Since he was a young boy growing up in south­­ern Pennsylvania, Kalam Blessing has had an affinity for horses. What started out as a child’s hope to score a few rides has blossomed into a career to help horses live more comfortably. Along the way, the Willseyville, N.Y., farrier has learned the importance of horsemanship and the need to improve his skills while owning his trade.

Today’s “Shoeing For A Living” will be spent trimming and shoeing horses at The William George Agency for Children’s Services in Freeville. The agency provides a therapeutic residential environment for at-risk youth. Blessing has been tending to the horses’ feet here for 7 years — the first 2 as an apprentice.

“They used to do more showing, but now they do a lot more trail riding,” he explains, noting there are 40 horses at the barn. “The kids like it. It’s pretty cool for them.”

Blessing does all of the horses here, save one.

“There’s one horse that they keep in a show…