by Valerie Millar
It was week six, of a twelve-week course in February 1992 at the “Northeastern School of Ferriery.” With 27 students, only four of which were female, this journey became more than just an educational adventure for me, on this day it became a life or death reality.
We unloaded from the modified school bus which had some seats removed allowing room for the anvils, forges and including all needs possible for the horses. On this rainy, muddy day it began like all others only wet and cold. Every day we went from horse farm to horse farm to practice the art of shoeing horses in teams of four, allowing each student to have one hoof per student, we began choosing our horses.
However, this class was an uneven number therefore leaving one team of three. Guess who belonged to that team? Yes, it happened to be mine who belonged to this shorthanded, short hoofed team. Our team was comprised of a jeweler Jim, a N.Y. city bus driver Tod, and a Real Estate Agent (me), a total of three.
It was at a very large sale barn on this cold and rainy morning which boarded over forty horses. The day began as usual. The hustle and bustle of unloading all the equipment from the bus, putting on our chaps, teams selecting their horses and where to work on them away from the other horses and students.
The last horse left to shoe that day was a black stallion names Satan. According to the Sale Barn owner this horsehide been left in a stall since he arrived (approximately 3 weeks ago) due to his aggressive behavior. This horse was now ours to shoe. We were always last naturally. None of us were looking forward to this horse. My team was conservatively hesitant to say the least.
Satan was brought outside next to the fence and away from as many other students as possible. Jim agreed to hold him while Tod agreed to go first under Satan. I stood back in a muddy isle between barns which separated our horse, Satan, and all the other students and their horse patients. I watched with much hesitation and concern while my teammates began their jobs.
As soon as Tod picked up the left front hoof (which is where you always begin) and got started, Satan pulled his head down to the ground and before I realized what he was doing, he started biting Jim’s leg from the bottom at his ankle going up his leg. Frightened and injured Jim let go of the lead line, jumped over the fence to get away. At the same time, Tod jumped back from under him and Satan started striking with his front legs and knocked Tod away nearly kicking him in the head. Satan began running towards me as I stood between him, the pasture fence heading towards the rest of the students, behind me who were under their designated horses while working on them. I was the only person between this crazy, wild, and mad horse and unimaginable destruction that would surely ensue if he got past me.
I stood firm with my arms stretched out wide hollering “stop,” “stop you d— son of a b—h”, stop now you F—ing SOB! I was dead serious, however motionless due to my boots being stuck in the mud and realizing I was unable to run if I wanted to. He stood up on his hind legs and began striking with both front legs as he kept coming towards me at full speed. I would either be killed or badly injured but was in such shock I couldn’t move my legs anyway. Then as he loomed high over my head with legs striking, I looked straight into his eyes and I pointed my finger at him once again with total command while yelling as loud as I could telling him to “Stop” (otherwise having little choice). To my surprise, Satan fell on all fours and stopped right in front of me merely inches from my face. I grabbed his lead line with every shaking bone in my body.
The school instructor, having witnessed the whole thing came over immediately and told me to put him back in his stall. Still shaking in my boots, I said, “I caught him, you can take him back”! Trying to hide my total immobility at the time, and with much relief he took him back to his stall for me.
The school’s owner and instructor told me later that day that he was the one and only horse they ever refused to shoe.