There is no argument that farriery is a male-dominated industry. Being female is part of my experience as a farrier.

To give you a bit of context, in Aus­tralia we have trimming schools filled with female recruits. In our farrier schools, of which there are only six, we’ve had a total of four female apprentices over the entire 4 years of study for the country. So in Australia, as a female farrier, I’m rare.

There are biases that may put you at a disadvantage. You might be too small, or too big, too young or too old. We’re more complex creatures than just our gender, and my solution isn’t one-size-fits-all. In many respects, biases can present challenges to launching and maintaining a farrier practice. I believe the solutions that I applied to my situation also can be applied to the difficulties any farrier might find in a career. 

There are many aspects of farriery that will challenge you mentally and physically. Becoming a farrier is all about developing grit. But if you stick at it long enough, a bit of that grit will work its way into your soul.

Answer These Questions

When starting out, there are three questions you need to answer:

• What is your end goal?
• How are you going to get to that goal?
• Why do I want to be a farrier?