Emma Findahl of Wild Rose Horseshoeing turned her love of horses into a growing business
WEST FORK, ARK. – It’s not uncommon for young girls to go through a “horse phase.”
This phase manifests in myriad forms. Sometimes, it’s My Little Pony memorabilia; other times, it’s horseback riding lessons. Most of the time, though, this brief yet intense interest in the four-legged mammal has an expiration date.
This is not the case, however, for Emma Findahl.
Findahl, 26, was raised in Springdale, Ark., where she fostered her love for all things equine.
“I always loved horses growing up,” she said, “but was never able to have any of my own.”
She and her sisters enrolled in horseback riding lessons, working part time at the instructor’s barn. It wasn’t long before Findahl realized she wanted to work with horses for a living – she just wasn’t sure how to achieve this goal.
At 20, Findahl left home and began working full-time on a cattle and goat farm in Elkins, Ark. She then relocated to Greenland, Ark., where she lived and worked part-time at a horse boarding facility.
“One day, I was holding horses for the farrier. He liked how I handled the horses and asked if I was interested in working for him,” Findhal said.
She said yes, of course, and ended up in a year-long apprenticeship with the farrier. At the conclusion of her training, she moved across the country and attended Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School in Plymouth, Calif.
Upon her return to the Ozarks, Findahl purchased her own set of tools and started her own business: Wild Rose Horseshoeing.
“When you’re just starting out, you take whatever work you can get,” she said. “In the beginning, I would travel pretty far … but it’s hard to actually make any money if you’re spending all your time driving instead of working on horses.”
Eventually, Findahl built up a steady clientele and was able to contain her services to Northwest and Southwest Ark. – about a 50-mile radius from her house in West Fork, where she resides with her husband and one-year-old daughter.
“Working in Northwest Arkansas is great,” Findahl said. “The tight-knit communities help customers find me. Every time I would visit a new customer, I’d find out they are friends with other people I know.”
Wild Rose Horseshoeing offers a range of services to its clients: trims, half- and full-set showings for horses, mules, and donkeys in addition to trimmed cattle, goat, and sheep hooves.
Findahl said that for horses, she mainly applies steel shoes but occasionally uses glue-ons, pads, and other special shoes, depending on the horse’s demeanor. She also offers lameness examinations.
Wild Rose Horseshoeing visits 3-4 farms daily – scheduling stops in the same general area in the name of efficiency – with a flatbed truck containing all the equipment a farrier needs, from a forge and anvil to hammers and nippers to propane bottles and chaps.
“Horsehoeing is a wonderful job, but you have to be dedicated … you are not just shoeing horses. You are responsible for the whole business,” Findahl said.
The many duties of a self-employed farrier include scheduling, planning routes, client communication, inventory, and finances – not to mention the work itself. The job is physically demanding, and being hunched over beneath a 1,000-pound animal is not an easy task.
“It’s hard, challenging work but I love it,” Findahl said. “It’s very rewarding knowing you are keeping horses sound and comfortable.”
