Riley Kirkpatrick taught farriers how to create drifts for forging their own tools at a January clinic in Sennett, N.Y.

The Oregon farrier flew in to lead the event, hosted by the Western New York Farrier’s Association. He told Auburn Pub that he started making his own tools when he was “young and broke.”

Making their own tools can save farriers significant money. According to Auburn Pub, the equipment the participants created would have cost around $300, while the metal used costs only $10.

“The participants really want to take a hold of their own lives,” Kirkpatrick says.

He supports farriers making their own tools even though it diminishes the profits he could be making if they bought tools from him.

“I want them to feed their own mouths, make their own money,” he says.

Attendee Kalam Blessing, a Willseyville, N.Y., farrier, had experience making his own tools, but said Kirkpatrick improved his technique.

“You pick up little pieces from every single person,” Blessing says.