42 Occupational Outlook Quarterly ● Summer 1999

Olivia Crosby is a contributing editor to the OOQ,

(202) 606-5716.

by Olivia Crosby

You’re a what?

FARRIER

Some of the world’s largest athletes

rely on the work of Paul Goodness.

Paul is a farrier, a worker who

makes and fits shoes for horses.

Average horses, horses with

foot problems, and equine

Olympians have all worn

his handiwork.

As a farrier, Paul trims horses’ hooves,

prepares shoes, and nails those shoes to

the hoof. Hooves, like human fingernails,

grow continuously. They have to be

trimmed, evened, and re-covered every 6

to 8 weeks. The shoes Paul uses protect

the hoof and keep it from wearing away

too quickly. They also provide proper

traction and, when specially designed,

alleviate foot and leg problems.

Paul begins his work with a horse

by observing its gait. He determines if

the horse is comfortable by watching

how it distributes its weight when

moving. “An important part of being a

good farrier,” he says, “is knowing

what’s normal motion for a horse and

what’s not.”

After becoming familiar with the

horse, Paul lifts its foot and carefully

trims the hoof using a hoof knife and

file. He maintains the hoof’s natural

shape during trimming. A hoof that is

ragged, too long, or shorter than the

others will interfere with the horse’s

balance.

Following the trimming, Paul

measures the hoof and either shapes a

shoe or selects a ready-made shoe

from his stock. “It used to be that

ready-made shoes only came in three

sizes: Small, medium, and large,” says

Paul. “Now, these shoes are available in

almost every size and style.” Shoes of

varying weights and sizes are sold with

or without prepunched nail holes.

The variety of horseshoes available

means fewer shoes today are custom

made. But knowing how to make a

complete shoe is still important when

working with some horses’ hoof

problems. Competition horses, like all

athletes, need shoes tailored for their

body and their event. “Horses have

wear and tear like other athletes,” says

Paul, “and shoes can help.” With

racehorses, for example, Paul uses

lightweight materials such as aluminum,

titanium, and plastic in their shoes

rather than the standard steel; for a

competitor with a strained muscle, he

might use a shoe that helps the horse

to balance better.

To make a custom shoe, Paul heats

a piece of metal in his forge until it

becomes flexible, places the metal on

an anvil, and beats it with a large

hammer. He curves the metal to fit the

dimensions of the hoof and then

punches nail holes.

Whether made from scratch or

taken from inventory, every shoe Paul

nails to a hoof is heated first. Heating

creates a tighter fit for nailing, a

process that requires careful precision

to avoid hitting the edge and the fleshy

part of the hoof. After nailing, Paul files

the shoed hoof and makes certain the

horse moves with comfortable

stability.

Farriers often travel extensively in

their work. Paul shoes competitive

show horses at events throughout the

United States and Europe, sometimes

traveling on short notice. Once, he

flew to Kentucky the night before a

show to reshoe a horse. The job was

complicated, but he and another

farrier worked until 2 a.m. to finish it.

Their long hours were rewarded: The

horse not only made it through the

show with its shoes on, but it won the

event.

Most shoeing jobs don’t require

much specialized care. But sometimes

Paul Goodness heats shoes and then nails

them to the horse’s hooves.
Occupational Outlook Quarterly ● Summer 1999 43

part-timers averaged $19,148, according to a survey by The American Farrier’s

Journal. But business expenses, such as

insurance and supplies, were not

deducted from those totals; farriers’

take-home pay was lower.

Earnings vary widely by region,

sometimes for reasons as simple as

supply and demand. “If you’re the only

farrier within 100 miles, you’ll have a

lot of business,” says Paul. Training,

experience, and formal credentials also

affect earnings. The American Farrier’s

Association in Lexington, Kentucky, has

information on farrier schools, apprenticeships, and certification.

Paul’s interest in horseshoeing began

at an early age. He grew up around his

family’s horses and watched intently

when the farrier would come to work.

At age 15, he started to think about a

career as a farrier. He attended a farrier

school after graduating from high school.

The program he chose lasted 6 months

and introduced him to the basics of

horse handling, anatomy, forge work, and

hoof pathology.

After farrier school, Paul apprenticed with an expert farrier. This

practical experience was essential.

“You need experience to develop the

art and craft of shoeing,” he says. “My

advice to students is to find and work

with an expert farrier. That is really

the only way to learn. The longer you

study, the better you’ll be.”

Following his apprenticeship and

one year of independent shoeing, Paul

enrolled in a shoeing program at the

University of Pennsylvania Veterinary

School to learn more about anatomy

and specialty work. That added knowledge enabled him to begin the more

complicated shoeing he performs

today.

Paul has seen his patients grow

from foals to champions to the happily

retired. “I’m very lucky,” he says. “I

make horses comfortable all day, every

day. It’s very rewarding. I’ve been

shoeing for 25 years, and I wouldn’t

want to do anything else.”

horses have a cracked hoof, punctured

foot, or slight infection. Farriers use

antibiotic creams, shock absorbing

pads, or some other form of protection to help these horses heal.

Experienced farriers like Paul often

work with veterinarians to solve more

serious foot problems. Each week, Paul

visits equine patients in a veterinary

hospital. There, he helps treat injured

horses by creating prosthetics, castlike shoes for broken feet, or any

other device that allows an injured

horse to continue competing or to

stand and walk comfortably.

Farriery is strenuous work. Farriers

often lift and hold a horse’s hoof for

15 minutes at a time—no small feat,

considering that large horses often

weigh at least 1,200 pounds. In part

because of the physical demands of the

job, most farriers are men. But the last

decade has seen an increase in the

number of women joining the shoeing

ranks. According to unofficial estimates from the American Farrier’s

Association, 10 percent of today’s

farriers are women.

For both men and women farriers,

experience lessens the physical

demands. “When I see beginning

farriers shoeing a horse, they’re really

struggling,” says Paul. “But soon they

learn to cooperate with the horse so

it carries its own weight.”

Over 90 percent of farriers are selfemployed, with many working part

time while maintaining separate

careers. In 1997, full-time farriers

earned an average of $55,723 and

Making custom horseshoes still requires use of a forge, a hammer, and an anvil.

Photos courtesy of Paul Goodness