Farrier's work all for love of horses

Last updated 12/19/2023 at 10:30am

Sisters Country is horse country — and there is nothing more critical to equine well-being than keeping their feet in good shape.

That’s where Charles Halper and Halper’s Horseshoeing steps in.

Halper graduated from Oregon Farrier School in Silverton at the top of his class, and has hung out his shingle as a certified farrier in Sisters, where he and his wife have decided to make their home.

“I can do just about anything to do with horseshoeing,” he told The Nugget.

That includes trims and therapeutic and corrective shoeing. He’ll work with challenging horses. He and his wife have seven horses, including some rescues.

“A lot of our horses are rescues, and I’m willing to work with rescues,” he said.

Halper likes working outdoors, likes working with his hands, and he likes being his own boss. But most of all, he loves horses, and that’s the main driver of his work.

“I do it for the horses,” he said.

It’s all about enhancing and prolonging soundness, conformation and quality of life for the horse. Halper says he’s willing to work with veterinarians too.

Halper found his love for horses early. He was born in Long Island, New York, but his family moved to Florida when he was young. There, he started riding in a variety of disciplines.

“I actually started riding when I was five,” he said.

There was an interlude for a stint in the military, then he headed west to manage a farm in Springfield, Oregon. There he met his future wife, Stephanie, whom he describes with a grin as “a crazy horse lady.”

As soon as I got around someone who had horses, it became my lifestyle,” he recalled. “There was no looking back.”

In a story familiar to many folks in Sisters, Charles and Stephanie found Sisters on vacation — and immediately started figuring out how to move here.

“We took a trip over here, and it kind of sold itself to me,” Charles recalled. “As soon as I saw the town of Sisters, within six months we were living here. This is where I plan on living for the rest of my life.”

Halper worked for a time as the bar manager at Sisters Saloon before taking the plunge into a career working with horses. There is more demand for a capable farrier’s work than there are capable farriers, so he knows he will find success. Currently, he’s building a client base, and those interested should book now before his calendar is full.

Halper works out of a trailer towed behind his truck: “It’s a full-on mobile workshop. I thoroughly enjoy the forging part of it.”

Halper is acutely aware that farrier work is hard on the body, and longevity in the career requires attention to the farrier’s own soundness.

“I was actually a personal trainer for four years,” he said. “I know what it’s going to do to my body, and I train in the gym four to five days a week to compensate.”

For more information call 239-572-2114 or email [email protected].

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.