Blacksmith vs farrier

The differences between blacksmiths and farriers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a blacksmith, becoming a farrier takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, a farrier has an average salary of $36,305, which is higher than the $33,570 average annual salary of a blacksmith.

The top three skills for a blacksmith include customer service, aluminum and hand tools. The most important skills for a farrier are hoof, , and .

Blacksmith vs farrier overview

	Blacksmith	Farrier
Yearly salary	$33,570	$36,305
Hourly rate	$16.14	$17.45
Growth rate	10%	28%
Number of jobs	406	267
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	42	32
Years of experience	4	3

Blacksmith vs farrier salary

Blacksmiths and farriers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Blacksmith	Farrier
Average salary	$33,570	$36,305
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $50,000	Between $20,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between blacksmith and farrier education

There are a few differences between a blacksmith and a farrier in terms of educational background:

	Blacksmith	Farrier
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Fine Arts	Agricultural Production Operations
Most common college	New York University	University of Massachusetts Amherst

Blacksmith vs farrier demographics

Here are the differences between blacksmiths' and farriers' demographics:

	Blacksmith	Farrier
Average age	42	32
Gender ratio	Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9%	Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	4%	11%

Differences between blacksmith and farrier duties and responsibilities

Blacksmith example responsibilities.

Experience in all fields of welding: stick, mig, tig, pipe fitting.
Perform weld repairs using the mig and tig process.
Weld copper anodes to pots using the mig process.
Fabricate local signs from aluminum weld with steel, neon light mapping and LEDlights.
Perform cnc press brake set up per customer print; ensure compliance with all QA procedures.
Fabricate machining fixtures and jigs for custom applications.

Farrier example responsibilities.

Manage all breeding, whelping, raising of puppies, grooming and showing of dogs for owners in the AKC.
Wash, brush, horse's coats to improve their appearance.
Provide quality hoof care and establish a working relation with trainers and horse owners.
Skil farrierShod cutting, roping, ranch and all kinds of performance horses .. including corrective shoeing.
Wash, brush, trim and curry animals' coats to clean and improve their appearance.
Participate in pet nutrition seminars and training.

Blacksmith vs farrier skills

Common blacksmith skills

Customer Service, 37%
Aluminum, 24%
Hand Tools, 10%
Torches, 5%
Drill Press, 5%
Stainless Steel, 4%

Common farrier skills

Hoof, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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