Hello and welcome to The Skill Shift Podcast. Today we’re exploring how TikTok has turned horseshoeing—once a quiet blacksmith art—into a viral career path.

Meet Samuel Wolfenden, a farrier who posted his first video two years ago and “woke up the next day and had millions of millions of views; I had one hundred thousand followers,” he told the New York Times. His oddly satisfying videos of hammering shoes on horse hooves now draw hundreds of thousands of views—and comments like “Lucky horse.”

He’s not alone. Farrier Sam Dracott’s top three TikToks have over 630 million views combined. “It’s so satisfying to watch,” one fan wrote. With four million followers across YouTube and TikTok, Dracott says his online presence has doubled his income and requires an entire entourage.

It’s not just horseshoeing. The Skilled Careers Coalition and SkillsUSA have teamed with TikTok to showcase trades from carpentry to HVAC, tapping into a surge of Gen Z choosing hands-on work. As farrier instructor Amanda Smith asks of her new students, “Did you see one of those videos?” That viral spark might just change your career path.
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