This time of year it is wise to stay warm and safe when riding your horse. In addition, you want to ensure your horse has shoes that are going to give them protection from the elements of weather.

One thing that you absolutely want to make sure of is traction to prevent accidental falls in addition to winter horseshoes.

There are several options:

1) HorseshoeBorium® of screen size 8 to 10. This has the texture of coarse sand, has a mild steel matrix and is put on with an oxy-acetylene torch. It will cost several dollars per shoe. It can be put on as raised spots (best for snow and ice) or spread over the shoe (best for slick pavement).

2) Drill Tech Borium® of screen size 4 to 6. This has the texture of small gravel, has a bronze matrix and is put on in the forge on the shoe’s toe and heels. It is also expensive. It is preferred on draft horses.

3) Drive-in or screw in studs. Less expensive than Borium®. Screw-in gives the option of changing height and traction.

4) Weld toe and heel pieces made from square stock on the shoe. These can be made sharp – called “sharp shoeing.”

5) Weld 3/8th inch nuts on the shoe across the web. These are popular on working cow horses here in Nebraska and cost considerably less to install than Borium®.

For additional Winter Care tips you can download my tip sheet that has several more resources for keeping your horse safe and happy this season. Simply fill out the form below and we will send it to you by email.

If you have any additional tips please feel free to post a comment below and share them with me or go over to our facebook page and post them there.

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!

Marshall "Buster" Conklin

Sir Isaac Newton, one of the world’s greatest scientists who formulated many of the laws of physics, once remarked in a letter to his rival Robert Hooke, “If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” He said he came up with his revolutionary ideas by thinking about them much of the time.

Each of us who stands upon the firm foundation of knowledge that we use to make a living and enjoy the bounties of life stand upon the shoulders of those pioneers who have gone before us.

June 13, 2011 a giant in the farrier world passed away. Marshall “Buster” Conklin of Horseheads, New York, was responsible for getting me interested in shoeing horses. He was very supportive of my desire to do this, even though it was during the late 50’s and early 60’s, a time when horse numbers were at an all time low and many thought it was foolish to pursue a career in farriery. I would like to give tribute to him and others who have been giants in our industry. I look forward to doing this at Cornell this fall.

Buster encouraged me to get good training and build on the foundation of the past. I looked for and learned time-tested principles that would benefit others as well as myself. I was given the opportunity by my teacher at Cal Poly, Ralph Hoover, to write about and teach horseshoeing soon after I got out of school and have been doing so ever since.

I continue to focus on those proven principles in our classes at Butler Professional Farrier School and in clinics. I have made it an ongoing project to collect them and assemble them into my several books. The methods of presenting the ideas are now unique to me as they have evolved over the last 47 years. See www.butlerprofessionalfarrierschool.com.

Buster was also a cowboy – one of the good guys in the white hats. He was an accomplished calf roper and he lived the cowboy life. His wife Bernice was a wonderful complement to him. The Conklins are special people to me. Buster helped many students along the way as an instructor and resident farrier at the New York State Vet College. 

Buster Trimming My Rope Horse, Pepper McCue, 1959

Each of us should recognize and acknowledge the source of our motivation and knowledge that makes us what we are. Buster was a good and great man. He had both skill and character. Skill plus character equals competence. Competence inspires confidence.

I recently read Bruce Daniels new book Just Another Sunday on the Farm. In it he includes many of his experiences that tell the real story of what it was like to shoe horses 50 or more years ago. Being a self-employed farrier today is not really a lot different. What we do is very unique. It’s dangerous, you work with hot fire, sharp tools, unyielding steel, and you get real dirty – all the things your mother said you shouldn’t do! You wrestle animals 10 or more times your size and have no guaranteed benefits if you can’t work.

Lee Liles of Sulphur, Oklahoma has built a splendid museum that honors farriers of the past. I would hope everyone could someday see it. There are shoes and stories of the great farriers of yesteryear that you will find nowhere else. Visiting there gives you a real sense of the heritage we have as farriers. William Russell, a horseshoeing genius, is prominently featured in Lee’s museum.     

I wish to acknowledge with gratitude that we do truly stand upon the shoulders of giants. Isaac Newton didn’t originate this phrase, but rather it was theologian John of Salisbury. He said, “We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours.”

We owe much to those who have preceded us. They are the true Giants of our industry.

Doug and Buster, August 1983

"Team Butler"

“The Butler Team” recently won the three-man draft horse shoeing competition at the Four Corners Contest in Castle Rock, Colorado. The horses were well behaved and were owned by a carriage company in Denver. (Apparently there are nine carriage companies in Denver).

We drew a Shire horse with beautiful feet that stood perfectly. Everything went well for us. It was the first time that Jake and Pete and I have competed together. Jake trimmed and nailed, Pete struck with the sledge hammer and clinched, and I made the shoes. I’m most grateful for that experience of working together. It brought to my mind the differences in shoeing draft horses as opposed to shoeing light horses.

The Finished Front

The Finished Hind

Draft or heavy horse shoeing is different from light horseshoeing. Draft horses move slowly. They often pull heavy loads. They are heavy and their feet need more protection than light horses. They are very strong, and though they are often gentle for most work, they sometimes resist shoeing.

A heavier thicker stock shoe is required due to the size of the animal. Our horse required 18 inches of ½ by 1¼ inch stock to cover its front foot. We used 17 inches on the hind foot. Horses with smaller feet can be shod with a lighter section. Nail holes are punched over the white line and at the pitch of the hoof wall to insure safe and secure nailing.

The shoe was fullered to make it easier to extract the nails and to provide some traction. The fullering fills with dirt – you have dirt against dirt which provides more traction than steel against dirt. Heel calks from one-half to one inch in height are popular for farm and pulling horses. Toe calks one-half inch in height are usually only put on the hind shoes of farm horses. One-inch toe calks that are tilted forward, so they will dig in as the foot breaks over the toe, are put on the front and hind shoes of pullers. Horses used on asphalt road surfaces are often shod with Borium® or bolt-on replaceable rubber “tires.” Borium® can be put on with a forge or with an oxy-acetylene torch.

A wider web shoe is desirable since many draft horses are flat-footed and have a weak hoof-bone attachment that may be compromised by their weight and concussion on road surfaces. Although they need sole protection, they must not have sole pressure. The inside of the shoe must be seated out, sometimes called concaved (hollowed out), to prevent sole pressure and bruising when the sole descends slightly each time the horse’s foot bears weight.

A longer shoe is desirable to support the limb. It also should be a bit wider than the hoof from the last nail hole back to the heel to give more surface area to distribute concussion and prevent corns and deep flexor tendon injury.

The shoe heels should be made and fit to make room for the frog and allow easy cleaning of the foot. They should be finished straight up and down to provide the most ground surface area possible.

The outside branch of the shoes should be fit wider than the hoof since most draft horses are base narrow. The outside of the shoe should be boxed (filed on the foot surface) to reduce the chance of another horse in the hitch treading off the shoe. The inside branch should be safed (filed on the ground surface) to prevent injury when accidently treading on the opposite foot.

Toe clips should be used to prevent shoe shifting when the heavy shoe hits the ground. It is possible for the nails to be sheared off when a heavy horse’s foot strikes the ground. Clips on ½ by 1¼ stock should be an inch high and triangular in shape and without sharp points.

Front View

The nails should be appropriate to foot size (we used number nine nails on our horse) allowing you to drive them 1/3 of the way up the hoof wall with the nail line parallel to the coronary band. Nails must be driven above the chips and cracks found in neglected feet. Broken out areas can be filled with superfast by Vet Tech. Feet should be dressed to correspond to the shape of the coffin bone. The shape can be determined by looking down at the silhouette of the coronary band.

Horses that are not well trained for shoeing should be put in a stock or given a drug by a veterinarian to help them stand still when being shod. Each time the foot is put down it should be put down slowly to prevent the horse from falling. Also, dropping a foot with a heavy shoe on it can cause the coffin bone to fracture. Charges for shoeing drafts should be twice what you charge for a saddle horse since it is more than twice as much work.

Show draft horses are shod differently than working horses. The size and especially the width of the feet are exaggerated. Square shoes that have inserts welded on the inner web allow feet to be built to a greater size. These shoes are manufactured by Will Lent in Michigan. We have applied some for clients here at the school. We used a great quantity of Adhere or Superfast composite by Vet Tech to fill in the space and create square feet. We offer specialty courses of one week in length for those that are interested in draft horse type shoeing at www.butlerprofessionalfarrierschool.com. 1-800-728-3826.

Last month we shod the horses and mules at Fort Robinson State Park for the first time this season. We have been shoeing them for the last three years. They have draft horse teams, mule teams, and saddle horses used for the stage coach, tour wagons, and short and long trail rides in the Soldier Creek wilderness area. We also do the Chadron State Park trail horses. These horses are used for trail riding in the Pine Ridge forest areas. This work provides valuable experience for the students at Butler Professional Farrier School.

Fort Robinson served as a military post for 74 years. It played a critical role in the settlement of the West. It was first built next to the Red Cloud Agency in Crawford, Nebraska. From here soldiers were trained and sent to fight in the great Sioux Indian Wars. Chief Crazy Horse was killed while trying to escape at the post in 1877. Later, Dull Knife’s band of Northern Cheyenne attempted to escape and were stopped after 64 were killed along with all their horses. Troopers were sent from here to quell the ghost dancers in the last of the armed conflicts with the Lakota Sioux in 1890. 

This was the last functioning cavalry outpost in the U. S. It was closed in 1948 and was made a state park in 1972. There are many original buildings including a multi-forge blacksmith shop stocked with “keg shoes.” Issue shoes made by Phoenix were called that because they were shipped in wooden barrel kegs. In addition, the post veterinary clinic and museum contain lots of interesting history. Numerous officers’ quarters have been converted into inexpensive guest houses, arena, pool, theater and a restaurant that hosts family reunions and other vacation activities for 100’s of thousands of guests each year.

From 1885 to 1907 Fort Rob became home to the famous buffalo soldiers. Cavalry battle reenactments are held here. In 1919, it became a remount depot. The cavalry remount was established to produce a source of quality horses. A few quality stallions were loaned out to local ranchers for a small fee. These approved stallions were bred to native mares with the agreement that the military would purchase suitable animals for the cavalry.

During World War Two the Fort became a German prisoner of war internment camp. It was also the army’s largest war dog breeding and training center. Polo teams and Olympic jumping teams trained here. Many mules were trained to pack needed supplies to troops fighting in remote locations. During World War Two there were more than 5000 horses and 4000 mules on the post. It was also the nation’s largest dog training center, having trained 3565 dogs by 1944 and with 1353 on hand at that time. Most of the dogs were used by troops in the pacific theater. For a short time after the cavalry left, the fort was a USDA beef research station. It is now Nebraska’s premier state park.   

Knowledge of history and an understanding of tradition are very important in any trade or craft to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. A sense of history adds to our motivation to be good at what we do. It makes us proud to be a part of our craft and encourages us to grow in skill in our chosen profession. A great source of farrier history is On the Horses Foot by Henry Heymering.  Our book The Principles of Horseshoeing (P3) goes into more detail about the history of the craft and is available at www.dougbutler.com.

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.

The royal wedding in England has captured the attention and imagination of the world. As I watched, Adam Smith’s statement in The Wealth of Nations came to mind, “The chief enjoyment of riches consists in the parade of riches….” In spite of the occurrence of other significant world events, “the story book event” took precedence. Not that getting married to the love of your life is not significant! My marriage of 44 years has certainly been a most important event in my life that has allowed me much achievement and happiness.

Much preparation went into creating London’s beautiful pageant observed by three billion people. The beautiful horses that accompanied the bride and groom and chauffeured the British royalty were all shod by master craftsmen trained in an ancient but effective system of farriery that preserves the soundness of these noble steeds.

Farriers in England are trained in the most exacting farrier training system in the world. It has been under the watchful eye of the Worshipful Company of Farriers since 1356 A. D. I sought permission twenty years ago to study their system and take all of the exams administered by the Company. My objective was to better understand how to best teach and help students learn this difficult craft. In 1992, I was the first person outside of Great Britain to obtain the Fellowship of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (FWCF), by taking and passing the Company’s highest examination.

Apprentices are first taught to trim the feet of horses that are kept in pastures and are not to be used on roads or ridden to any degree. Those horses that are used on roads, and do something besides eat, are shod with steel to protect them and the people who use them. Due to benefits to the health of the foot and precision in fitting, most horses are hot fit by British craftsmen. This seals moisture in the foot, prevents excess moisture from entering, and assures a perfect unity of hoof and shoe.

The steel horseshoes are fashioned according to the individual animal’s use. Some are made from fullered concave – a section of steel that until recently was available only in the U. K. Fullered refers to a groove all around the shoe which fills with dirt and dirt against dirt gives better traction than steel or even hoof against dirt. Concave refers to the self-cleaning pattern – meaning it is sloped or concaved on the inside edge so mud and snow is shed from the center of the foot as the horse moves. The portion of the shoe against the hoof is wide protecting the wall and sole from bruising. The edge of the shoe contacting the ground is narrow, creating a gripping action supplying traction to prevent dangerous slipping. The horses didn’t slip while carrying the royal couple, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Additional traction may be provided by installing studs – sharp projections that are screwed or driven into the shoe. They are of varying height depending upon working conditions. They have a tungsten core that bites into the ground or pavement to provide safety for horse and rider or coach passenger. Horseshoe Borium® or Carbraze® containing particles of tungsten carbide are often used for this purpose in America.

We wouldn’t shoe horses if we didn’t have to. Horses that are rarely used don’t need shoes. Wild horses that have been naturally selected for sound feet rarely need shoes. Domestic horses that are used to any degree need protection for their hooves, especially since we have bred modern horses for things other than and at the expense of soundness – such as color, conformation, and athletic ability.

The hoof wall is protected from chipping or cracking by shoes. The sole is protected from bruising by shoes. The fragile coffin bone inside a weak hoof is protected. Foot balance is maintained to lessen stresses on joints. Even race horses wear aluminum shoes to provide and maintain balance, protection and traction.

The current barefoot fad has been tried before in the horse industry. Books written before 1900 tell of its trial and call it “the barefoot experiment.” It was abandoned in England and America due to the injury of horses and riders.

Most horses that are rarely worked don’t need shoes. But, those that are worked, ridden over uneven or abrasive ground, and for extended periods of time, do. Horses used for athletic activities such as jumping, racing, reining, cutting, roping, etc. usually need shoes. Using unshod horses in these events could be judged to be cruelty to animals or to the humans who depend upon them. Especially in Britain, where the people are great lovers of horses, animal welfare laws that prohibit unskilled persons from working on horse’s feet are enforced. 

More than luck goes into making a Royal Wedding appear as a fantasy spectacular.

In reality, accomplished horsemen know they need a competent well-trained farrier to maintain their valuable horses. They will either find one or learn the skill themselves. At Butler Professional Farrier School we specialize in training farriers and horsemen to know how and why they do their job of keeping horses sound. We invite inquiries at www.butlerprofessionalfarrierschool.com. Or call 1-800-728-3826 or 1-308-665-1510.

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!