A farrier must be “tough as nails” given that his/her equine clients weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds and are not always obliging to stand on three legs while having nails pounded into their hooves. A farrier is not only a blacksmith with skills to fabricate, adapt and adjust metal horseshoes into the individual shape and condition of the horse’s hooves, but also requires some veterinarian skills and knowledge of equine anatomy and physiology to care for horses’ feet. Frequently, the horse-shoer is the first to notice a physical problem while shoeing a horse.
Our farrier, Zach Ferrill, developed his love of horses and skills to handle them at an early age from his grandfather Claude Miller, a lifelong Methow Valley resident and well-known outfitter. Zach recalls the first horse his grandfather gave him when he returned from Mexico with a herd that he had purchased to add to his remuda of 300 horses.
Zach was just a little tyke; Speedy Gonzalez, the Mexican horse, was tough and ornery. Nearly every day, he remembers, the horse bucked him off or clamped down on the bit and took off with little Zach stuck like a cocklebur on its back. It didn’t take long for Zach to develop horse management skills under the tutelage of his grandpa.
After high school, Zach was desirous of learning a skill that would allow him to continue being around horses as well as produce income. He headed off to Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) where he enrolled in the farrier program. His young life experience, acquired horsemanship skills, and cowboy tough determination were invaluable to his completion of the program.
Farrier Zach Ferrill’s interest in horses started with his grandfather, Claude Miller.
WWCC has since discontinued the program after being in place for over 40 years. The reason given for the discontinuation was lack of enrollment and even less completions of the program. Farrier work is physically demanding – in fact, described as “backbreaking” – and with the high risk of injury, the profession is difficult. Thirty is considered “old” for a farrier.
Once Zach finished the educational piece of the program, he had to complete a yearlong apprenticeship with an experienced farrier. Fortunately, John Schrock – who along with his wife, Debbie, owns and operates JD Outfitters, which supplies all the horses for Sun Mountain Lodge’s horse operation – was available to provide that training. Learning from John added to Zach’s confidence before venturing out to do the work alone.
The first time Zach shod our new young horse Chipper Red, he detected an issue that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Red’s hind legs didn’t seem to respond in a way that he had seen before. His first thought was that Red was just being a difficult or goofy horse; but, the second time around, he told us something wasn’t right with Red and gave us the name of an equine chiropractor to call.
The chiropractor could not detect an orthopedic issue with the beautiful sorrel and was baffled by the horse’s response to backing up. The next day he called to say he had researched and believed Red had a neurological condition called “shivers.” Confirmed by the vet, Red was doomed. No need to go further there, but worth the note that Zach the farrier was the first to detect a problem.
I always tell the horses on the day Zach is coming that they are getting new dancing shoes. They oblige.
