THE farrier's job hasn’t changed much over the years, despite the fact that the way we as humans use horses and donkeys has changed quite significantly.

Martin Traynor, a farrier based in Letterbreen, can be found all over the country ‘pairing’ horses and donkeys.

The Cloughmills man has been in Fermanagh for 27 or so years, but had been working away as a farrier in Antrim before his move to Fermanagh.

Martin is an equine lover and has worked with the animals for more than 30 years.

He said: “I’ve always had an interest in horses and donkeys, and followed my older brotherm who was a farrier. We would have kept horses. Now I have a few nephews who also do it [work as farriers]."

A typical day for Martin could find him anywhere across the county and, indeed, across the province.

Before speaking to The Impartial Reporter, he had been down in Manorhamilton to work with horses in that area.

He explained: “A typical day could see two or three donkeys, and then a horse, needing paired. Most animals are seen once or twice a year.”

The way that people use equine animals has changed over the years, as Martin explained.

“Gone are the days when donkeys were used down in the moss or to pull turf out of a bog, or to pull carts along the road for a farmer. They would have needed to be paired much more regularly. Now, they are mostly pets.

“There are some people who keep quite a few of them, but a lot of people love donkeys, the same way people love dogs.

"Some people would say they are a very lucky animal to have at the house because of the link back to biblical times, with donkeys being in the Bible a lot.”

The way that harriers sources shoes for donkeys and horses has also changed. Now Martin mostly orders his animal shoes from England as opposed to paying the blacksmith a visit.

He said: “For horses, you can now order in all the different sizes. Making horseshoes has become a thing of the past, because in the time it takes to make one shoe, you could have a pair on a horse already.”

Most of the time, the process is quick and simple as the horses and donkeys are well used to the process. Sometimes there can be difficulties for horses who have been neglected, and have not had their shoes changed regularly.

An equine lover, Martin keeps a few of his horses and breeds foals. He journeys up to Antrim on occasion to take part in hunts with his brother, who still works as a harrier and spends some time on the show circuit, judging horses.