A Whimsical look at the Horsehoeing Profession

You might be a farrier if.....
.....If you think of getting kicked, bit, stepped on and repeated close encounters with horse manue as " Just another day at the office"
.....If your chiropractor invites you to be the guest of honor at the opening of his new state-of-the-art office.
.....If your wife/husband finds the smell of burning horse hair kind of sexy.
.....If you seem to see things more clearly when your eys are just a few inches from your feet.
.....If you can't remember the name of the most recent Kentucky Derby Winner but know exactly what brand and weight of racing plate he was shod with
.....If your idea of a day off is going to a horseshoeing clinic.
....If you think the average horse is alot smarter than the average horse owner.
....If going to a farrier supply store is your idea of a family outing.
....If your idea of Heaven includes a feather light anvil, a full-sized shoeing rig that gets 40 miles to the gallon and nails that never bend.
....If you've ever seriously considered trying to teach a horse to lay flat on its back with its legs straight in the air.
.....If you didn't know that founder had anything to do with the ocean.
.....If you've ever found yourself picking your teeth with a hoof knife.
....If you've ever used horse liniment on your own wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
....If you find your self thinking "horse sense" is a condradiction of terms
....If you see every horse you pass on a Sunday afternoon drive as a potential customer
....If the most horses "behinds" you run into on a given day actually belong to horses.
By Pat Tearney

A FAIR WAGE ??

If Farriers were to set prices by what is left over after all expenses are accounted for, we would certainly be charging far more than we do now. The irony is that many of us farriers think we are charging enough, based on income and expenses. the problem is we are forgetting about all the hidden costs invoved in running our own business.

The next time i find myself debating whether to raise my prices by $2, $5 or even $10, I need to ask myself these questions:

1. Who is going to pay for the deterioration of my musscular-skeletal system and the fact that my health is being compromised by this line of work.

2. Who should pay for the fact that i am continually upgrading my shoeing skills and education on my own time?

3. Who should pay for my disability insurance, liability insurance, and my workers compensation premiums

4. Who will pay for my vacations.

5. What about my retirement plan.

6.Who should pay for the fact that I put my competence on the line before my peers to achieve a level of certification.

7. Did I consider the time I take out to attend conventions, clinics, symposiums, competitions, semiars, ect.

8. Who should pay for all the expenses I incur as a result of operating my own business.

If I were to answer all these questions honestly, I'm sure I would see the value of horseshoing in the marketplace is a lot higher than curently regonized by those in the farrier profession.

Ultimately, the only way customers are going to consider farrier work valuable and hold a high regard is if we (farriers) first regonize the true value of the services we provide. An outward and highly visible expression of that value is how much we charge for the services we deliver.

When all the factors ar considered and translated into financial terms, we would find that the current rate to shoe a horse should be an excess of $500.

JUST SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!!

Earliest know Horseshoes

Did you know the first simple horseshoes where made from woven grass and reeds, and tied on the hoof. Its believed the Egyptians used the skins of animals to protect the horses hoof much the same as moccasins are used. Genghis Khan used a unique rawhide cup which fit over the hoof and when dry was extremely tough and wear resistant. the Romans and Greeks made use of sandals, boots, and socks of leather woven with course fibre to protect the hoof.
Shoeing with iron shoes and nails was invented, in all probability, by different nations at about the same time. The first blacksmith we have any evidence of was named Tubal-cain as recorded in Genesis, Chapter 4, verse 22. however no mention of the practice of horseshoeing was made at this early date.
All of this is a far cry from the types of metals and technological advances the farriers of today work with. I can just imagine the complaints of lost shoes at the time of the first ones used.
" Excuse me Mr. Blacksmith but my horse ate his shoe, when can you come and weave another."

Superstitions and Horseshoeing

During Medieval times, superstition reigned supreme in the horseshoeing trade as well as in other parts of life. The horseshoe was crecent-shaped and resembled a snake which was thought to be divine and keep witches away. Roman horse shoe nails were said to keep away the plague, and horses were suposed to keep nightmares away. Superstitious blacksmiths believed in tapping the anvil once every few blows "to keep the devil away" and in giving three blows at the end of the day to keep the devil chained up.
The tradition of putting a horseshoe over the door to bring good luck and keep the devil away was popular at this time. The story behind this tradition has many variations. This is one of them.
Once upon a time, a wise old blasksmith was hard at work making horseshoes. The sound of the anvil attracted the attention of the devil. He saw that the smith was making horseshoes, and he thought it would be a good idea to get his hoofs shod. So the devil made a deal with the smith and stood to be shod.
The wise blacksmith saw with whom he was dealing, and so he nailed on a red-hot shoe, driving the nails right square into the center of the devil's hoof. The devil then paid him and left, but the honest blacksmith threw the money into the forge fire, knowing it would bring him bad luck.
Meanwhile, the devilwalked some distance and began to suffer great torture from the new shoes. The more he danced and pranced and kicked and swore, the more they hurt him. Finally, after he had gone through all that agony, he tore them off and threw them away.
From that tome to this, whenever the devil sees a horseshoe he turns and runs-anxious to keep away from those torturous devices.