ten Things Every Parent Should Know About College,” in the September 2011 Reader’s Digest, pg 138, Michelle Crouch said, “Two-thirds of college students go deeply into debt. Debt takes many years to pay off. If you default, you will be hounded for life by the federal government. The Feds will garnish your wages, intercept your tax refunds, and revoke your licenses – and you can’t ever work for the government or collect social security. In today’s colleges, especially the larger research oriented universities, your classes will be taught by graduate students or adjunct professors, not by experienced practical educators.”

Farrier school gives you a greater value. It takes less time to get foundation training (about 12 weeks or one semester). Graduates then learn on the job while earning income. Tuition and living costs are much less. Instruction is usually of a higher quality and practical. There are usually better learning resources available due to individualized instruction. There is practice time and homework to help you increase your skill and confidence. You work with your hands as well as your mind. You prepare to be an independent business person where you can set your own hours for work and family time.

Not all farrier schools are the same. You must do the research to avoid the remorse that comes with making a decision that is not thoroughly investigated and well thought out.

Do the instructors have sufficient maturity and experience to give you the best value?

Do the instructors have a good reputation in the industry?

Do the students do most of the work on horses or is it done by instructors as demonstrations?

Are there horses to work on every school day?

Are there distractions that make focus on learning difficult?

Is study and practice encouraged during non-class time?

Does the school have a good reputation in the community?

Is the farrier training offered a good value that will help you succeed?

According to The American Farriers Journal 2009 Farrier Business Practices Survey, published in their Getting Started in Hoof Care Career Guide 2009 – 2010, p. 32, the average nationwide farrier income after graduation from a farrier school for part time farriers after 3 years is $15,000, and after 5 years is $13,333. For those who go full time after 3 years, their income averages $35,624, and after 5 years equals $67,299.

In a survey with 448 responses published in the November 2010 issue of the AFJ, pg 18,

$92,000 gross annual income was reported for the average U. S. farrier. He or she handles 267 different horses 7 times a year. They work for 148 different clients. They will see a 20-year-old horse 150 times during its lifetime. Based on a charge of $105 for trimming and applying four shoes this can represent as much as $16,000 during the horse’s lifetime.

The majority of horse owners have more than one horse. Seventy-four percent own 2 to 9 horses while 12% own 10 or more. Two-thirds of the owners keep horses on their own property while others board elsewhere.

Lynne M. Caulkett, in her book Strike of the Hammer – A Guide to Understanding Your Farrier ©2008, pg 24, says “For those willing to take it seriously, and approach it like a real profession, this is a good time to be a farrier.”

The market is there for well-prepared and qualified farriers. We specialize in helping you become a success. Visit us at www.butlerprofessionalschool.com.

I believe one of the main reasons we hear so much criticism of the lack of farrier skills today is due to a lack of long-term commitment to skill mastery. It seems that many people only want to put in the minimum effort needed to graduate from a farrier school or to make a living. They value their free time when they’re not working more than their work time, which could be devoted to skill improvement.

Daniel Coyle in his book The Talent Code says that greatness or excellence isn’t born, it’s grown. He makes the case that anyone can become excellent at what they want to do, if they will do what the author calls ‘deep practice.’ It takes a long time – at least 10,000 hours – or about 10 years to master most skills with deep practice. Time to learn them can be significantly reduced by setting goals and focusing with our full attention. Initial training at a farrier school (of whatever length) should be seen as only the beginning of life-long learning. Yet, the old saying, “How you start out, is how you’ll end up,” is still true. You can be taught how to use deep practice to improve your craft.

Experience verifies that those who have a long term commitment to mastery and an obsessive desire to improve will eventually achieve what they seek. Inborn abilities can be cultivated or they can be ignored. Studies have shown that to achieve world-class mastery in anything requires about 10,000 hours of ‘deep practice.’ Deep practice is defined as practice where correction is made each time an error is made. This takes about 10 years for most people. Most world-class experts practice between 3 and 5 hours a day, no matter what skill they pursue.

Talent isn’t so much inborn as it is developed by focused and mistake correcting repetition. As we do deep practice, the myelin insulation covering of our nerves increases its wraps and eventually gives us skill mastery. All skills are built using the same fundamental mechanism. The mechanism involves physiological limits from which no one is exempt. The true expertise of geniuses resides in their ability to deep-practice excessively, even when it doesn’t look like they’re practicing. They have the ‘rage to master.’ It’s so obvious that if you have to ask if persons have it, they don’t. Talent development is best done when you are young as myelin breaks down with age.

Many of the more recently held theories on talent and skill development have been debunked by current research. The idea that has been held since at least 1899 that it takes 10 years of focused effort to become a master at anything is as true today as it was then. This applies to all skills including horseshoeing. The apprentice system has great value.

Every skill is a form of memory. Memory is strengthened by repetition. Higher skills are made of million-neuron wire-like chains working together with exquisite millisecond timing. Wrapping wires with insulation makes the circuits work faster and smoother. Repetition causes the body to wrap layers of myelin insulation around our nerves. Circuits that are fired the most and used most urgently are the ones that are wrapped with the most myelin insulation. As many as fifty layers have been measured – the thicker the insulation, the greater the skill.

Much of your ability to pay the price to achieve skill mastery goes back to your perception of self. Have you made a long-term commitment to achieve a goal of mastery? Have you identified a master you want to be like to create the ‘ignition’ needed to motivate you to put in the time and make the great effort to ‘deep practice?’ Have you set goals to prepare for certification or competitions? Can you visualize yourself mastering these skills in time?

External motivating factors may be helpful but not essential. Losing the feeling of security by: 1) losing a parent (“I’m not safe”), 2) being the youngest in the birth order (“You’re behind – keep up”), or 3) poverty or a failing economy (“I may starve if I don’t work hard”), can be primal cues to provide the energy needed to cause you to dedicate the time and effort necessary to build up your talents and take advantage of opportunities that lead to success. More commonly, identifying a master you want to emulate provides the cue that creates the ignition needed to acquire skill mastery.

The sequence is: 1) Talent development requires deep practice, 2) Deep practice requires vast amounts of energy, and 3) Primal cues trigger huge outpourings of energy. Learning any craft is best taught by watching it demonstrated the right or easy way, then observing and trying it the wrong way, and then seeing the right way again and then practicing it the right way.

Edward Martin, a Scottish Master Blacksmith said, “The difference between knowledge and skill is practice.” Francis Whitaker, the Dean of American Blacksmiths said in a clinic several years ago (he was 90 at the time), “Art is long, life is short, get going!” This applies to all crafts, and especially horsemanship and farrier skill. Pat Parelli says in his book Natural Horsemanship that it takes about 1,000 hours in the saddle to become comfortable with a horse and it takes 10,000 hours to become a high level horseman.

Because of the rapid expansion of knowledge in farrier and veterinary education, those who don’t work at obtaining significant continuing education, are inadequately prepared, even if they graduated in the last few years. It is a common saying among college graduates, “If you got your degree more than five years ago, you used to know a lot.”

The AAEP once said that less than half of the veterinarians who treat horses make a serious attempt at continuing education. This number is probably much less for farriers.

More important than attending meetings or subscribing to journals is the amount of effort you put into learning. Continuing your education helps you feel better about your performance, increases your competence, and your business becomes more financially rewarding. If you are not willing to take the time to become a master of your profession, there may come a day when you will regret you don’t have the skill needed to help a horse and its owner that are depending upon you. Consider the enjoyment you could feel knowing that you did the best that could be done – if you had made the effort to practice and develop your skill.

One of the most rewarding benefits to me in conducting closing interviews when our students are completing their farrier classes is to hear them say, “I understand Balance now – I never realized it was so important”!  And it is important both to horses and to people.

During our Farrier Focus® Conferences, we emphasized the importance of balance in the lives of farriers, especially when it comes to their family relationships. It was always rewarding to read testimonials that showed farriers “got it.” 

One such testimonial means even more since the person who wrote it has since passed away after a battle with cancer.  This respected colleague, King Lamadora, wrote and said,

“I was in awe of the Focus.  The 21^st century is truly an age of information, and bringing the art of farriery and business together with a balanced life is important. My family commented that they enjoyed my time                      with them during the holidays, and they said I was managing my time a whole lot better.  It’s a start and only the beginning.” 

We sincerely hope his family had many more years after this particular Farrier Focus Conference to enjoy his companionship.

A few days ago, we concluded our annual Butler Family Reunion, and it meant so much to hear words of gratitude from parents who enumerated events that meant so much to their children – our grandchildren!   I treasure one daughter-in-law’s comments when she said, “It is experiences like this reunion that help keep balance in our lives, and, though it is expensive in time and resources, its value is clear.” 

An appreciated mentor, Alan Weiss, writes a monthly newsletter titled, “Balancing Act.” Among the many good points in his most recent edition, he stressed the importance of taking time “every two weeks … to have an entire day to yourself.”  We suggest this is a good time not only to relax but to realign goals and spend time with those important in your lives. 

We encourage you to live your life with gratitude, hope and anticipation as you continue to build worthwhile memories.  Above all, cherish family.

While the future may not resemble the past in many ways, there will be new ways for each of us to discover meaning, balance and success in our lives. While the economic times may be uncertain, each of us needs to pause and count our blessings, determine that we will remain optimistic, and tightly hold on to the values, experiences and family that fill our lives with goodness.

We’re grateful for new acquaintances and old friends alike who continue to support us as the trusted voice of continuing farrier education.

Alan Weiss recommends taking time “to enjoy” and to “focus on the outcome of your work!”  He concluded by stating, “If you are not happy, optimistic, and energetic when you first arise in the morning, you need to change some things about your life.”

The Butler Team feels this is great advice.  We’re now in our 37^th year of helping farriers build firm foundations for horses, business and life!  We invite you to come along for the ride – “it’s worth it,” as our students say!

It’s important to realize that our present situation is a result of our past activities and decisions regarding the challenges that confront us. Many people tend to focus on the past instead of the future. They think about what could have been or should have been. Because they spend their present in the past, they not only miss the present, but they also are disappointed by the future as well. Others live only in the future dreaming about good things that might happen to them but never take action to assure that they do. Although we can’t change the past, we can change the future by making good decisions today and acting on them.

Frank Lessiter has done more than anyone in recent memory to elevate the standard of farrier related publishing with his American Farriers Journal and the reprinting of classic out-of-print books on the subject of horseshoeing. In his editorial in the May/June issue of AFJ he published a list of eight major challenges farriers face today. This list was compiled from data obtained from a survey of 160 farriers at his International Hoof Care Summit held earlier this year.

I am listing these challenges in the order he did followed by my comments on each.

1. Rising Costs – Fuel, especially diesel fuel, insurance, and steel and tool supply costs have all increased significantly. Normally, this would not be a problem if farriers could readily pass these costs on to clients. However, in a down economy, coupled with the decrease in value of marginal horses due to the passage of the national anti-slaughter law, these rising costs can have a devastating effect on your farrier business. Fortunately, horsemen who generate income from businesses that are less affected by the downturn, or that use their horses for generating income, still maintain their horses to a high standard. Switching to these kinds of clients may be even more important in the future.

2. Client Education – Confronting wishful thinking and harmful fads coming from Internet “experts” is a major problem. One of my customers compared a lot of what is on the Internet to the writing on the walls in public restrooms since it seems to have been put there by some of the lower forms of life. While there are many good things to be said about the Internet, an executive of one of its largest search engines recently called today’s Internet “an open sewer.” Customers who have been conned by charlatans prove to be difficult to convince that there is a more excellent way to provide sound hoof care for their animals. Much of the problem originates with the lack of horsemanship skill and common sense possessed by some of today’s new horse owners, trainers and caretakers. And, some is due to the natural resistance people feel to learn anything new after they are first presented with a reasonable sounding idea. Psychologists call this “the primacy effect.” As farriers, you must become educated as to what is being said, the fallacies in the ideas, and how to present a sensible point of view to counteract them.

3. Continuing Education – How does one keep motivated in the face of challenging times? Farriers must keep learning and progressing. Farrier school is just the beginning. There are few occupations where one can start with a few weeks of basic instruction, a few thousand dollars worth of tools and supplies, and then after learning by experience for a few years, make an income comparable to other professionals. Since time and resources are limited, you must choose carefully what you read and believe, as well as who you choose as mentors. To keep progressing, you must work with someone who has the skill you want to have. You must learn from those who have done it. Not all educational opportunities or experiences are of equal value.

4. Business Management – There must be some effort to adjust to client restraints in a down economy. This could mean temporarily lowering your price, creative payment terms, or extending the shoeing interval when money is tight for a client. More likely when faced with such a situation you would be forced to change clients. Most farrier businesses turn over about 10% of their clients per year for various reasons. The number one concern in horse owner surveys I have conducted over the years has been the lack of business management skills by farriers. A section of our foundation farrier courses is devoted to helping students develop these skills. Farriers must learn to pace themselves so they stay healthy and motivated. Life balance must be a significant part of business management.

5. Staying Healthy – Good health habits include adequate rest, good nutrition, adequate water intake, and avoidance of unhealthy substances. All these considerations are most important since farriers make their living with their bodies. You must take care of the tools you use to generate income. Retirement planning is an important part of your job. You can’t do this job forever. Being self-employed in a physical job means you must plan for the future. Savings, wise investments, and provident (frugal) living are all things to consider now more than ever.

6. Professionalism – One of the characteristics of a profession is the adherence to a Code of Conduct. To be effective it must be a part of you, and your clients must recognize that you have adopted it. I feel so strongly about this I wrote a book several years ago I called The Cowboy Code® emphasizing the Code portrayed by the silver screen singing cowboys of yesteryear. James Owen, a Wall Street investment consultant, wrote Cowboy Ethics to encourage higher ethics in the business community emphasizing the Code portrayed by working cowboys. Farriers have an image of ignorance that has been perpetuated by persons who have little concern for their own individual reputation or the collective reputation of all farriers. Horse owners are repelled by your conflict with other farriers, veterinarians and barefoot trimmers. It is not so much about what you say or do, but rather how you say or do it. If you disagree, do it in an honest and agreeable way and back up your claims with sound reasoning.

7. Serving Clients Effectively – You must increase your value to clients with your service. This usually means improving yourselves since you are the business. The best way to prevent an owner from switching to another service provider is to give extraordinary service and be a person of integrity they can trust.

8. Effective Scheduling – Grouping clients together geographically helps keep travel expenses down. There will always be a certain amount of schedule changes in any farrier business due to unforeseen emergencies. Plan ahead for possible last minute schedule changes by having backup plans, so that you can profitably use your work time. Schedule horses ahead as far as possible. The best time is right after you complete the last job. Provide reminder notices. Schedule your family time and vacations first. Carry your scheduling tool wherever you go. Be accessible, but be committed to a schedule that keeps you in control of your life.

Solutions to these challenges faced by today’s farrier are all covered in the business portion of our courses. Your success is our goal. You can’t change the past, yet we can help you change the future by showing you how to choose and implement a plan to meet the major challenges facing your farrier business today.     

Personalized courses to help practicing farriers reach the next level can be found at www.butlerprofessinalfarrierschool.com. 1-800-728-3826.

A recent Gallop poll reported by CNN and USA Today revealed that 61% of currently employed Americans, if given the choice, would rather own their own business, rather than work for someone else. Only 38% said they would rather work for someone else. Yet, at the moment, only 10% of adults are self-employed. Why?

Unfortunately, most of us, for one reason or another, spend most of our lives trying to determine what we love to do, only to figure it out when we are too old to do anything about it! Many of us spend about the first half of our lives working without the happiness we had hoped we would get from our work.

We seem to be prone to make an all too common mistake as we struggle to provide for ourselves and our families. We associate down time with happy time. We assume if we had more ease we would be happier. Yet, we innately know that happiness is found in what we do, not in doing little or nothing.

We are most happy when we are working at what we love to do. We feel joy in using our God given creativity in working to help others. In the process of doing things that really matter to us we change for the better who we are and what we want to be.

We find happiness as we focus on using our talents to do those things that bring real satisfaction – building relationships, connecting with and educating others, and giving the gift of hope.

The farrier business is just such an opportunity. It’s a great way to express your creativity in a way it will be appreciated, find greater financial independence, and rely on your own potential.

Find out more about the professional farrier opportunity by visiting us at www.butlerprofessionalfarrierschool.com and take our farrier aptitude test and see if you have the passion and talent to learn this craft and start your own rewarding business. You’ll be happy you did!

I was invited by Guy Karsh, a former student, to go to Israel to do a clinic for farriers and equine veterinarians. My wife and I traveled there and gave a two and a half day program the last part of November. There were 30 farriers, 27 vets and 33 horse owners in attendance at the programs. There are about 30 to 50,000 horses in Israel with 50 to 60 farriers and 50 to 60 vets that work on horses. There are 7.2 million Israelis. They are 0.1% of the world’s population.

We felt very safe there. There are armed guards everywhere. And the ranches were all surrounded by high fences and guarded by dogs. The weather was perfect. The ranch where the event was held was a beautiful oasis garden just outside of Tel Aviv. It was owned by a gentleman named Arik Raizner, who was very kind to us. The venue was perfect.

The clinic emphasis was on Founder and Limb Length Disparity. Each person received a copy of Life Data’s Laminitis and Founder, written by Dr. Gravlee and myself. Guy constantly reminded us, “We are making history,” for this was the first time such a thing was ever attempted in Israel. It was very well received. The mornings were occupied with lecture and discussion. A delicious lunch was served, and in the afternoon we did hands-on shoeing.

The first afternoon, with the farriers and veterinarians, we did demonstrations on foundered horses. We were fortunate to work with veterinarian Amos Frishling, using his digital radiographs. Both horses were improved after we worked on them, and there was good discussion and interaction.

The second day, with the farriers, we talked about balance. Several brought horses with problems that we were able to solve, working together. The farriers had modern rigs and were knowledgeable. I was impressed with the horse owner’s level of horse knowledge and concern for their animals. One horse that we did had previously fractured a navicular bone. I made and fit some bar shoes and was able to see a very positive change in the horse.

The third day, we talked about balance and answered horse owner’s questions. Many farriers came again, too.  

I was very impressed by the Israelis. They are a happy and committed people. They are happy to be in their homeland. And they love their families. They are modest. They eat healthy. They believe in being prepared. Military service is compulsory – 3 years for men and 2 years for women. They all have weapons in their homes and know how to use them. They seem to have the same four problems as Arizona: hot weather, lack of water, poisonous snakes and dangerous aliens.

The first day after our arrival, we toured Jerusalem with Guy and Dr. Rachael Shuster, a former student of mine at CSU and now a horse vet in New Jersey. Her mother lives in the old city, and she was raised there. Guy had connections with the Jerusalem Mounted Police since he shoes their horses. We started our tour at their stable which is inside the old walls right below David’s Tower. The stable is very old. They employ a young trainer whose full-time job is to train and keep the horses fit.

Most of the police horses are large warm bloods, especially Friesians and Hanovarians. The police ride Western saddles made in the U.S. and carry a lot of riot-suppressing equipment in their saddle bags. The horses and riders are protected from rocks by various pieces of armor and helmets. They are shod with rubber shoes and some have steel plates to protect their feet from caltrops that may be thrown down by terrorists during a riot.

Security in Israel is unbelievable. Even though the guards at the entrance to the stable compound knew Guy, they still checked for bombs under his car. Going in to visit the Western Wall was like going into an airport. People and packages are checked with scanners and physically. On most of the ranches we visited they had high electrified fences with dogs that are turned loose at night.

There were soldiers everywhere, even at street intersections. Military service is required of all Jewish Israelis. Arabs are prohibited from serving in the military. In addition, along with the most religious Jewish clergy, Arabs don’t pay taxes. They mostly live in their own cities. Those that don’t live in Hebrew or Arab cities live in “mixed” cities. Palestinians are not allowed into Jerusalem and other Jewish areas for security reasons.

Jerusalem is a divided city – meaning that there are different quarters that are dominated by different religious groups. The shops are mostly in the Muslim or Arab quarter. We first visited Golgotha, or the place of the skull, where Christ was crucified. It is outside the old city walls and not far from the Garden Tomb, where many church authorities agree that His body lay until He was resurrected. Others believe that Christ was crucified in a place that is now within the city and He was placed in a tomb on the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

We passed through Stephen’s Gate (where Stephen was taken outside the city and stoned by Saul – Acts 7) and began our walk on the Via Delorosa (Path of Sorrows). This is the traditional path that Jesus walked as he was imprisoned, condemned, scourged and where he carried the cross to Calgary. There are 14 points on the Via Delorosa. It starts where Jesus is condemned by Caiaphas and ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. At each of the points there is a church as a monument to the event said to have occurred there.

We then crossed the valley and went into the Garden of Gethsemane, which is at the base of the Mount of Olives. Some of the trees are more than 2000 years old and would have been there when Christ prayed, as he worked out the Atonement for you and me.

The next day we went north to Galilee. We passed through the Valley of Jezreel where the Battle of Armageddon is to take place. It is a rich agricultural valley, the most fertile in Israel.  Our guide was a man from a kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He was in charge of banana plant propagation on a large plantation.

A kibbutz is a community of people who share resources. No one owns land and all that is produced and sold goes into a community fund. Each family receives a stipend and they usually all eat together at least one meal a day. Rules vary for each kind of businesses the people of the kibbutz own. Persons coming into the kibbutz must wait a year and show they have good character. Then they are voted on by the members before they can join. Later we visited the famous artist blacksmith Uri Hofi, who also lives in a kibbutz.

At the Sea of Galilee, we went to the area where it is believed that Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. Nearby the Sermon on the Mount was given. Where the sermon occurred was probably about a mile outside the city on a hillside. Last, we went to Capernaum, on the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. There is a church built over the top of the remains of the home of the apostle Peter. His home was next to the Sea and is very close to the remains of the synagogue where Christ preached (Mark 1:21).

After the clinics we traveled south to the Dead Sea. Guy had lived near the Dead Sea when he was younger and had shod horses for Itzik, the man who ran a horse riding concession at the Kalia Kibbutz that owns the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. Itzik was very knowledgeable about the Essene people who were apparently like monks who wrote and copied biblical manuscripts on to scrolls. The prevailing theory is that many of the scrolls found here were apparently taken from the temple library in Jerusalem to hide them from the Romans before they destroyed the Temple in 70 A.D. Copies of all of the books of the Old Testament have been found here, except the Book of Esther. Itzik wonders if the Arc of the Covenant isn’t still hidden nearby! He told us that the Dead Sea is going down about a meter a year. I asked if their government is doing anything about it. He said, “Yes, they’re talking about it!” Some things are the same everywhere you go.

 Last of all, we went to Masada. This was the stronghold of the Jewish Zealots who held out against the Romans until 73 A.D. We went up on a cable car to the top rather than walk “the snake path.” The ramp made by the

Romans to breech the fortress was clearly visible. There were many storerooms and cisterns to hold supplies of food and water. Herod’s palace was built here in 37 B.C. and is hung on the side of the mountain where he felt safe for a time. Soon after his death in 4 B.C., the Romans took it over. Before the Romans could breech the walls and force the Jewish people into slavery, the Zealots killed their families and themselves. Israelis soldiers are sworn in here with the words, “Masada shall not fall again!” The horses that were used in the Hollywood movie “Masada” were shod by Guy’s father.

Near Guy’s house and property is the ancient city of Geza, inhabited at the time of King Solomon 3000 years ago. There is also a beautiful forest and park nearby where his family can ride their horses.

Even though we thoroughly enjoyed the weather, and were treated royally by our hosts Guy and his wonderful wife Liat, we were very glad to get back to the United States. We now have a new appreciation for Biblical events. We, more than ever, recognize the importance of family ties. God bless all of us to remember the true spirit of Christmas brought to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Punching a horseshoe nail hole that is clean so the nail fits tight and is safe for the horse is an art that must be perfected to be useful and practical. The hole must be positioned over the outside of the white line to be safe. The hole should have pitch to match the angle of the hoof wall. The nail must fit tightly. The hole should be punched parallel to the inner edge of the shoe.

 The stamp should be made of hot work steel such as H13 or S7. It can have a welded handle or a wood handle. After welding with a multi-purpose rod designed for joining dissimilar metals, the weld should be heated in the forge and allowed to cool slowly in the air with nothing touching it. The head should be the shape of the nail head. The pritchel and fuller should be made of similar material as the stamp.

 The shoe must be properly positioned on the anvil when stamping. The line of sight is most important. The shoe and stamp should be positioned so you can see down the inside of the tool and form the nail hole parallel to the inside edge at the distance desired. For a normal fit on an average wall width this should be near the middle of the stock. The stamp should be held perpendicular to the shoe. Only the pritchel should have pitch the same as the angle of the hoof wall.

 A good exercise to develop speed (Remember – skill equals accuracy plus speed) is to turn a piece of stock into a circle. Punch nail holes all around it about ¾ of an inch apart. Stamp 1/3 of the holes in the center of the web, 1/3 close to the inside edge, and 1/3 of the holes close to the outside edge. Start by punching one hole in one heat. Progress to where you can punch at least three holes in one heat with out damaging your punches. The steel should be at an orange color for stamping and a dull red or black for pritcheling.

 The stamp should be driven in about ¾ of the way through the stock. You should feel the stamp bottom out and stop before you rivet it into the shoe. After you hit the stamp you should remove it each time to prevent the tip from becoming soft. The shape of the top of the holes should be uniform. Eventually, you should be able to hit the stamp with a few quick blows before you remove it and are ready for pritcheling.

 The stamp is shaped differently depending on the thickness of the stock. The goal is a perfect nail head fit. The nail head should fit tight with about a 1/16 projecting from the ground surface of the shoe. The nail should have pitch and should have a push tight fit in the hole so that when the shoe is turned over the nail won’t fall out.

 The pritchel should be tapered to its end where it is slightly larger than a cross-section of the shank of the nail. The end of the pritchel should be slightly larger than the point of the stamp. The end of the pritchel should be upset slightly or mushroomed. The mushroom tip will punch or shear the burr or chad from the bottom of the nail hole. This will form a cleaner hole that won’t close when the shoe is turned over and hammered flat.

 A pritchel that is too pointed will push through the hole making it necessary to back punch the hole before a nail will fit in it properly. The shoe making pritchel should be driven in with pitch meaning it is held at the same angle as the hoof wall at that point.

A cold pritchel made from spring steel, such as is found in car springs and dump rake teeth, should be used to clean out nail holes after they are punched or after cold shoe shaping distorts the nail holes. This pritchel should be pointed and not mushroomed. Only use the shoemaking pritchel for hot work as it may break if used in a cold shoe.

 Punching uniform nail holes that fit horseshoe nails snugly and are safe for the horse is a skill all farriers should endeavor to master.

The anvil is one of the most important tools used by the farrier. Chances are you will only choose your anvil once. Its choice should be a matter of study as it will affect your work as much as any other tool.  Its use and location should determine your selection.

 Types, Makes, and Weights of Anvils.

Anvil design is different depending on the use of the tool. The earliest anvils were flat blocks of iron without a horn. A London pattern blacksmith anvil has a round horn and a thick heel. A Continental pattern anvil has a round horn and a pointed heel. A farrier’s anvil is lighter, has a swelled horn, and a longer thinner heel than a blacksmith’s anvil. In addition, the farrier’s anvil may have two pritchel holes or a pritcheling groove and a clip horn.

 Some of the best farrier anvils were made a hundred years ago. Many had a wrought iron base and a tool steel face. This was thought to provide more hammer rebound. Popular makes were Hay-Budden, Trenton, Columbia, and Peter Wright from England. Older anvils may be beat up and not possess sharp edges. However, the edges can be built up with a special welding rod and made sharp by grinding down.

 There are several good anvil makers in America. Most modern anvils are cast in one piece from high quality alloy steel. Popular American makes of anvils are NC Tool, Cliff Carroll, Delta Future, JHM, Emerson and Centaur. Others are AP, GE, Multi-Product, Southern Steel, and Mankel. Brooks anvils come from England and Kohlswa from Sweden. There are several anvil makers on the Continent in Europe. The Delta Future anvil is made of cast steel joined to a cast aluminum base.  

 Shop anvils should be heavy and mounted on a heavy base such as a stump so they are stationary. A heavy anvil will provide a better rebound for your hammer, and a wider face makes it easier to hold the work. A heavier anvil is required when a sledge hammer is to be used. Weights of 150 to 250 pounds are common for shop anvils.

 Farrier anvils should be portable and most are used on a portable stand. They often have turning cams to make cold shaping easier. The heel is tapered and thin again to allow ease in cold shaping. Weights of 70 to 100 pounds are common for portable farrier anvils.

 Position and Height of Anvils.

The curvature of the pointed horn makes it necessary to position the anvil with the horn opposite of the hammer hand so a person can stand in one place with the off side of the horn perpendicular to the hammer handle.

The height of the anvil is determined by the type of work done. In some countries it’s customary to work with the anvil on the ground. Most people prefer to work with the anvil about waist high. For heavy work, such as draft horse shoes, and when using a sledge hammer, the anvil should be lower. A good rule for most work is about knuckle high when your arms hang at your sides, and a little lower for heavy work. Having the anvil too high will cause elbow pain, too low will cause back pain.

 The anvil should be mounted on a solid stand. A metal stand with four legs works okay on a level floor but is unsatisfactory on uneven ground. A three-legged stand works best on unlevel ground. The third leg should be under the horn. A log stand is too heavy to be easily potable and works best in a shop. There should be nothing under the anvil horn to allow room for the tongs to work. A separate tool stand works best when placed under the anvil heel. When the tool stand and anvil are together, the vibration from the anvil may cause the tools to fall off the stand. A vise can be mounted on a separate stand, mounted to the truck, or to a work bench.

 Stance and Safety at the Anvil.

When standing at the anvil your weight should be evenly distributed over your feet and your knees slightly bent. Your entire arm and body should be used when swinging the hammer.

 Always wear an apron at the anvil as a hot piece of metal could slip from the tongs and burn through clothing quickly. Wear cotton clothing. Protect your hearing with ear plugs. Anvils give off enough decibels to permanently damage your hearing. Always wear safety glasses when working at the anvil. Round the edges of your hammer faces and tools struck with the hammer to prevent chipping. Hit the anvil flat to avoid marking the anvil face or chipping the hammer.

 How to Use the Parts of the Anvil.

Many farriers do not use the anvil horn to advantage. Use of the horn requires the shoe be hot and the tongs be in the right position. All shoe shaping should start with the toe. A small space should be between the horn and the shoe. The shoe should be rotated as the toe is formed. The tongs are used to pull the shoe against the horn when straightening a branch. The horn acts as a fulcrum when making shoe bends.

 The heel is used mostly for flattening the quarters when cold fitting hind shoes and must be narrow with have rounded edges. Rotate the shoe so that the toe is as close to the corner as possible.

 The hardy hole or turning cams can be used to turn in the heels or when making other major alterations cold. Holding the shoe in the proper place prevents shock and injuries to the hand.

 The clip horn is sometimes used as an aid in making clips. Many farriers use the edge of the anvil to start and draw clips.

 The pritchel hole(s) are used to make or clean out nail holes. A groove in the anvil face is useful for opening or pritcheling out holes when there are clips on the shoe.

 Anvil Substitutes.

A piece of railroad track iron has been used as an anvil substitute. It is difficult to get a shoe level on one of these.

 A stall jack is a small portable anvil used to shape racing plates in a stall or shed row. It is usually driven into the ground after the foot is picked up so that the shoe can be shaped at the horse. It is unsatisfactory for shaping heavy shoes.

A Pocket Anvil is a tool that uses leverage to shape shoes instead of a hammer. It is convenient, especially when packing into the wilderness, but it is difficult to get a flat shoe without a hammer and an anvil or leveling block.

 Selection of an anvil to work on is one of the most important decisions you will make as you start in the farrier business. Consider what you will use it for, where you will use it, and the features that you consider the most important before purchase.

The future will bring the foot care industry a combination of good news and bad news.

The good news is that farrier communication will be better and easier. Publications, the internet, conventions, summits, sponsored clinics and general sharing of knowledge make learning faster and easier. The bad news is that unsound ideas will be spread faster by the same media and adopted and put into practice by those weak in knowledge and experience. The “natural” and barefoot movements are examples of fads that continue to spread out of proportion to the application of sound research and common sense.

The good news is that farriery will continue to get easier, more effective and more lucrative for the skilled farrier. New materials and techniques as well as the proliferation of shoes, tools and accessories will be useful to skilled farriers who understand basic balance and therapeutic principles. The bad news is that persons weak in skills and understanding, because they are unwilling to pay the price to become competent, will continue to pass themselves off as qualified farriers by using these products. In so doing, they will hurt more horses and horse owners.

The good news is that business publications, accounting and contact management programs will make the farrier business easier to professionally manage than ever before. The bad news is that surveyed horse owners say good business principles are being ignored by many farriers. Hiring qualified employees to help expand your business has always been difficult. New levels of government watch-dogging and involvement along with the liability and risk of litigation will make it even more so. Continued intrusion by the revenue-seeking federal government will continue to be discouraging to small business owners.

The good news is that people with discretionary income will continue to look to the horse industry as a pleasant way to spend their time and money. There is a strong demand for sound, highly-trained, gentle horses. If horse people have good experiences, they will remain in the industry and support good farrier and veterinary care. The bad news is that less educated horse enthusiasts will buy unsound, poorly-trained, and even dangerous horses. These people will tolerate a standard of work lower than ever before from lazy con artists who have no intention of improving their skill level beyond what is necessary to fool ignorant customers. Fads and incompetence will continue to proliferate in the presence of an uneducated public.

The good news is there is always room at the top, and the hoof care industry is no exception. Farrier work is now and will continue to be practiced at a higher standard than ever before by a few dedicated craftsman. Opportunities will be good for the well educated and highly skilled farrier. Good craftsmen will get better, while the poor ones that have no desire to improve will continue to give the rest an image of ignorance. The poorly prepared farrier is bad news now and will continue to be in the future.

The September/October 1999 issue of the American Farriers Journal published my look into the next 25 years of farriery. I stick by those predictions and comments. The things that all farriers will need to know and do to stay in business in the future are the things that the most successful farriers are already doing.

I’m often asked how I would define farrier competency. “What should a competent farrier look like?” “How will I know one when I see one?” In the British Isles, they would call such a person “a qualified farrier.”

The way a person starts out is generally the way he or she ends up. Attitude is nearly as important as talent. We see this with students at the Butler Professional Farrier School. Those persons that get the highest scores on exams, and become the most successful farriers after graduation, almost always are those that are internally motivated by a strong desire to learn and be of service to others.  Those that require someone else to motivate them, and dare others to teach them something, rarely become competent.

We have found that the state or country of origin, the age, or the sex of the student is not as important as possessing a strong desire to learn. We have had excellent students in all these categories. Horse experience is probably the most important prerequisite. I will refer to the competent farrier hereafter as a he for ease of writing, but we have had many outstanding female students.

Be aware that the passing of certification exams or membership in farrier organizations is not as important as the preparation and commitment to excellence that motivates a person to take an exam. Most horsemen don’t realize the effort and practice it takes to pass a craft exam. Therefore, the main benefit is to the craftsman who challenges himself to do it, puts in the time to make a good job of it, and thereby increases his competency. You, as the client, are directly benefited by getting a more competent farrier and a higher standard of work done on your horses.

First and foremost a competent farrier must know horses. This takes time. That’s why we recommend horse experience before farrier school and apprenticeship afterward. A competent farrier (or any horse professional) should know the horse inside and out. He should know anatomy or structure vocabulary and the physiology or function of the structures. He should recognize effective horse training methods, proper horse nutrition, and what constitutes humane care for horses. To advise the owner, he should know when a horse needs to be shod and how and when it only needs trimming. He should be aware of the top horses and the top people in his specialized breeds and disciplines. He should know the ideal conformation and gaits of these horses and the methods to achieve the best performance in these various disciplines. In other words, he should be able to “talk the talk.”

A competent farrier must be able to do the work. Farrier work is hard work and not everyone has the capacity to do it. The farrier must have the required tools and know how to use his tools to create a solution to foot problems. He must balance the feet and be mindful that he is shoeing the whole horse, not just the feet. He needs to be able to explain what he is doing and why. In addition to carrying an inventory of materials needed to solve foot problems, he must be able to make or modify a hoof or shoe in any situation. He should be capable of following instructions from the horse owner and veterinarian. He should be able to convince owners and vets of the merit of the technique he recommends to help the horse. In other words, he should be able to “walk the walk.”

A competent farrier must know business. He needs to run a sustainable business that will be around at least as long as you own the horse. This requires self-discipline, since the farrier is self-employed and is, in fact, the business. He keeps accurate records and knows his costs. He makes and honors appointments. He returns phone calls and is available during business hours to answer questions, especially when a new horse has been purchased. He is constantly learning by studying, attending selected clinics, and practicing to master his craft in order to be a reliable resource for you, the horse owner.

A competent farrier must have character, not just be a character. He must be clean, courteous and respectful. He is free of addictive habits that adversely affect his business and relationship with you, the client. (He understands that today’s health-conscious clients do not appreciate those who are not.) He must know his limits and be willing to refer cases to more advanced practitioners when necessary. If you move away with your horse(s), a good farrier will help you find a competent farrier in your new area.

This is what I think a competent farrier looks like. I believe a number of the problems confronting our industry at this time are due to the fact that not enough farriers fit this profile. If you are fortunate enough to have a farrier like I’ve described, you will want to do your part to keep him or her happy!