Youngstown Daily Legal News

Local farriers working to pony up more business

RICK ADAMCZAK
Special to the Legal News
Published: April 11, 2013

The lingering effects of the recession means working as a farrier or blacksmith is no longer a stable occupation.

In Central Ohio there are fewer than 10 people who make their living as a farrier, says Trey Green, owner of Oak Creek Forge in Hilliard, and business isn’t what it used to be a decade ago.

“To maintain a lucrative business you need about 300 horses. Right now, we’re all at about 200 or so,” says Green. “It’s the economy. I’m the highest-priced one out there and I haven’t raised my prices in four years.”

He said in the last five years he’s noticed a “steady decline” in the amount of horse ownership in Central Ohio.

This time of the year is especially slow for Green, who specializes in shoeing show horses.

“In the winter a lot of times people take their show horses down south. We make all of our business in the summer,” he said. “Farriers are like any other business, people are looking for the cheapest deal.”

He said there are some young farriers in the area who offer cheap rates, but he says you get what you pay for and suggests due to their lack of experience quality is unlikely to be as high as with an experienced farrier such as himself.

For other farriers the bulk of their business is from recreational horse owners, those who use their horses for riding or just to have, essentially, as pets.

One of the reasons for the drop off in business, he said, is that owners struggle to pay for the high costs of owning a horse.

“You can buy a cheap horse , but it takes a lot to maintain them. You pay $400 to $700 a month to board them and then you have to pay to feed them,” says Green. “It’s like having a kid in college.”

A farrier is someone who cares for a horse’s hoof, such as placing a horse shoe on a hoof or trimming the hooves.

Horses need shoes so their hooves don’t entirely wear out, says Green.

It’s a craft that dates back to ancient Rome, he says.

For Green, it’s a passion that started as a boy in south Texas.

“I love horses. Every horse is different, every foot is different,” he said. “I love shoeing horses. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”

An ex-Marine, Green chose a career as a farrier soon after leaving the military.

“I always knew I wanted to work with horses,” he said.

Indeed, he’s lived a bit of a cowboy life, not just as a farrier, but competing in bull riding, too.

After living in Colorado for 12 years he moved to Columbus six years ago to be closer to his children.

He’s also traveled around the world competing in international horse shoeing competitions representing the American Farriers Association.

“Only 1 percent of us actually compete,” says Green. “It’s like any other job - you have to keep progressing ... keep learning.”

The worst part of the job, he says, isn’t the four-legged clients, but their two-legged owners.

“The hardest part of the job is dealing with the clients. For a lot of them they’re like pets so when little Fluffy needs a spanking, they don’t like that,” says Green.

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