HANCOCK COUNTY — The twists and turns of life landed Brandt Walden exactly where he is supposed to be — making a living taking care of horse hooves.
While Walden, 21, Wilkinson, had visions of becoming a rodeo champ one day, he instead became one of the county’s top farriers — a specialist in equine hoof care, including trimming and balancing of horses’ hooves and the placing of shoes on horses’ hooves.
“I never would have thought I was going to be a farrier in a million years,” Walden said. “I went to college on a rodeo scholarship as a team roper.”
Instead of trying to rope animals while hanging on for dear life atop a bronco, Walden works on the other end of the horse, taking special care to make sure horse hooves are fitted correctly.
A former 10-year Hancock County 4-H Fair member who showed swine and steer, Walden took off for college in Northeastern Oklahoma after graduating from Eastern Hancock High School in 2020.
“When I got there I quickly realized college was not for me, but I ended up learning and seeing a few things when I was out there,” Walden said.
For starters, Walden noticed the shoe work on the horses was not done correctly from his view.
“It was so bad, just not up to par,” he said. “So, I figured what little I had learned from a farrier I had worked with here in Indiana would help me do a better job.”
Walden started working on horses from the college rodeo team, including his own horse named Kat, and quickly realized he was pretty good at it.
“I wasn’t trained in anything, but I knew a lot about horses,” Walden said.
After finishing up his first year of college, Walden started educating himself on becoming a farrier and even took specialized classes.
“If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it all the way or not at all,” Walden said.
By 2021 the idea of owning his own business and working with horses was becoming a reality. He went to the Heartland Horseshoeing School in Lamar, Missouri for more education on the craft.
“It’s funny because I ended up about 45 minutes from where I was in college in Oklahoma, but just in a different state,” he said with a laugh.
Walden said getting into farrier school was not easy and that it usually takes three to four years after applying to be accepted. However, he caught a break and called a couple days before classes started in 2021 and got in.
“People come from all over the world to get into that school so I got really lucky,” he said. “A guy from overseas backed out and they happened to have an opening.”
After seven months of training, Walden came back to Indiana in October of 2022 and started the Brandt Walden Farrier Service, CJF.
“I pretty much just went to shoeing after I got my certifications,” Walden said.
With a workshop he created on the family farm and the ability to travel where he needs to work to help horses, Walden is a busy man.
“As far as certified journeymen go, there are only 11 of us in the whole state,” Walden said. “Business is going really good because things blew up pretty fast.”
On average, Walden works four full days a week, but he noted four full days of farrier work can feel like a months’ worth of work due to the hard labor.
“You gotta be in shape. That’s for sure,” Walden said. “The vast majority of the horses’ shoes I do, I build handmade while the majority of horses get manufactured shoes.”
The work includes trimming the foot, like humans do with fingernails and toenails; plus he noted every horse foot is different.
“I want things to be balanced for the horse because you don’t want your horse wearing high heels all the time,” he said. “You want a shoe that is natural and the other thing, they grow out of them too.”
Walden noted there are a million different options and tools when it comes to forging horseshoes, and each horse deserves their own unique set of shoes.
“It’s an art. That’s for sure,” Walden said. “Watching a horse walk is a big part of assessing them.”
Walden sees horses he works on every six weeks to trim the shoes to make sure the horse has a smooth trot.
“Shoes can last anywhere from six months to two years depending on the type of the shoe you make,” Walden said. “I can tell you handmade shoes last a lot longer and fit better than ones that are manufactured.”
Farriers are true craftsmen, Walden said.
“You’ve got to have a passion for it because if you’re doing this just for the money, it would be a miserable job,” he said. “I’d rather go the extra mile and spend the extra time and end up with a better job on the horse even if it takes a little more time.”
Walden charges $50 per shoe and noted it is money well spent as taking care of a horse’s foot is one of the most important things a horse owner can do.
“The foot and the diet, those are the two things,” Walden said.
When he’s not fitting, forging and putting on shoes, Walden likes to compete in farrier competitions which include, novice, intermediate and pro classes in the World Championship Blacksmiths.
“The competitions are all over the place, and I’ll be taking part in some of those competitions in the future,” Walden said.
The love of horses is what first got Walden into the horse hoof business, but it’s the love of hard work and finding the right fit for each horse that keeps him pounding away.
That includes working with an anvil — a heavy steel or iron block with a flat top, concave sides, and typically a pointed end, on which metal can be hammered and shaped.
“The one I have at home weighs about 200 pounds and it’s a great piece of equipment,” Walden said.
Having the proper tools is key for every farrier to be able to pound the metal so they can make the right kind of shoes for the horses, which means Walden also needs a forge, a type of hearth used for heating metals.
With multiple hammers and pounding devices, Walden said he’s always learning something about the tools of the trade.
In the end though, the reward comes when he’s got a happy horse.
“It’s a wonderful feeling when it’s all done seeing the horse walk and feel good in a proper pair of shoes,” Walden said. “It’s a tangible thing I can see and to know I made the shoes with my hands.”
