Horseshoer stays hopping after 40 years
By Mandy Kay, Ag Weekly correspondent
Friday, November 21, 2008 1:59 PM CST
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MANDY Kay Ag Weekly correspondent
Jim Robinson, a southern Idaho farrier for 40 years, prepares to shoe a horse. |
HANSEN, Idaho n On a farm in Hansen, Jim Robinson is hard at work on a horse with only a set of tools at his side, as he measures yet another hoof in his horseshoeing process.
The farrier has shoed a lot of hoofs in his 40-plus years in the field of professional horseshoeing and has a large clientele to show for it.
“I work off of referrals mostly, and I’ve never needed to advertise because I have a lot of business already without it,” Robinson said.
Robinson had a love for horses from a young age, but he really became hooked at the age of 19 while employed as a farrier-in-training in Oakley, Idaho, where he also handled basically every type of horse tack, such as saddles, stirrups and horseshoes.
“My boss broke his back while working in Oakley, and I took over from that very moment on,” he said.
Robinson jumped straight into the business with only three days worth of farrier training at the College of Southern Idaho.
“I would strongly recommend schooling for people interested in going into this line of work … there is a lot of anatomy involved that you don’t initially realize,” Robinson said, as he pointed out the upper portions of the horse’s hind leg, naming the stifle, quarter and gaskin.
“Sometimes I do take apprentices along with me but, for the most part, I work alone,” he said.
On average, it takes Robinson an hour to an hour and a half to complete each job, and he has no aversion to working five days a week, possibly seven if necessary.
“At most, I have done 20 head in one day, starting at four a.m. and stopping at midnight,” he said.
Robinson goes through quite a range of suppliers, such as Eagle Farrier in Boise and D & B Supplies.
“I pay roughly $40 for shoes (per set), plus there’s also the insurance, gas, truck, and nails to take into consideration,” he said.
Robinson will go out of his way for his clients, traveling as far as Elko, Nev., three hours away, to do a particular job.
“When I travel that far, I like to get at least six head in a day at $200 per head,” Robinson says.
Robinson charges $70 to shoe a regular saddle horse, while just the trimming with no shoes will cost $30.
His price for draft horses is set at $150, plus extra for anything beyond shoes and $20 more to have the shoes weighted.
Robinson is not only skilled but has a caring nature, as he befriends every horse he shoes as if it were a member of his own family. And at the end of the day, he finds satisfaction in knowing that he will keep his clients coming back due to his accommodating schedule and honed farrier skills.
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