Jerry Cope:  

Life I have been a Farrier for 18 years now. So you don't have to look up what a Farrier is, I put shoes on horses. It's a little more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it. It's a great career that has a lot of reward. People always ask me if I can make a living being a Farrier here in the Coachella Valley. The answer is absolutely yes. Indio is home to one of the largest horse shows in the United States. For the three months it's here, it brings in over $20,000,000 to the local economy. And Indio is also home to a large Polo community, with each Polo player needing between 5 to 10 horses each. That ads up fast. Farriers travel from all over the world to come to Indio during the show and polo season. I have two boys 11 & 13 years old. They enjoy all the usual boy stuff and they really enjoy thier time with me. It's wierd to be someones hero. It makes you realize that everything you do has an impact, good or bad. I'm married to my wife of three years. She has been one of those people who comes into your life and make you realize that you are capable of more than you thought. She always wants whats best for you, even if whats best for you isn't anything you thought you wanted. I go to a lot of country concerts, and enjoy Country/Western dancing (don't knock it till you try it). That's how I met her. When we got married I brought a lot of baggage. Including a lot of old, rusty, used horseshoes. She said they needed to go. I spend a lot of time doing artistic blacksmithing and wanted them for future projects. One day, while reading a magazine she saw something made out of horseshoes and asked if I could make it for her. Well, a year later I still hadn't got around to it and ...Expand for more