American Farriers Journal
American Farriers Journal is the “hands-on” magazine for professional farriers, equine veterinarians and horse care product and service buyers.
FIGURE 1a-c: Common farrier working positions are vulnerable to sudden limb movement and injury. Joshua Speer
The High Cost of Unsafe Horses on Farriers
Addressing poor behavior isn’t just a courtesy; it’s a critical requirement for long-term health & professional sustainability
Takeaways
- A horse that stands quietly and yields its feet calmly is not an optional perk but the necessary baseline for protecting a farrier’s physical health and career longevity.
- Unsafe actions typically stem from three areas — lack of training, physical pain or discomfort or learned resistance. Distinguishing between these allows the farrier to intervene more effectively.
- Farriers have the right and responsibility to set safety standards. This includes requiring a capable handler, stopping work when conditions become unsafe, recommending veterinary care for suspected pain and, if necessary, refusing to work on horses that present unreasonable risks.
When a 1,200-pound horse jerks a leg, strikes or rears during hoof care, the result is not merely inconvenient. For farriers working beneath a horse’s center of mass, often bent or kneeling and supporting weight asymmetrically, unsafe behavior is a serious occupational hazard with the potential for immediate and long-term injury to the farrier.
Despite this reality, dangerous behavior during farrier work is frequently minimized, excused as temperament or misdirected as a handling failure on the part of the farrier. In practice, most unsafe behavior observed during hoof care develops long before the farrier arrives and is commonly associated with inadequate preparation, unresolved discomfort or inconsistent expectations.
High-Risk Profession
Farriery consistently ranks among the most hazardous animal-related professions. Occupational safety data and farrier association surveys document a high incidence of work-related injuries, including concussions, fractures, crush injuries and chronic musculoskeletal damage.
A survey conducted by the American Farrier’s Association reported that most farriers…
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American Farriers Journal is the “hands-on” magazine for professional farriers, equine veterinarians and horse care product and service buyers.
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Events
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Doc Foal's | The Black Pads
At Doc Foal's, we manufacture The Black Pads and The Black Pads PLUS (featuring embedded magnets and copper). Our hybrid pads work seamlessly with your choice of conventional horseshoe, combining metal for structure with polyurethane for exceptional comfort and shock absorption.
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Sunrise Farrier Supply
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Equilox International
Equilox International Inc. specializes in equine horse hoof adhesives. Developed in 1988 after many trials and extensive research at leading universities and equine centers throughout the U.S., the Equilox Adhesive Hoof Repair System was originally used to treat competitive horses. Now, Equilox Adhesive is used by farriers, equine centers, and horse owners — as well as various zoo and wildlife centers — throughout the world.