This farrier can crack the whip
by Emily Bott
He might be the only cowboy ever to crack a bull whip in the Maui Mall. Twice. Soft-spoken Henry Silva, Hawaii’s master farrier and rawhide braider, demonstrated his skill recently before an awed group of outdoor diners, and he obviously enjoyed it as much as they did. With the help of his wife, Judith, who brought bulging scrapbooks, Henry took over his half of the table with a collection of bull whips and lassos, including a spectacular deer hide riata.
As a young man Henry’s mother wouldn’t let him work with horses, so he took classes in carpentry at the old Maui Vocational School, now University of Hawaii Maui Campus. But working for Haku Baldwin on Haleakala Ranch gave him the chance to build and repair saddles. On the side he moonlighted as a farrier, and became an expert in the art of shoeing horses, a skill he still uses today. How many horses (and occasional mules) has he shod? He laughed. “Gee, I don’t know…maybe six or seven thousand.”
There are half a dozen farriers on the island who tend to the needs of horses’ hooves. A good farrier is a combination of blacksmith and veterinarian. Hooves are like fingernails. They need attention. The old shoes are removed, the hooves are cleaned, trimmed and filed as needed, then the old (or new) shoes are put back on. Shoes have to orient to the ground, and there are different types for different activities. “Polo ponies have lighter, thinner models,” he explained. And he should know, having accompanied Haku Baldwin to the polo matches at Dillingham Field, on Oahu, for years. He gets his shows from Wai Ulu Farms, which, in turn, imports them from the mainland. But he has his own tools, pullers, pinchers, files, hammers, and crimpers.
Henry still shoes horses. But he also has a reputation as a master craftsman with lariats, called riatas by the Spaniards, and kaula ‘ili by the Hawaiians. These are braided rawhide, sometimes as many as eight strands, and Henry had a half dozen on his arm. He started learning the trade at fifteen.
What did he like best about the farriar’s job? The money. “When I started,” he reminisced, “I could get the same rate for shooing a horse in half an hour as the Cannery was probably paying for an hour. And on a busy day, I could do twelve to fifteen.” The rate has risen considerably. Today it’s sixty-five dollars or so per horse, which includes all four legs. If he only cleans and trims, and puts the old shoes back on, it’s cheaper.
What did he like least about the job? He had to stop and think for a minute. “The
humans. Some wanted to argue the price. Some didn’t pay at all.”
Henry might be better known for his saddle work, which is an art in itself. A leather saddle is built around a wood base, or “tree.” The wood is covered with rawhide, stitched, soaked, and allowed to dry for a week or so. Then another layer of cowhide is put on and stitched. Here’s where the artist emerges and the “fancy” work is done.
Henry loves his life. He loves his gear. “You’ll know me by my cowboy hat.” And his pointy-toed boots. He’s the poster boy for Levi jeans, but age requires some concessions. Only recently he switched from buttons to zippers. He owns seven or eight pairs, and Judith says “one is in the laundry all the time. It’s dirty work.” But the man has remarkably soft hands, the result of “oiling the leather as I work on it.”
What about accidents? Remarkably, he’s never broken a bone. He did suffer nerve damage in his chest and left arm when a bull was improperly restrained in the squeeze chute. Not a tall man, he’s lean and fit as a teenager, but a lot more erect than some of them.
He and Judith have a couple of big milestones coming up in May. They will observe birthdays seventy and seventy-five, as well as their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Big party? “No,” Judith shakes her head. “We had a big wedding reception back in 1961.”
Judith admits that he’s slowing down a little, but he still stays busy. One thing the two of them enjoy together is taking turns choosing a restaurant for dinner. They go to the best places they can find. Does this cattleman love a good steak? “I’m a fish man,” he says. “I’m tired of beef.”
Emily Bott can be reached at: palaka1@hawaiiantel.net
Short URL: http://mauimoonnews.com/hawaiinews/?p=1460
Posted by Emily Bott
on Mar 1 2011. Filed under Columns, March 2011.
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