by Tracy Baker

Created on: September 30, 2009

With technology progressing and cities expanding past their limits, deeper and deeper into the country's farm lands, the population of people who indulge in horseback riding has become smaller in the last century. But that can be a good thing for anyone who has the desire to become a horse farrier. Although there are not as many people riding horses as there were, perhaps, seventy years ago, there are still plenty out there with a passion for trail-riding, rodeo, and other horse-related recreation. And when it comes to horses, they all need a good shoe job.

Because those who indulge in horse-related hobbies are a close-knit community, becoming a professional farrier is not all that hard. As it is with most any self-made business, advertising on the Internet, through flyers, or through a local or community paper is never a bad idea. But sometimes all it takes is a couple of customers who are satisfied with your work and they will often times spread the word through the horse-riding community for you. But before obtaining those first few customers, there are a few things that any new farrier needs to know and the first thing should be quite obvious.

In order for any person, either male of female, to become a farrier, they have to know a thing or two about horses. With the average horse being broke to ride around the age of two years old, they have to be broke to shoe as well. The best horses to shoe are the older horses that have been shod numerous times. They will often times pick their feet up for you, making the task of removing old shoes, trimming their feet, and nailing on new ones, easy. But green-broke horses, or those that have never been shod will more often than not , resist - and resist hard, too. Some will kick, some will lean on you, and others will move around making shoeing impossible. Anyone with the desire to become a farrier not only needs the talent and intellect to overcome these challenges but must also be able to overcome them without upsetting the customer.

The next thing that a new farrier needs to know is the anatomy of a horse's foot. The hoof of a horse's foot is not unlike a human fingernail. When a nail is driven into it, the horse does not feel it. But just like with a human fingernail, a horse's foot also has a quick. If a nail is accidentally driven into the quick of the horse's foot, not only will the horse feel pain but the hoof will be sore, causing the horse to limp, making it un-rideable for a length of time, depending on

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