Average Farrier Salary

Average Farrier Salary

Good farriers are in high demand. According to the American Farriers Journal 2012 Media Information and Marketing Guide, most of the nine-million-plus horses in the U.S. have to be trimmed and shod multiple times a year, and all but a few owners choose to do the job themselves, which makes for one large industry to tap into. Since farriery is primarily a self-employed occupation, if you have the experience and training, you can charge whatever the market will bear, potentially making it quite a lucrative line of work. Salary, however, is also determined by a number of other factors: how well you market yourself, manage your finances, follow through on the jobs you get, your clients—as with any self-employed occupation.

U.S. farrier salaries

In general, working on race and show horses pays more than working on pleasure horses. Standard 8-hour days in urban/rural environments can yield much less than $100,000 year, whereas working on race or show horses can get you much more than $100,000 plus per year. In some cases the wage gap can be as great as $40,000 for pleasure horses to $200,000 or more for race and show horses.An American Farriers Journal survey in 2012 found that the average annual salary for full-time farriers in the U.S. was reported to be $92,623 per year and for part-timers, $21,153. This amount is an average and varies according to experience level, training, etc.

A 2010 survey found that gross income for both full-time and part-time farriers averaged $73,108, a 16 percent increase from 2008, which backs up the figures from the previous survey when averaging out both full-time and part-time salaries.

UK farrier salaries

In the UK, another massive market for farriers after the U.S., pay rates work a little differently due to government regulations. The Farrier Registration Council sets apprentices wages according to a set guideline that’s based on the minimum wage. Apprentices aged 16 to 20 are exempt from the minimum wage and get paid according a wage matrix that starts at 52 percent of minimum wage for 16-year-old first year apprentices (£3.22 per hour) and goes up to a maximum of £6.19 in year four for 19 to 20 year olds, or for those 21 and older the maximum wage starts at age 21. A typical annual salary for apprentices comes out to less than £10,000 a year.

But that rate can jump up quickly. Miles Williamson-Noble, registrar at the Farriers Registration Council, states that annual salaries of £25,000-£30,000 are possible not long after qualification and, like the U.S., rates go up from there based on experience.

Anywhere in the world, salaries will fluctuate based on experience level, full-time vs. part-time (which usually relates to the level of experience), distance travelled to the job site, gas prices, insurance and other typical factors that self-employed workers have to take into account.

It’s all these expenses that determine the net amount farriers wind up with at the end of the year. So making money as a self-employed farrier is not just about how much you charge or how many clients you have, it has a lot to do with how good you are with your finances.


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photo: riveland1

5 Comments
  • hailey marie stout
    hailey marie stout February 13, 2021 at 12:26 AM

    what if its are first time being a farrier and we need someone to teach or help us improve with our skills and ect because i want to make money like lots and lots of cash plus i dont want to get sued so thats the other thing you dont want to hurt the owners horses and ect so

    • Brett Young
      Brett Young February 13, 2021 at 12:31 AM

      Hi Hailey I suggest go with a farrier for a couple of years learn as much as you can about balance and levelness, and hone your skills with nipping flat and rasping flat, learn what to look for when relieving abscesses, if you want to build a successful business you will need to know all of this along with building your confidence when dealing with your clients also go to farrier seminars they are really good for picking up new ideas and keeping up to date especially seminars held by Grant Moon.
      Cheers I hope this helps Brett.

  • Harley1310
    Harley1310 February 13, 2021 at 12:35 AM

    Who wrote this and when was it published? I need it for a school project.

    • editor
      editor February 13, 2021 at 12:35 AM

      Thanks for your interest, Harley1310. The author is Keith Templeton and it was published on August 21, 2012. Best of luck with your project!

  • Teka
    Teka February 13, 2021 at 1:15 AM

    I want to be a farrier at the Saratoga race track is it worth working for or should I look in other places to work.

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