Guest Post from Adam White : From an early age I always had a passion for shoeing, well horses in general. I worked in stables and had family involvement from day one, I was doomed to have some kind of career in harness racing. Dad was a jockey, mums family owned some very successful trotters & …
Farrier seminar, farrier supplies and more
Considering it's still winter (but almost spring), there's been a huge amount of stuff going on at our place. Which probably explains why blogging has been a little light for the past couple of weeks. Our seminar for farriers is being put together and will be held on 27th & 28th August 2012 at our farrier …
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Shoeing across the world
Guest Post by David J. Barron, CF, APF David Barron is an working farrier certified through the American Farriers Association and the American Association of Professional Farriers in the State of Washington, USA. David grew up on a large coffee farm in Zimbabwe, where he trained horses and competed in national polo and polocrosse. He …
Professional Farrier magazine
I really enjoyed reading some of the articles in this new magazine today. Particularly the Ada Gates piece, the Meader Supply article and keratoma case study. More farrier magazines being available online would be great! Read Professional Farrier online
Top Ten reasons why being a farrier (usually) rocks
Top Ten reasons why being a farrier (usually) rocks 10. Working outdoors in the fresh air 9. Meeting interesting people 8. Being your own boss 7. Earning an honest living 6. Daily challenges that need solving 5. Working with horses 4. Always learning something new 3. Working with our hands 2. The appreciation from clients 1. …
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A different angle for farrier training
I've been thinking about the training of apprentices and how the financials work (or don't work). The cost to the apprentice is the investment of a number of years, usually on modest wages and some hard physical graft to get themselves to a reasonable ability and understanding to be safe to be let out under …
Presenting the horse to the farrier
I expect all farriers have some clients who are more conscientious than others when it comes to presenting their horses for shoeing. It's usually quite easy for the client to turn up early to get the horse ready. Here in NZ, most horses live out all year around so the state of the paddocks depend on …
Farriers looking after themselves
The focus is usually on farriers being big and strong. For sure, the need for muscle is important to be able to do the job competently day in and day out without collapsing in a heap (and even then, many of us have been known to collapse in a heap anyway). A farrier being able …
Farrier photo – clenching up again
This was taken during my farriery apprenticeship on the Isle of Wight. Probably about 1993. Back in the olden days when I clenched up and clenched up then clenched up.
Farrier clients – giving them the freedom of choice
There's plenty of advice around about how farriers should look after their clients (the owners that is). Many of the core service business principles apply (or at least, should apply) to farriers and their businesses. After all, farriery is just another service industry albeit with some difference. I guess most farriers could read some books …
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