Having your work critiqued by an experienced mentor is a great way to get motivated to improve.

Happy New Year! The New Year brings with it a determination to better ourselves through goals and resolutions. Sometimes it is easy to get into a rut or do “just enough to get by.” One of the wonderful parts of this craft is that there is always an opportunity to improve. No matter what skill level you are at, dedicated study and practice will help you move to a higher level. It is fun to watch someone who has paid the price work under a horse or at the anvil. They make it look so easy! But it was the same for them as it is for you. At one time, they struggled. Everyone must pay the same price. If you choose to commit yourself to the craft, you become more efficient which in turn makes you more money.

Farriery is a difficult craft to master. It’s not terribly difficult to learn. This is evidenced by the many farriers working at sub-standard levels around the world. There is no bureaucratic agency that will force the farrier to excel at his or her work. It is left entirely up to the individual. Some farriers take this responsibility seriously, while others count on the ignorance of the horse owning public to get by with their incompetence. If you are a horse owner, you can educate yourself to learn what quality work should look like and expect it from a qualified farrier. Farriers that strive to better themselves, don’t always do it just for the client or for the horse. They do it for themselves.

In order to improve, farriers must educate themselves. They must be honest with themselves and admit they could do better work. Most farriers or prospective farriers do this by attending farrier school or working as an apprentice. They must find a mentor – someone who is operating at a higher level than the farrier. Someone who can offer constructive criticism. Farriers must be teachable and humble enough to listen and make changes where necessary! This is how farriers can improve themselves. When they have completed a course or term of instruction from a mentor, there is a great sense of accomplishment. This is fleeting, however, as there will be new material to learn and new obstacles to overcome. Learning is a never-ending process.

A major challenge that farriers face is that they work alone. No one will know if they cut a corner or don’t do their best work as long as it’s “good enough.” One of the saddest things for a farrier instructor to witness, is a student that learns a better way, improves, and then goes back to the way they were doing it before just because it is easier!

It would be like someone who just eats cold cereal because it is easy to prepare but eventually, he decides to take a cooking class to expand his horizons. After completing the class and learning many great secrets about cooking gourmet food, the person goes home and continues to eat cold cereal. Why? Because in order to apply those newly learned cooking techniques, he would have to go to the store and get the ingredients. It would take more time. Cereal will fill him up anyway, right? What a tragic waste!

Farriers must stay motivated to continually improve and apply the new techniques they have learned even when it is difficult. Jim Poor, an expert horseshoer and tool maker calls these dedicated individuals, “the true believers.” They are the ones who will do their best work, even when they know no one will see it. They compete with no one but themselves.

In order to stay motivated, it helps to set specific goals. Certifications and competitions can be good vehicles to set goals but not the only way. Farriers should be realistic about their current level and set goals in order to get to the next level. They should be the farrier’s goals; not someone else’s. Breaking big goals down into smaller milestones can help as well. Watching (and learning from) someone at a higher level can be inspiring to try harder. The Farrier Focus Podcast is a treasure trove of interviews with skilled farriers and veterinarians that have paid the price and continue to push themselves. Listening to their stories and advice each week is extremely motivating! These talented professionals once struggled the same way we struggle. Hearing how they set goals and excelled, helps us to envision an ideal future for ourselves and get organized to get there.

Good luck to us all as we strive to recommit ourselves to the craft and stay motivated to be better this year!