JULY 25, 2024 | THE WELLINGTON ADVERTISER | 17
Equine Farrier Sara Veenstra brings happiness, one hoof at a time By Lorie Black BELWOOD – The art of the farrier is documented as far back as 300 B.C. A forger and welder, shoemaker and toolmaker are among the roles required of a good farrier. An understanding of equine psychology and anatomy, and an ability to diagnose ailments related to an equine’s foot are required to be a good farrier. Essentially, a farrier must be a combination of all of these things, plus a veterinarian, to an extent, and a horse whisperer. While there is some historical documentation of females performing the tasks of a farrier in history, it wasn’t until 1979 that the first female farrier, Ada Gates Patton, was licensed to shoe racehorses in North America. In an industry that was dominated by males, the female farrier is no longer an anomaly in the equine world. Sara Veenstra of Fergus has been a farrier for 13 years. Her business, Warrior Horseshoeing, takes her across Wellington County. Choosing the profession seemed a natural progression for Sara, despite that at the time, female farriers were rare. At 12, she got a pony named Sunny and fell in love with him. She began learning about the art of being a farrier so that she could help take care of Sunny. Veenstra also learned about body language and how to pace working with Sunny. “I learned not to ask too much too quickly,” she said. Between the ages of eight and 14, Veenstra said she wanted to be a vet-
Artistry of the farrier – Sara Veenstra files the hoof of Breezee, a 31-year-old thoroughbred at Maple Farm in Hillsburgh.
erinarian. “But I realized there was going to be a lot of university and a lot of heartbreak,” Sara said. “I still see heartbreak with horses struggling with their health and their feet, but I can help them.”
Veenstra completed a high school co-op with a farrier, attended Heartland Horseshoeing School in Missouri afterwards to study her trade, and interned with a farrier in Chicago. “I wanted to be around horses and travel, not be in an office,” she said.
Veenstra works with equines from miniature and draft horses to some very high-profile hunter and dressage horses and is highly regarded in the profession. Veenstra was referred to Lisa and James Young of Maple Ridge Farm in
Photo by Lorie Black
Belwood by Brian Mullins, a farrier well known and respected in North America. Mullins and Veenstra have known each other for several years, and while Mullins regards Veenstra and her work
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