Farrier resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what farriers actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most farriers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Qualified farrier with a Certificate III in Farriery and several years of hands-on experience trimming and shoeing horses across performance, pleasure and working herds. Skilled in forge work, hoof balance and client advice, with a strong safety record working around horses and hot metal. Known for reliable scheduling and calm handling of young or nervous horses.
Key skills
- Hoof trimming and balancing
- Horseshoe fitting and nailing
- Forge work and custom shoe shaping
- Animal care and handling
- Hand and power tool work
- Forge and anvil operation
- Hoof nippers, rasp and hoof knife use
- Gait assessment and hoof health evaluation
- Client advice on hoof care and nutrition
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Problem solving on the spot
- Attention to detail
- Client relationships and advisory
Experience: example bullet points
- Trimmed and balanced hooves for a roster of 35 horses across three stables, reducing lost shoe call-outs to fewer than one a month.
- Forged and fitted custom shoes for horses with uneven gait, improving soundness over a full competition season.
- Advised a stud farm on hoof nutrition and trimming cycles, helping lower hoof-related lameness across a 20-horse herd.
- Managed a self-employed round of 50 regular clients, keeping appointment windows within a fortnight and travel between properties efficient.
- Handled young and nervous horses during shoeing, using calm restraint and gradual desensitisation to complete work without injury.
Education
Certificate III in Farriery (or equivalent apprenticeship), with many farriers also completing Certificate IV in Farriery or short courses in equine limb anatomy and forge work.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Certificate III in Farriery
- farrier apprenticeship
- Australian Farriers and Blacksmiths Association
- hoof trimming
- horseshoeing
- forge work
- equine podiatry
- hoof balance
- horse handling
- WHS
- biosecurity
- equine industry
- racing industry
- equestrian
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.