[8/24/03]Each day horse farrier Butch Spivey II walks into a stable, he takes risks. Some days he’s bitten by horses, or otherwise bloodied.

Spivey, 29, decided to become a caretaker of horses’ hooves including shoeing and trimming while he was a professional bull rider for 11 years. From that experience, he says, he isn’t afraid of much.

“The horses don’t worry me,” he said, wearing an orange sweat-drenched T-shirt. “I’ve been hurt so much it doesn’t bother me.”

One day last week, Spivey had just finished giving a 2-year-old paint its first set of shoes at a stable off of Jeff Davis Road. The horse had never been through the routine and didn’t know it was supposed to be patient and calm.

It bit Spivey on his shoulder and jerked its hooves with nails sticking out between Spivey’s legs, ripping his jeans and scraping his legs. A struggle of wills ensued, and it wasn’t clear at times who would win. Spivey did, however, and after about 40 minutes, the horse had new shoes but it was Spivey who kind of limped away. It was his sixth job of the day. Some days he shoes 10.

“The money is good,” Spivey said. “But it wouldn’t be good enough if you didn’t enjoy it.”

Horse hooves are not unlike human toenails and fingernails. They grow and, if not properly tended, can lead to infections and injuries. While wild horses wear down their own hooves, domestic horses must at least have their hooves clipped, filed and shaped and, depending on where they’re going to be ridden, have iron shoes nailed on.

No nerves are in hoof tissue, so there’s no pain but that doesn’t mean all horses are happy to see Spivey, his rasps and files, clippers, hammers and nails.

Spivey said he was an apprentice for a farrier before he decided to enroll in a school in Texas that taught correct procedures. Now, he travels around, making sure nearby horses have shoes, if needed, and healthy hooves.

The American Farriers Association in Lexington, Ky., has more than 3,000 members nationwide, but only 19 are in Mississippi. A spokesman said probably more are in the state, but don’t belong to the association.

Farriers don’t have to register with any agency, so it’s hard to determine an accurate count of how many there are, said Mississippi’s State Veterinarian, Dr. Jim Watson.

No central source exists for finding farriers, which forces them to also be good networkers, he said.

“When people move around they have to ask around at local horse show,” he said. “It’s kind of a word-of-mouth thing unfortunately.”

Spivey said he knows of a farrier in his 70s. He said he looks to the senior farrier as inspiration. He plans on helping horses for the long haul, too, or at least “as long as my body can handle it.”