All Fired Up for the Farrier!

Hi All!  I don’t know about you but all the cold, damp weather we have had has put me in quite a funk.  A quick poll of all my horsey friends have confirmed that everyone is tired of rain and mud and ready for some well-deserved warm, dry weather. 

My blog today comes, in part, from my friend Miriam Bisbee.  If you read any of the small town papers around the Lakes Region of Maine, you will likely recognize Miriam.  She was blogging the old-fashioned way long before computers or the “digital age”.  At 91 years of age, she still writes columns for The Independent keeping her readers updated on the Maine Wildlife Park where she regularly tends the gate.  Miriam also writes a column for our church newsletter, First Church Notes, called “Looking Backward” and relates to us what life was like when the 20^th century was young.   Her recent article was interesting to me, as I am sure it will be for many of you.  Miriam remembers “Getting the Horse Shod” and really, aside from a few modern variations in the composite of the shoes themselves and the specialty shoeing preferred for various equestrian sports requirements, the art of shoeing a horse really has not changed. 

Looking Backward:  Getting the Horse Shod

By E. Miriam Bisbee

As I've mentioned before, the motive power for our transportation when I was young was a horse.  We had no worries about flat tires but contact with the highway is always a source of wear and that's where the iron hit the road. 

A horse's hooves, like your fingernails, are constantly growing and so, the edge the shoe was nailed to, slowly extended till it was ready to break off.  Before that happened (we hope) the horse had a date with the blacksmith. (If you'd referred to him as a farrier we wouldn't have known what you were talking about and I'm not sure he would have, either.)

Our blacksmith, Charlie Shaw, had a shop on the Gray Road in West Cumberland -- the building is still there although Charlie and his skill are long gone -- and the shortest way for us to get there would have been to drive to Rte. 100 and head toward Portland for a few miles, but that is not the way we did it. Even then Rte. 100 was a busy highway and a horse and wagon were almost as much of a hazard as a stationary object on a well-traveled road. So we crossed Rte. 100, travelled a considerable distance out of our way on back roads and reached our goal from another direction.

Charlie would have a roaring fire in the forge but the first order of business was to remove the worn shoes and trim away the weak edge of the hoof (like cutting your fingernails) and the "frog" under the hoof, a sort of structure of dead cuticle. Then came the process of fitting the shoes. They were heated in the forge -- a few turns of the bellows brought the fire up to nearly white heat -- and the shoe came out red hot and malleable enough to be shaped on the anvil with a few well-placed blows from the hammer. The shoe would then be cooled in a handy tub of water and tried to the hoof for the proper fit. When it fit to Charlie's satisfaction he would drive in calks (for traction) and nail the shoe to the hoof. It still amazes me how patiently our horse endured the process.

As long as horses are still used for work or pleasure the farrier's skill will be in demand; lucky the child who has the chance watch this ancient skill in action!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In a world where it seems everything has been improved and modernized to the point where the “old ways” are obsolete, it fascinates me to see skills such as these that really cannot be done any other way. 

There are variations in the field of farriers and blacksmiths.   Not all farriers shoe horses and not all blacksmiths make horseshoes.    Working horses, such as carriage horses, trail horses and ranch horses, as well as show horses require shoes in most cases to protect their feet from excessive wear and hazards.   In this case, they would need the skills of a farrier with blacksmithing skill who can craft and fit a metal shoe to their feet in such a way that their hooves will be protected and balanced and the horse can comfortably and safely do their job. 

Many pleasure horses enjoy natural, balanced  hoof trims and do not require shoeing.  Horses that are used for pleasure riding, gymkhana or trails where the paths are smooth and soft and pose few risks of stress injury, are perfectly suited to being barefoot.  This is assuming that the horse’s feet are in good condition which can best be determined by your veterinarian and your farrier. 

Whether they shoe horses or do natural barefoot trimming a farrier’s job is extremely demanding.  He or she has a backbreaking job, done in extreme heat or extreme cold conditions often with very uncooperative customers (I am talking about horses, not their owners…).  In a typical day the farrier can be bitten, leaned on, kicked, stepped on and even pooped on.   Want to make your farrier's day?  Have your horse(s) in the work area on time with their feet cleaned and ready for them. Thank your farrier for all their hard work and hey, maybe make them some cookies!  They like that too! 

Blogger’s note: I would like to gratefully acknowledge Adam White, a farrier in Christchurch , New Zealand for the use of his photos in this blog.  I found Adam through a search for appropriate photos for this story and have been following his Facebook page since.  He has excellent photos of his work and both his Facebook page and his website have a lot of fascinating information along with before/after photos of some of his clients.  Thanks Adam!)