Oldest working Farrier

[Yardbird]

My Farrier celebrates his 70 th birthday today . he is a great guy and wonderfully patient with the horses.I hope he carries on for a while but it is a hard old job out in all weathers. Anyone got an older Farrier?

 

[Rowreach]

Mine is about 40 I think! - but I remember an old farrier when I was a child who was still working aged 80. Sadly, although he still wanted to work, not many people were happy with him shoeing their horses by that point, and with good reason.

I honestly can't think why any farrier would want (or be able) to carry on doing such a brutal job when they get older.

 

[HeyMich]

When I was a child our ancient blacksmith (must have been 80 if a day!) used to say that "if you smell the smoke from a blacksmith's iron for 100 years you'll live long".

I get concerned when the farriers nowadays are young and spritely!

 

[milliepops]

I honestly can't think why any farrier would want (or be able) to carry on doing such a brutal job when they get older.

OH reckons every farrier has a certain number of sets in them... they can either go at it and work all hours and conk out early crippled, or go steady, have fewer clients and last longer he's taken the second approach and backfills with contracting work on the tractor

 

[DabDab]

OH reckons every farrier has a certain number of sets in them... they can either go at it and work all hours and conk out early crippled, or go steady, have fewer clients and last longer he's taken the second approach and backfills with contracting work on the tractor

I do hope you've made his selective client list

My last regularly used farrier retired at 73, but by then he looked about 100. He used to say that he would have retired at 50 but by then he was already so knackered up that he feared if he didn't keep going he would just keel over. He was a wonderful farrier and I could never really find another I liked as much after he retired

 

[Britestar]

Today I attended the funeral of a farrier who was 85.

He trimmed a horse late last year (mentioned in the service), and clenched up one of mine (for his son, also a farrier) earlier in the year.

 

[Equi]

I had an old barefoot specialist who made my cob with what at the time i thought might be laminitus sound! He spent about an hour and a half doing the trim, explaining each step and had to sit on a stool for most of it, but he loved his job so much he just wouldn't quit. He was wise enough though to only do horses who were not cray cray and he did make a point of asking before coming out what he was like with farriers and general temperament. He suggested the cob actually had navicular cause he had no real symptoms in the hoof of lami. He was a good ole soul.

 

[Yardbird]

I wish he would write a book of his memoirs, he has told so many interesting stories over the years. He started at a proper Forge.

 

[joosie]

Our farrier in France is 78.

 

[Yardbird]

Our farrier in France is 78.

You win so far