After 45 years of shoeing horses, Uniondale, Pa., farrier Steve Teichman is hanging up his apron. Shoeing wasn’t always the plan, though. The long-time United State Equestrian Team farrier tells Nancy Jaffer that his foray into the trade was merely an attempt by his father to harness his artistic interests. He wanted his son to become serious about his future and take the path toward a “proper” college education.
“‘I know this guy who shoes horses in Delaware,’” Teichman recalls his father telling him. “‘Why don’t you go work with him for a summer? Maybe that will satisfy some of your creative instincts.’”
The horseshoeing bug bit Teichman the summer of his 13th year. Oh sure, he received the college education — a degree in biology — that his father wanted for him. However, Teichman shod horses through his college years and never stopped. Countless horses and their owners have benefitted from the fateful decision.
“He could always figure out how to get the horse comfortable,” Jim Wolf, the long-time manager of the U.S. eventing teams, told Jaffer. “If Steve said a horse shouldn’t go, then it shouldn’t go.”
