OLDS, Alta. – Farrier Bill Marshall thinks he has the best job in the world.
His horse owner clients are always happy to see him, the pay is good and he has travelled the world as a blacksmith.
Marshall has been shoeing horses for 42 years. He apprenticed in northern England and moved to Canada in 1975. He is a third generation farrier and these days most of his time is spent conducting seminars and clinics. He is based in Mission, B.C., where he works mostly with performance horses.
Read Also
Feeder market adds New World screwworm risk premium
Feedlots contemplate the probability of Canadian border closing to U.S. feeder cattle if parasite found in United States
Fitting a horse with a metal shoe is an ancient art that has not changed much over the centuries. He worries when he sees someone introducing new technology like plastic and rubber shoes that are not as serviceable as traditional steel.
He also bemoans the loss of some of the old horsemanship skills which meant spending more time checking and nursing horses.
“In the equine industry, there is lacking some of the people we called legmen,” he said. These were people who devoted considerable time to checking feet and legs for soundness, then slowly tending an animal until it was healthy again.
“Gone are the times when a horse was injured and they would let it heal naturally. Now there is so much money involved, they try to fix it,” he said.
Despite these criticisms, he believes the calibre of farriers is improving. He is especially impressed with work he has seen in the provinces and states of the Pacific Northwest.
“It is as good a standard as anywhere in the world.”
He had an opportunity to examine those high standards at the 25th annual Forge Fest held at Olds College Nov. 8, where about 40 farriers from six provinces hammered and moulded steel into shoes in a series of timed events.
These events are growing in number across North America. They offer equine clinics, hands-on seminars as well as competitions divided according to experience and skill level.
“It’s developing talent for industry not only here in Alberta, but for guys from across the country,” said event organizer Marshall Iles.
The annual competition has been held at a number of venues and organizers hope to keep it at the college, which offers a farrier program.
“Olds is promoting and providing the most progressive farrier science education in North America,” said Iles, who is also an alumni and course adviser.
The college accepts 16 students per year, who often move on to apprentice to someone like Iles.
“You can teach a guy to shoe a horse in two hours, but it takes a lifetime to do it properly,” he said.
Olds is one of the few intensive farrier programs in an unregulated industry.
There is a shortage of people graduating from such certified programs and many rely on competitions and short workshops to upgrade.
In Europe, farriers can start four-year apprenticeships at age 16, compared to North America where many learned their trade through a series of short courses lasting six weeks to a year.
