Farrier - Career Advice - Environments

Farriers prepare and treat horses' feet, so that they can make and fit horseshoes. Farriers inspect, trim and shape horses' hooves and make, fit and nail horseshoes, or racing plates or 'tips' for racehorses. Future Growth Static

Farriery is sometimes combined with blacksmithing work.

ANZSCO ID: 322113

Knowledge, skills and attributes

Farriers need

to cope with the physical demands of the job
have good eyesight and hearing
to enjoy working with horses
to be awareness of personal and industrial safety
have good hand-eye coordination.

Skills required At work

Ability to follow Safety Standards
Attention to Detail
Blacksmithing
Communication
Fit and able to Perform Physical Tasks
Knowledge of Animal Care

Duties and Tasks

You might also work with veterinary surgeons or equine hospitals to provide corrective shoeing and surgical farriery.

Farriers may perform the following tasks: shaping shoe

inspect horses' legs and hooves while they are stationary as well as in motion to check for irregularities, interference, peculiarities in gait (how the horse walks) or abnormalities in size and shape of hooves
talk to the horse owners or trainers to decide on types of shoes and nails required
remove worn or faulty shoes and note wear patterns, foreign bodies, bruising, infections or deformities
examine, clean, trim and shape hooves using knives, hoof cutters and rasps
measure hooves, take a template of each hoof on a piece of cardboard and estimate the length of metal required for the shoes
select and cut metal according to type, size and weight of shoes and type of horse
hold shoes against hooves to determine the amount of shaping required
heat shoes in a forge, shape them on anvils and hammer them to size
place and nail shoes to hooves and check that clips and clenched nails are smooth and lined up with the walls of each hoof
remove steel shoes from horses before they race, replace with light aluminium shoes or 'tips' and replace the steel shoes after the race
work in the areas of corrective or surgical shoeing.
craft metal shoes to fit horses hooves using smithing skills
keep records of horses, clients, income, and expenses
maintain a clientele and schedule work on a regular basis
properly care for tools, materials, and equipment
remove worn and poorly-fitting shoes using specialised tools such as pincers and snippers

Did You Know?

Natasha May-Keas, Farrier

Although one of only seven women qualified as farriers in the State of Victoria, up from two when she started out in the industry 14 years ago, Natasha believes that racing is not as chauvinistic as it used to be.

Natasha May-Keas at work

“Women are more accepted as farriers now and are starting to get recognised for our achievements. People can see that we can do our jobs just as well as men.”
(Source: Flemington)

Portrait of Natasha May-Keas

Natasha as a 23 year Farrier in 2012
(Source: Adelaide Now)

Working conditions

Farriers spend a great deal of time travelling to attend to horses, mainly in country or outer-metropolitan areas. Weekend and after-hours work is often necessary. They must work very quickly and have the ability to handle horses, which may at times be unpredictable or agitated. Farriers usually wear protective equipment.

Farriers can work both outdoors as well as in barn settings, and may also use a home office. They will travel to various locations to work their trade. Because farriers work with sharp tools, specialised equipment, as well as large animals that can kick and bite, they must follow safety standards to reduce the risk of injury and illness. They may work in the evenings and on weekends when their clients are available. Depending on the number of clients and their locations, farriers may do a lot of travelling.
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Technology and Tools

Technology is edging its way into the craft. A computer software program – Equinalysis – can identify subtle changes in a horse’s gait before they’re visible to the naked eye, and some farriers in Australia are now starting to use the technology to customise their shoeing.

Tools

Education and training/entrance requirements

You need to study at TAFE to obtain a Certificate III in Farriery.

There are no formal educational prerequisites for entry into this course, however, there is an age prerequisite that the student must be 16 years of age at the commencement of the course. This course is not offered as a Schools Based Apprenticeship. It is expected that prospective students have basic literacy and numeracy skills equivalent to Year 9. To qualify as an accredited farrier, the prospective student must meet the assessment criteria in all 20 modules in the Certificate III in Farriery delivered in the course. The student must also complete a first aid qualification such as the St John's Ambulance, Red Cross or Workplace Level 2 Certificate within the first year of their apprenticeship.

Most farriers work as apprentices for a few years before venturing out on their own. This invaluable training helps the apprentice fine tune his skills while getting advice and assistance from a seasoned professional.

Employment Opportunities

Most farriers are self-employed and may employ an assistant or apprentice. They offer their services to trainers, owner-trainers and horse owners at trotting stables, racing stables, studs, riding clubs and hunt clubs, training establishments, shows and at private properties. A considerable amount of farriery work is performed on leisure horses such as hacks and ponies.

Most job openings come from people retiring or leaving the occupation.

Did You Know?

Foals are born with symmetrical paired hooves: why have they lost this by maturity?

At work

(Source: Australian Horse Council)

Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up.

Horses can run shortly after birth.

Domestic horses have a lifespan of around 25 years.

A 19th century horse named ‘Old Billy’ is said to have lived 62 years.

Horses have around 205 bones in their skeleton.

Horses have been domesticated for over 5000 years.

Horses are herbivores (plant eaters).

Horses have bigger eyes than any other mammal that lives on land.

Because horse’s eyes are on the side of their head they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time.

Horses gallop at around 44 kph (27 mph).

The fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse was 88 kph (55 mph).

Estimates suggest that there are around 60 million horses in the world.

Scientists believe that horses have evolved over the past 50 million years from much smaller creatures.

A male horse is called a stallion.

A female horse is called a mare.

A young male horse is called a colt.

A young female horse is called a filly.

Ponies are small horses.
(Source: Science Kids)

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