Maria Ostry of Bruno, NE specializes in the foot care of Draft horses and Miniatures.

Maria Ostry of Bruno, Nebraska (in Butler County) has been shoeing horses for 3 years now. She attended the Butler Professional Farrier School basic course in 2015 and the advanced course in 2016. She excelled as a student where she demonstrated a desire to learn and pushed herself every day to become better. She has not stopped that drive to master the craft since she started her business in the fall of 2015.

Maria grew up on a farm in a large family. She is number five of eleven children. “We all learned to work together,” says Maria, “and sing together.” Maria’s family has a unique Czech heritage. Their farm is close to the original homestead that was settled nearly six generations ago. She and her family have performed as the Ostry Family Singers every year in several Czech festivals including the largest, the Wilber Czech Days Festival since 2004. Maria sings in the Czech language. She also plays many instruments including the piano, organ, violin, trumpet, trombone, and clarinet.

When she was 13 years old, she became very interested in horses. Maria says, “My mom encouraged me to pursue it. She told me that if I was interested, I needed to learn more about them so three of my sisters and I all took riding lessons…” Soon horses became an integral part of the farm, plowing fields and assisting in other chores. Her family now has 8 horses on the farm. Maria participated in 4-H, riding and showing horses.

When it came time to strike out on her own, Maria chose to go to a performing arts school and major in Directing and Theater Management. After doing two years of school, Maria says, “I loved it but I needed something else to do to make money. My mom said, ‘Have you thought about going to horseshoeing school? You’ve always loved horses.’ And it just sort of clicked.”

It seemed to be a good choice for Maria too because she says that she enjoys the day-to-day work. She says, “It’s just one of those jobs that even after I’ve put in a full day’s work, I still love it.” And Maria is no stranger to hard work. She still helps out on the family farm (a full-time job in itself) and works on 8 to 9 horses a day. “A big part of my business is trimming,” Maria says, “but I shoe too.” Maria was able to buy her new truck last year using the income she has earned from her business. When asked what her favorite part of the job is, Maria says, “I love working with horses every day. Being my own boss is a nice part of it, but I just really enjoy the horses…and the people. Thankfully, I have very good clients.” Maria’s clients have commented that they like her “good bedside manner” and the way that she can “make the horses comfortable.”

Maria truly is a gifted horseman. She has a calming effect on horses and other animals too. Each time she walks to the shop, she bends down to pet the (oft-ignored) barn cat. Many times, in the class, she was able to work with and calm down horses that other students couldn’t get around. When asked how she has honed this trait, Maria simply says, “I just want the horses to like me. I like figuring out ways to help them. That helps me.”

Maria shows the difference in foot size between a Miniature horse and a Belgian Draft horse.

Maria has developed a name for herself in her area as the “one who works on draft horses and miniatures.” Maria admits, “They’re my favorite to work on. It works out perfect because most farriers in my area won’t work on the Drafts and Minis because they are either too big or too small. I love the challenge.” This helped Maria choose the name, “Mighty and Meek Horseshoeing” to represent the large and small animals that she enjoys working with so much. Even Maria’s logo on her truck (that she designed and illustrated herself) is of a Shire draft horse standing next to a Miniature pony. The inspiration for the artwork comes from two of Maria’s own horses, a Shire mare named Big Lady and a Miniature horse named, Cocoa. Maria is training Cocoa to pull a cart and Big Lady is used on the farm as a plow horse.

Maria’s business is called “Mighty and Meek” after the large and small horses she enjoys working with. Maria is also an accomplished artist. She designed and illustrated the logo on her truck.

In fact, Big Lady has benefitted from Maria’s farrier skill. Maria related the following: “My Shire mare is really base-narrow and has a really small, left hind foot. She wasn’t lame on it but she didn’t seem to have any power. She just wasn’t giving it her all when she would pull the plow. After I attended the first six weeks [at Butler Professional Farrier School], I went home and put a shoe on her with a lateral extension and a trailer to make up for where she didn’t have any foot. When we learned about that in class, I immediately thought of my mare. It seemed to make a big difference too. I still shoe her that way and now she out-pulls her teammate! I think she just feels better. It was a good feeling to know I could help her.”

Maria isn’t big on talking about herself. She’d rather work hard and let that speak for itself. Her humility has no doubt helped her gain the trust of horses and people alike. Though she would never say it about herself, her business name, Mighty and Meek, accurately describes her. She works with a quiet strength that many farriers would do well to emulate. It was a pleasure to have her as a student and we wish Maria the best in her business and her life!