Old Style Farrier Horseshoeing: An Enduring Tradition in Bucovina
A journey through Bucovina reveals the region’s wonderful spirit. Right in the middle of rolling hills, painted monasteries, and misty forests, you meet the people who keep this region alive—some of them are the horse people. The first thing you notice about locals is their passion for horses. In every village, you will find draft horses pulling logs out of places trucks can’t reach. You will pass by big and strong draft horses pulling hay carts and old-style farriers horseshoeing just outside the farriery. Bucovina is also the proud home of the Huțul horse — the only authentic Carpathian breed — preserved at the historic Lucina Stud Farm, where breeders know every bloodline by heart. The Austro-Hungarian Empire highly valued this breed during WWI due to its enhanced resistance to harsh environmental conditions.
Horse shows in Bucovina primarily take the form of traditional horse exhibition fairs, official national competitions, and vibrant holiday parades. The Bucovina traditional draft horse pulling competition is a regional cultural event held in Romanian towns like Gura Humorului and Marginea. Working forest horses pull heavy timber loads over a set course, while handlers wear traditional work clothes to honor local heritage. In the rural villages of Bucovina, the village farrier holds an importance equal to that of a veterinarian. Farriers work in open sheds, talking to whoever drops by, while they shoe a horse. They are holding up a vanishing craft. “The horseshoeing job is hard. It breaks your back and burns your hands. It asks for skill that takes years to learn and a lifetime to master”, says farrier Vasile Baltag, from Vama commune. “Now we count them: only three farriers remain in all of Vama commune”, he continues. Just three men carrying the weight of a craft that once belonged to dozens.
Farrier Vasile Baltag with his Tinker Gypsy Vanner before the horseshoeing demonstration.
He disappears into the sty and comes out with the horse. A splendid Gypsy Vanner! Native to the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Gypsy Vanner was bred by the Romani people to pull their traditional living caravans, called vardoes. These striking yet gentle horses are famous for their heavy leg feathering and calm, willing temperaments.
“A horse built for beauty and work. The Tinker Gypsy Vanner is a gentle yet energetic breed”, he says, proudly leading his horse toward the shoeing stock for a horseshoeing demonstration. The horse is still while being shod. Not fidgeting. Not pulling away. Just standing. He is used to it because this is the horse of a farrier.
The farrier’s box is full of tools. But nothing in it is random. Each tool is for one specific job. First job: cleaning the hoof. The hoof pick gets the dirt and stones out. After the pick, he takes the hoof knife. Small blade, curved, handle dark from years of use. With careful cuts, he uses it to trim that V-shaped pad in the middle of the sole. Next come the nippers. He takes off the excess length first. With long, even strokes, the farrier uses a rasp to level the hoof and round the edges.
Unlike many in his trade, he does not come from a family of farriers. He learned horseshoeing as an apprentice and, following his military service, he became a full-time farrier. As he explains: “I had no inherited tools, so I had to forge every single one from scratch.”
He goes to the forge, and the hammer starts clanging to renew the old shoes. “Welding tungsten carbide material makes them more wear-resistant”, he explains. The primary reason is traction, such as for forest horses.
He reaches into the fire and pulls out the newly made shoe. The air shimmers over it. He doesn’t rush. He walks to the horse and touches the hot shoe to the bottom of the hoof for just one second. A little puff of smoke rises. That’s how he sees the high spots.
Where it touches, it burns dark. The yard smells different now — hot iron and a strange smell like roasting pig’s skin. He pulls back. Clang on the anvil. Two quick hits with the hammer. Back to the hoof. Now the shoe sits flat, with no rocking. Then it cools. He drills the nail holes, positions it, and starts to nail.
As the work on the Gypsy Vanner horse nears completion, two more horses, a draft horse and a pony, are already waiting their turn to be shod. Now the road has filled with people talking, neighbors coming to watch; it is a very pleasant atmosphere.
Farrier Vasile Baltag is shoeing a semi-heavy draft horse.
One of the remarkable things about such a place is its power to bring people together — a form of socializing as old as time, and one that still endures. One of the neighbors even came out to serve us hot coffee, bringing a tray full of steaming cups.
In the end, farriery in Bucovina is about much more than horseshoeing. It is about tradition, resilience, and community. Each horse has its story, but the place itself has one too — a story of people brought together on a dusty road, sharing stories over a tray of hot coffees. It is a reminder that some crafts just hold a community together.
Location: Vama Commune, Suceava County, Romania Contact: 004 0753 529 267
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