REFLECTING ON FOUR DECADES AS A FARRIER
This article appeared in the March 2015 Stable Sheet. We are re-sharing it in tribute to Stephen Hazen Jr., who recently passed away. His obituary can be found here: Stephen Hazen Jr Obituary - The Burlington Free Press
Although he’s been around horses his entire life, Steve Hazen came into the farrier business by accident. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps after graduating from Castleton State College and was sent to Vietnam in 1968. “Fortunately I got home safely,” Steve said. When he returned, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton and part of his role there was to counsel marines on educational opportunities. A couple of marines asked Steve to look into horseshoeing schools for them. Steve did and although the other men decided they weren’t interested, Steve sent in an application for himself and was accepted and trained under Ralph Hoover in Porterville, CA.
Steve has been horseshoeing since the 1970s. “When I started shoeing, I was charging $12 with four handmade shoes and $5 for trimming.” In addition to the cost of the service, a lot has changed in 40 years. “Technology has dramatically made the profession safer,” he said. Steve says that he has seen an evolution in the relationship between veterinarians and farriers: he sees much more mutual respect now than he did four decades ago. Education and research into genetics, medicine, horseshoeing – all of it has really impacted the profession and everybody has benefitted, he said, “especially the horse.”
Maintenance of a horse’s feet is directly related to the overall health of the animal. “Hoof care is probably one of the most important aspects of maintaining the horse.” The farrier needs to look at the whole package and that takes experience and a lot of thinking, he said. “You have to look at the whole horse.” It’s important to know the horses that you work with and know their issues.
Steve has been working with the Miner Morgans since the 1980s. Equine Manager Karen Lassell recalls that Steve was the first farrier she’d worked with who asked if he could see a horse move so that he could better assess the horse’s needs. “I’m very tuned into the horse,” Steve said. “I always wanted to make sure that I gave every horse the time it needed.” Steve said, noting that some horses can be set up with shoes in less than one hour and others take more than three.
Horse owners can help to accommodate farriers by providing them a safe place to work that has easy access for their shoeing truck, Steve said. It’s also helpful if horses are cleaned up and ready for the farrier when he or she arrives. Steve said that horse owners are not always aware of how small changes can make things easier and safer for them. It’s the farrier’s job to communicate those things to the horse owner, he said.
“It’s a wonderful business for someone who’s willing to work,” Steve said, adding that it can be a tough business and the job is one that demands a lot of self-discipline. “You’ve got to have work ethic” if you want to be in this business, he said. The work is very physical and very demanding mentally. As a farrier you are not only dealing with horses but also with people. “People have different ideas about their animals.” Three critical personalities are at play in creating a good working relationship: the horse’s, the horse owner’s and the farrier’s. “That can be a hard combination,” Steve said, adding that he has operated using the philosophy: If you have good horses and good people, keep them. If you have good horses and mediocre people, keep them. But if you have bad horses and bad people, move on.
Steve’s advice for beginning farriers is to “go in with both eyes open.” It’s also important “to keep your head together and learn how to deal with the pressures that you put on yourself,” Steve said. He also advises that you stay in good physical condition and take care of your body as the work definitely puts strain on the body.
Steve is mostly retired from horseshoeing, but says that he’ll keep his finger in the business to some degree. When asked what is next, he joked that he just bought a new recliner. He said he plans to stay active and healthy with his wife and that he’ll “go out kicking and biting.”
─ Rachel Dutil
