13/04/2026
Well said
I spend $10k a year on body work.
That's what it costs me to be able to do my job, at the level that I can perform, relatively pain free, for my body. And I don't even shoe! Part of my decision not to offer glue ons as a service was I couldn't justify the extra wear and tear on my body.
To give you some context, farriers are sitting in their car for hours every day. We get some steps in but not a ton. We hold up hundreds of pounds of your horse's weight at each appointment. And our bodies regularly experience an unknown number of pounds of torque when horses pull, lean, push, and sn**ch.
This job is physical every day, in every way.
Wet floors causing you to step and hold more carefully, so you don't slip.
Wet feet/shedding hair/mud/poop causing your fingers to grip differently, and fatiguing your hands faster.
Dry feet causing you to grip and push your rasp harder, to cut through that summer wall.
Always ending up in the corner, bracing so you have more space between the wall and your head.
Constantly readjusting the horse to stand square, to go back where you started, to keep their head neutral, to stop leaning.
Hunching your back or neck away when you're worried they're going to bite.
Deciding whether to let go, hold, push, pull, or drop them depending on how much force you're holding onto.
Pulling against limb tension to get them into a position where you can use your tools efficiently.
Holding your body at awkward angles way from the horse who bites or kicks so you're out of range or at least have clearance to react.
And every farrier has to cope in some way. Drugs and alcohol are not uncommon. Needing regular NSAIDS is considered normal. Blowing up at the fiftieth yank of the day. Coming into an appointment with a difficult horse or owner already hot. Ghosting people, needing a long break, having a mental breakdown. These can be common too.
When your physical health takes a hit every day, it affects your mental health too.
Some farriers have not learned to be good at business, communication, and setting appropriate boundaries but the above remains true of many. And difficult clients and horses push the limit regularly.
I would also add the choosing a very physical job in an area that it is expensive to live in (at least here, but costs are rising everywhere) and having your body literally carry the ability to pay your bills without any benefits of being an employee is a tough road.
I'm sure some of the old crusty ones would accused me of not being able to hack it, spoiled in this modern era, too soft, or a big whiner. Or perhaps women can't cut it in this industry like they suspected all along....
OR! - the farriers who have been seriously or fatally injured have faded away from the industry. The farriers who couldn't handle it (for excellent reasons) got a different job. The farriers who ended up in rehab or serious surgery or had DUIs and couldn't drive themselves around anymore....
Only the somewhat able bodied and able minded survive and keep showing up to your barn.
I'm not saying that this industry necessarily drives you to the brink of physical or mental breakdown, though it absolutely could. It does reveal what has been in us all along and compounds previous or ongoing issues, at some times an unbearable rate.
Back to my almost $10,000/year on bodywork - that's the cost of doing business for me so I can sustain my business (because my body is my business) this far.
We're all spending money on something to cope.
If I can offer some encouragement:
Raise your rates.
Get yourself to the chiropractor or massage therapist or doctor or surgeon or astrologist or psychic or whoever will help you.
Get good at saying no.
Get more clear and more kind.
Listen to your body saying no.
We only have one body and this one precious life. ✨️
Shout out to my chiropractors Dr. Morgan + Dr. Lauren and my massage therapist/acupuncturist Michelle for making my career an ongoing possibility. 🩷
