12/13/07 Horseshoers

There's a group of people associated with horses that I have the utmost respect for. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to tell you who they are. I have shod and trimmed a few horses when I had to and I'll tell you I admire anyone who can shoe a horse properly. Taking it a step farther, I really respect those individuals who shoe horses as a profession. It's not just nailing a flat, oval-shaped piece of steel to a horse's hoof and calling it a job. Consider these farriers have to know a horse's anatomy and how all those body parts work together to let a horse move correctly. Horses all have the same parts but they're not all put together exactly the same, so the hoof a horseshoer is working on has to fit that particular horse's anatomy. That ability always amazes me. A farrier's job is physical. Just watch the positions they can hold to keep a horse comfortable, and think about shaping horseshoes by pounding on a steel anvil. Horseshoers need to have common horse sense and know a little horse psychology. Think about going to trim or shoe a horse that has been just waiting for the horseshoer so he can have a little recreation. It reminds me of the Ace Reid cartoon that shows an outlaw horse tied to the corral with one leg tied up and his ears laid back with the cowboy crumpled up in the corral dust saying "I think I got him shod, I nailed steel on everything that went by." Even though it's a tough job most good shoers I've known enjoy the job and get a lot of satisfaction from their profession. I'm Jeff Keane.