Shoes that fit | Seeing a horse walk comfortably in its new shoes is gratifying, says blacksmith
CALGARY — When Riley Swanby was a child, she used to watch her father, Erik, work as a farrier, forging horseshoes and fitting them to the animals they protect.
As an avid rider and horse lover, Swanby spent a lot of time around the farm near Crossfield, Alta., and as she grew up, her father’s work piqued her interest in the trade.
“When you are younger, it looks a lot different than when you are actually doing it,” she said.
“It is just hot steel, fire, smoke and horses, and that is what got me interested the most.”
Read Also
Key actions identified to address canola tariffs
Federal and Saskatchewan governments discuss next steps with industry on Chinese tariffs
After graduating from high school, Swanby travelled and also worked with her father on the Calgary Stampede’s blacksmithing committee. Then she made up her mind to follow in her father’s footsteps and go to school to become a farrier.
“Just being (at the Stampede) and watching all the professionals from all over the world made me really excited,” she said.
She researched horseshoeing schools and settled on one in Kentucky, where she spent the first three months of this year learning the basics of blacksmithing and shoeing horses.
“We just started by spending time around horses and doing simple exercises with steel, like drawing it out to make it longer or taking a horseshoe and straightening it,” Swanby said.
“Over time we started trimming … and towards the end we started making handmade shoes.”
More women are becoming farriers these days, but Swanby still found herself as the only woman in the class, which at times made it feel like all eyes were on her.
“It can make it difficult, just like anything where you are the only girl, all the attention is drawn to whether it is good or bad and it puts a lot of pressure on you,” she said.
However, Swanby said her patience, horsemanship skills and understanding of the finesse of the trade quickly earned her top grades, much to the dismay of some of the men.
She said a little competition just pushed everyone to be better and to keep up with the fast-paced program.
At the end of the day, she added, it is the horse that decides if a job has been done well.
“I think (seeing) that final product is the most satisfying feeling. When you nail a handmade shoe on a horse and they walk away comfortably or when a jumper comes back and they won their class and the owner is appreciative about it, is my favourite part.”
Swanby and her father worked together during this year’s Stampede to showcase their skills at the blacksmith’s booth, where they demonstrated how to make horseshoes and gathered crowds who had come to watch the heritage skill.
“I really like working with her,” said Erik. “It may not be the typical father and daughter outing, but it is still time together and that is what’s most important.”
While he said he is proud to see her do the same work he did, he said it never mattered to him what she chose as a career so long as it made her happy.
Swanby said she dreams of eventually going back to school to become a veterinarian.
But for now she will keep her love for animals burning with hot steel and horseshoes.
