Also called: Horseshoer, Blacksmith (Equine)
Trims horses' hooves and shapes and nails on horseshoes, traveling to barns, farms and stables with a portable forge, often as their own boss.
Drives a truck with a portable forge to six barns a day, heats steel shoes until they glow, shapes them on an anvil, and nails them on. Corrective shoeing helps lame horses walk comfortably. Hard on the back but lucrative.
Estimate; full-time experienced farriers often earn more than $100k.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Farrier school (a few weeks to months) plus apprenticeship; AFA certification.
Ways in: Trade school, Apprenticeship, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Farrier Science (certificate).
Growing about average. Steady demand; shortage in many areas.
Low risk for 10 years. No robot is shoeing horses; trimming hooves and forging shoes is physical, skilled handwork with steady demand.
Classes: Welding or metal shop, Agriscience (FFA), Biology, Business or entrepreneurship.
Official data: O*NET occupation 45-2093.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.