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Farrier

Farriers inspect, trim and shape horses' hooves and make, fit and nail horseshoes, or racing plates or 'tips' for racehorses.

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.

TASKS

Farriers may perform the following tasks:

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
renove 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

PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

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

Interest Area

EDUCATION & TRAINING

To become a farrier you usually have to complete an apprenticeship in Farriery.

Entry requirements may vary, but employers generally require Year 10.

You can also become a farrier by completing a VOC qualification in farriery. As subjects and prerequisites can vary between institutions, you should contact your chosen institution for further information.

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.