Note: Driscoll Farrier Services is a westofthei.com sponsor. — DH
It takes a certain type of person to endure the ruggedness of the horseshoeing business. A farrier must have physical strength and fortitude, as well as a knowledge of equine physiology, a readiness to work long hours in any type of weather and an instinct for the correct way to shoe a horse.
Farriers choose the most appropriate type of shoe for the horse’s size, foot condition, type of activity and working conditions. They make the horseshoes by hand or form premade shoes and fit them either hot or cold, adjusting the shape of the shoes if necessary, using a hammer and an anvil.
While Timothy Driscoll is a new farrier in the area, he has a lot of horse sense and has raised horses for the past 25 years. His profession evolved from the ancient art of blacksmiths—experts at forming iron, who also made and fit shoes to horses.
Wanting a new direction, Driscoll, 53, left a marketing career in the health care business and along the way developed an interest in learning to care for the feet of Dusty and Hershey, his two Appaloosa horses.
As a student at Midwest Horseshoeing School in Divernon, Illinois, Driscoll quickly realized that he enjoyed checking horses legs, feet and hooves, cutting away excess hoof growth and ensuring the horse is balanced correctly.
“I really found I had a knack for it, and enjoyed forming the shoes, trimming hooves and just being around the horses,†he said, adding, “I was also surprised at the number of young women, just out of high school who enrolled in the course. There are people from all walks of life who have graduated this school, including a surgeon who worked as a farrier to put himself through medical school.â€
At 6’2â€, Driscoll is one of the taller farriers in a business that requires a lot of bending, but he has learned to become more flexible to save wear and tear on his back.
“I had to work on ponies in school and it was really interesting having to get on my hands and knees to work on those tiny creatures,†he said, laughing. “At first my back hurt, but now I have become much more flexible and it doesn’t really bother me. I am more flexible now, than I was years ago.â€
Driscoll’s name might be familiar to readers, as he has served a number of years on the Wheatland Center School Board. He and his wife, Denise have two sons, Andrew, 25, and Neil 15.
For more information on Driscoll’s services and rates, contact him at 262-537-5069, or driscollt@tds.net