Words Cassidy Nunn
Photo Nunn Other Photography
A loud whoosh can be heard as Rob Young lights the flame of the forge which is perched on the back of his customized farrier’s truck. The propane hisses as he slides a straight piece of metal into the red hot flames. Soon this piece of metal will be meticulously hammered and shaped into a custom horseshoe. His client’s horse stands patiently while he removes the previous set of horseshoes and then trims her hooves in preparation for the new shoes to be nailed on.
Rob’s dog, a golden retriever named Daisy, sits off to the side of the truck observing – she spends her days riding around from barn to barn keeping Rob company while he works. A large anvil is set up in the barn aisle with a hammer perched on top, a pair of tongs for holding the hot steel slung over the side and a large bucket of cold water on the ground nearby, ready to cool the burning hot horseshoes that will be shaped by these tools and Rob’s expertise.
After attending Heartland Horseshoeing School in Missouri in 2008, Rob has spent the last 16 years putting in countless hours of hard work, education and dedication to his craft while building his business after putting in years as an apprentice. He’s become a highly sought-after farrier on the Saanich Peninsula, known for his calm demeanor, patience, horsemanship skills and working with nervous and difficult-to-shoe horses. He offers hot shoeing, barefoot trimming, corrective and therapeutic shoeing and hoof care for all types of horses, from miniature horses to competitive sport horses.
While Rob grew up riding horses and competing, he’s now traded in his saddle for his blacksmithing tools. He’s passionate about competing in farrier competitions which he says “helps refine your skills as a farrier and helps your everyday shoeing so much more.” The competition is designed to test the blacksmithing skills of farriers in several different timed and judged classes from forging to shoeing. In the forging class, the farriers are shown two different horseshoes with specific measurements; the competitors then have 60 minutes to, ideally, perfectly replicate the two shoes. “You basically have to be a robot,” Rob says with a laugh, “and recreate what the judge made.” The final shoes are then judged on the accuracy and craftsmanship.
He recently attended the Western Canadian Farrier Association’s Fall Conference and Competition, which was held in Abbotsford and hosted farriers from all over Canada, as well as several international speakers and judges. In the months leading up to the competition, three days a week Rob would work his normal full day, stopping at home to drop Daisy off and touch base with his wife and two young children before heading to his fellow farrier friend’s shop to put in another three to four hours of practising for the competition. It was a physically and mentally demanding schedule, but after 10 years of competing off and on in farrier competitions, this year all his hard work paid off when he came home from the Western Canadian Farrier’s Association with several category wins, including the coveted title of Overall High Point Champion.
It takes an incredible amount of artistry, skill, precision and knowledge to be competitive in these competitions but for Rob it also brings a great sense of accomplishment and pride in his work. The atmosphere, he says, is “full of camaraderie. The competitive aspect is fun, encouraging and supportive.” He plans to compete again next year and one day hopes to be able to try out for the Canadian Horseshoeing team, a team of four competitors and one spare, which competes internationally. In the meantime, he’ll be in his truck with Daisy at his side, continuing to work at what he loves.
www.linktr.ee/rob.thefarrier
