Farrier Finds Her New Trade Makes A Good Fit "You gotta find something you love and this is it." Farriers have long included blacksmithing in their bag of skills and, according to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a blacksmith is ...a mighty man, With large and sinewy hands, and the muscles of his brawny arms are strong as iron bands, a description was first published around 1912. But that was then and this is now, times have changed, and that image is changing, too. Think 5 4 tall, 128 pounds, and female. Think Stacy Steward, one of the relatively small (but growing) number of female farriers in the country. The 23-year old Stacy resides, with her husband Jason, in Fayette County, Tennessee, the place where she was born and raised. And a place she never really gave a lot of thought to leaving as she was growing up on the family cattle operation with her parents, David Earl and Wanda Thompson. That is, until she decided to become one of the countrys few female farriers. Stacys love for horses started early; she began riding when she was ..old enough to, and eventually spent a number of years running barrels in the IBRA. In the process of finding her lifes course she worked briefly for a veterinarian and attended UT-Martin where she studied artifical insemination for cattle, but says it just didnt grab her. It had to be horses. I grew up riding them and I still love them. So she settled on a shoerss life, and headed off for an education at the Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School in Ardmore, Oklahoma. It turned out to be quite an experience for ...some little girl who had never left home. I always wanted to stay home, never been anywhere and didnt care to, but Im very thankful I stepped outside those boundaries. In a class of about 20 people, she says there was only one other person from the south, a guy from Georgia. Her other classmates were from all over the country and included one student from Australia. She was awarded her certificate in December, and since returning home she has entered into a working relationship with one of the areas most experienced horseshoers, Harold Elder. The two families have known each other for years, and Harold shoed Stacys horses as she was growing up. Her mother told him she was attending the school, and he told her to get in touch when she finished the course. So, she did and has been working Elder since January. Shes already developed a customer base of her own, but she and Harold work as a team on both of their customers horses. Ive really learned a lot from Harold. There are things you cant learn in school but you can from the older generation shoers. Hes done a wonderful job training me on many things. I couldnt have done better in finding someone to work with. At school they only have time to teach you what you need, and the rest you learn when you get out. Hes taught me techniques, how to keep from wearing out your knees and back, how to stay in it for the long haul...He's given me a lot more on how to diagnose a horse as it walks toward you. She says the arrangement has ...stuck, because I wanted to learn so bad. Elder says that, despite the fact hes always worked alone during his 37 years in the business, having Stacy on board is really helpful. Shes gonna make a great shoer, she gets along well with the horses and the people. Most of my Hunter/Jumper barns are owned by women, and they all really like her. And it makes a difference, having somebody there to watch out, just in case something goes bad. He acknowledges that Stacy learned a lot in school, but echoes the idea that because every horse and every situation is different, there is a great deal that can only be learned from hands-on experience. Steward says her smaller stature is a real benefit regarding the long haul. People have said, Youre a little bit small, arent you? But my size helps a lot when working on small horse or pony. A big man has to bend over a lot farther and stay there longer... which can be pretty tough on the back and knees in the course of a 10-12 hour day. While her size helps her endure the ordeals of working with animals that can outweigh her by more than 10 times, it doesnt mean much to the animals shes working on. At the Oklahoma School, she was mainly involved with draft buggy horses and warmbloods. I got thrown, a lot, she quips. So, she learned to focus on technique, using brains rather than brawn. Ive got to. I cant fight them and control them, cause Im not big enough or strong enough. I get better results by being calm and easy. If I take it slow and easy and they will, too, 90% of the time. Its all in knowing how to stand under them, but some have picked me up and put me where they wanted me. Whats been the reaction from friends, family, and even customers? Stacy recalls, A lot of them said, Why in the world do you want to do that? Its hard work and Youre not supposed to cause youre a woman. But you gotta find something you love and this is it. In talking about her new skills, she compares the vocation to being both a physician and an artist. Its like taking a patient where you can usually see the results immediately, a horse walks off better than it walked up. I enjoy seeing immediate results. The art expresses itself in shaping hooves and shoes. Steward says 90% of her clients are women. They think since Im a woman Ill be more gentle than a man, and she says that winds up being the case. I have to be patient. No one knows how many female farriers there are in the country, since there isnt really a way to keep those statistics. Marcella Kester, who runs the Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School with her husband, Reggie, puts the number at around 10%, based on the observation that the school averages 2-3 girls in a typical class of 20 or so. Sometimes there wont be any, but sometimes there will be five...People like girls (as farriers) because theyre really dependable and they have a passion for the horse. She recalled Stacy being nice, fun, and tiny, but said, Its not based on bodily strength, or she wouldnt be able to do it. Its about knowing how to stand under the horse...And shes a hard little worker. Stacy says she doesnt know any personally, but estimates there are ...very few, and they usually dont last long...Several people told me I wont make it, but I will. Its really hard, and its got to be something you love. If dont love it, you wont make it, and I enjoy it a lot. The understanding betweem Harold and Stacy is that she will take over for him when he retires. Judging by the response from his customers to his new assistant, that doesnt seem like it will be a problem, even though its unlikely to happen soon. At nearly 63, when most people are either already retired or on the verge of doing so, Harold is still going strong and ready for tomorrows challenges. Theres nothing like getting out and getting under a horse, he says. Somethings gonna have to happen (before he swaps an easy chair for the tools of his trade). And Stacy says,I dont want him to retire. He wont retire until hes ready, I dont want him to be ready. Theres still a lot I dont know...and I like knowing I have to learn something new. You can contact Stacy at 901-496-4652, or Harold at 901-853-8023.