They shoe horses, don’t they?

By REBECCA S. NIEMINEN

news@vindy.com

KINSMAN

Unless you own a horse, you’ve probably never given much thought to what’s involved in being a farrier.

Rob Mokri, a 28-year-old from west Mecca Township, has been a farrier for 10 years and said there’s a lot more to the job than many people realize.

“For starters, it can be dangerous,” Mokri said while crouching beside a charcoal-colored mare, trimming her hooves. “You’re potentially putting yourself in harm’s way with a 1,000-pound animal, and often people don’t consider your safety. If I think a horse is going to be dangerous, I will walk away.”

Mokri said he did get injured once.

“I was hurt by a mule and hyper-extended my right knee,” he said, adding, “When I first started out, I was nervous about being injured, but I have grown comfortable because as time has passed, I have gained more knowledge and confidence.”

Mokri said his job also requires more knowledge than most people assume.

“A farrier is basically one step below a veterinarian in knowledge of a horse’s feet,” he said. “Although the craft is basically the same as it was 100 years ago, the amount of knowledge is greater now because of MRIs and X-rays.”

Mokri trained at the Kentucky Horseshoeing School University in Richmond, Ky., just outside of Lexington.

“I took a six-month course there, which was the longest I could find in the United States,” he said. “Afterward, I apprenticed for six months with Jason Mackey. Now I can look at a horse’s foot and judge what it needs and what it should look like after it is trimmed.”

Mokri became interested in becoming a farrier after working at a horse farm during his teen years.

“I did not know much about horses, but I saw farriers there, and I became interested in what they were doing,” he said.

As sole proprietor, Mokri works for many private horse owners as well as area boarding stables.

He said his job is not a common one, and there are only a handful of farriers in the area.

Lawrence Pleva, 39, of Kinsman, has been a farrier for about 20 years and started at age 19.

He trained at Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School and then apprenticed for two years.

“Some people might look at a farrier and think, ‘Oh, he’s just a dumb guy who shoes horses,’ but there’s more to it than they realize,” Pleva said.

Like Mokri, Pleva said the job requires a lot more knowledge than most people assume and can be dangerous.

“I have never been seriously injured, although I have been kicked,” Pleva said. “Most of the time it is ponies that are the worst for kicking and not the larger horses. When I started out, I was scared about getting hurt, but now I am used to it. If I think a horse will be dangerous, I will walk away from the job. Sometimes vets will sedate horses just so a farrier can work on them.”

Pleva said farriers can earn more than one might assume.

“A farrier in Trumbull County might earn between $50,000 and $60,000 a year on average, and in Geauga County a farrier can easily earn six figures,” he said, adding, “The income depends on the area in which you live. In Kentucky, for instance, you can earn extremely good money as a farrier, and around here, there are a lot more horses in Geauga County, so naturally the income will be higher.”

Although there are many Amish living in Geauga and Trumbull counties, both Mokri and Pleva said the bulk of their clients are not Amish.

“The Amish often use their own farriers and often don’t want to pay the going rate that non-Amish farriers are charging,” Mokri said.

Although many people use the terms farrier and blacksmith interchangeably, Pleva said a blacksmith is a person who creates ornamental iron work, while a farrier specifically shoes horses.

“Ninety-nine percent of people will call a farrier a blacksmith, and that’s fine, but it’s technically not the correct term,” Pleva said.

As part of their training, both Mokri and Pleva learned to make shoes using an anvil and forge.

“In the old days, farriers created shoes by hand, whereas nowadays most farriers will use a pre-formed shoe and tweak it a little, but most farriers do know how to make shoes the old-fashioned way as well,” Pleva said.

In Europe, farriers are required to have special licensing, but Pleva said no specific licensing is required in the United States.

“There is talk of this changing,” Pleva said. “I would personally like to see that happen, because I think it promotes a sense of professionalism and encourages farriers to do their best work.”