Farrier article
Tamara Howard
Tamara in TN
Farriers:They shoe horses don't they??
This horse woke up on the wrong side of the barn.
The black and white paint horse kicks its legs loose from farrier
apprentice Travis Bennett's grip and continues to nibble the back of
his cowboy hat.
"Quit it," Bennett says.
A few more quit its later, the horse bumps the hat off Bennett's head
and also causes his cell phone to fly out of his shirt pocket.
Bennett is wrestling - hatless - with the horse's hooves using a
wrench-like tool to pry off the old horseshoes. Apparently, the horse
doesn't like it very much.
"Some horses are better than others," Bennett muses.
After the shoes are off, farrier Eddy Mardis - Bennett's mentor and
journeyman farrier - reshapes them with a hammer on an antique anvil.
Mardis cleans the hoof, trims and files the nails, and hammers the
horseshoe back in place. Once this is done the tools are put back in
the truck and their helper for the day, 11-year-old Josh, uses a
magnet on wheels to clean up stray nails.
"You leave it like you found it," Mardis said.
This is the first of many horses that will get new shoes or nail trims
on this hot summer day.
Mardis and Bennett travel the back roads of the Panhandle every
afternoon on their predetermined route. They average eight to 10
horses a day and Mardis' wife, Tammy, keeps all their clients on a
schedule - about seven weeks between visits. She calls the owners and
reminds them of their turn, and accompanies her husband a couple of
afternoons a week.
"I didn't like him going out alone," Tammy Mardis said. "It's really
the only time we spend alone together."
Mardis has been a farrier for more than 20 years and married to Tammy
for 17. He is associate pastor at Cowboy Church and she is the
children's minister.
"God gives us a gift to help in the world and to help in his kingdom,"
Eddy Mardis said. "Horseshoeing is the thing he gave me that I enjoy."
The second stop involves three horses at the same place and they are
nail trims. Mardis takes one, a particularly ornery chestnut, and
Bennett takes another.
While Bennett's horse stands still, Mardis isn't so lucky. His horse
is all over the place, stomping his front feet and kicking his back
legs.
Job Specs
Training: A person may be required to complete an apprenticeship or
formal training in area of specialty or have some experience in this
or a related field. Those interested should be familiar with standard
concepts, practices and procedures.
Pay: In this area, the price is between $55 and $65 per shoeing and
$25 and $30 for a trim. The median yearly income is between $16,000
and $18,000.
Job Outlook: The horse population is growing, and there is a shortage
of good farriers. "It's a good field to get into if that's your
calling," Mardis said.
"The flies agitate them real bad this time of year," Tammy Mardis said
as her husband asks for a hand.
Once Bennett is finished, Mardis comes over to check his apprentice's
work. Generally, Bennett pulls the shoes and finishes the feet while
Mardis trims the nails and shapes the shoes.
"Gradually I will increase Travis' responsibilities," Mardis said.
Bennett has been Mardis' apprentice for seven weeks. He always had a
desire to work with horses, and he likes the hard work.
"It was a real honor when he asked me to work for him," Bennett said.
"It's not only a skill, it's an art."
Mardis wanted to devote more time to horseshoeing competitions and
already had 250 horses on his route. There is also a lot of wear and
tear on the body, Mardis said.
"It's like a running back only being able to catch so many passes
before his body is worn," he said.
The third stop of the afternoon involves two shoes and a trim. The
first horse, a feisty gray and black spotted horse named Smokey, is
tied to a post so Bennett can pull his shoes off. While Bennett is
working one of his back legs, the horse sits down and kicks Bennett in
the shin. After observing the wound, he continues to work, only now
the horse keeps bumping the tool box with his nose. After this horse
is shod, they turn their attentions to the other one waiting
patiently.
About five minutes later a big crash is heard. There went the tool
box.
"Well, that was uncalled for," Bennett said with a laugh.
The next horse will get what's called a hot shoe. After Mardis trims
and cuts the hoof, the horseshoe is placed in a forge where it is
heated. When he pulls it out of the forge, the horseshoe glows red and
Mardis then shapes it on the anvil.
The hot shoe is placed on the hoof of the horse, which gives it a
perfect marriage between the hoof and the shoe. The shoe is then
shaped more and put in a bucket of cold water to cool before it is
nailed on.
"Hot shoeing is easier on your body than cold shoeing," Mardis said.
"The hot shoe is easier to shape."
After their last stop of the day, which is a Shetland pony, the
farriers take off back to the church where more work waits.