Hoof by Hoof: Revising a Report About a Farrier

Meet the Farrier

1A farrier takes care of horses' feet. A farrier is a skilled worker. Last month, a farrier named Ms. Delphine Archer visited my aunt's stable to work on her horse, Marigold. I watched her work for the whole entire morning, and I took notes in my notebook.

2A horse's hoof is made of a hard material. It is like your fingernails. It grows all the time. Because of the fact that it grows all the time, it needs to be trimmed. Ms. Archer used a tool called nippers. She cut away the extra hoof. Then she used a big file called a rasp to make the bottom of the hoof smooth and level.

3Many horses wear metal shoes. The shoes protect their hooves on hard or rocky ground. Ms. Archer heated a shoe in a small forge until it glowed orange. She hammered it. It fit the hoof better. She pressed the warm shoe against the hoof for a second to check the fit. There was smoke. My cousin Pilar gasped. Ms. Archer explained that the outer wall of the hoof has no nerves, so Marigold did not feel any pain.

4Next, Ms. Archer nailed the shoe onto the hoof. The nails go into the outer wall, the same part that has no nerves. In my opinion, I think this was the most amazing part. Marigold stood calm and still and did not move the entire time.

5Most horses need a visit from a farrier every several weeks. Their hooves keep growing, and their shoes wear down. The job takes strength. It takes patience. It takes a deep love of horses. Ms. Archer told me that she learned the job from an older farrier, and she practiced for a long time before she worked on her own. Someday I might want to be a farrier too.