Page 43 - The Hunt - Summer 2021
P. 43
In
APPRECIATION
of the
FARRIER
After 48 years of
shoeing horses for
equestrian events
around the world,
Stephen Teichman
steps away from
his forge.
BY J.F. PIRRO
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JIM GRAHAM
As a heavy fog lifts to reveal a perfect blue sky, Stephen Teichman is creating his own fog with a horseshoe forged in 2,000-degree heat, which smokes something fierce. He’s fitting it on a horse headed for Tryon International Equestrian Center, an eventing stop in the foothills of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. As soon as he’s finished, the trailers will leave the Coatesville barn owned by equestrian legend Michael Matz and his wife, D.D. “Chop, chop,” says Teichman.
With his portable shop, the Unionville-based farrier moves quickly from hoof to hoof, wielding a handmade hammer. “In the early days, we made everything,” he says.
Right now, Teichman is missing one of two apprentices. Otherwise, “we’d be spinning,” he says. “You’re looking at me in slow motion. A year ago, we were doing 15-20 horses a day—and then I started working part time. I want a break before it breaks me.”
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