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Victor Frisco, CJF
From accounting to anvils, Victor Frisco has focused on every aspect of his craft.
A Solo Craft, A Shared Tradition
As a kid in Northern New Jersey, Victor Frisco wanted to be around horses in the way that some kids want to be around baseball diamonds or basketball courts. They made him feel alive. So his father brought him to the North Jersey Equestrian Center and introduced him to Karl Bauer, who founded the Center in 2001. His experience at the Equestrian Center confirmed what he suspected: this was not just a boyhood enthusiasm. Victor wanted to spend his life around horses.
So he began educating himself, knowing that a humble and hard-working demeanor would keep both his knowledge and business growing.
Learning from professors, mentors, and horses.
Frisco’s thorough education could serve as a model for other farriers: time with horses, formal education, farrier school, apprenticeships and competitions, and ongoing mentorship.
At the Equestrian Center, his education began with an aspect of education that shouldn’t be overlooked: simply spending time around horses. Besides doing odd jobs, Frisco has trained horses and broke yearlings, riding up to eight horses a day. “There are things you just know to do—and not to do—from being around horses.” If you’re going to spend your days on the business end of a thousand-pound animal, you should get to know that animal.
Frisco then earned his college degree in Equine Science and Business, the latter of which being more necessary than others often realize. “It’s easy to forget that this is a business. But it is, and 90% of us are our own bosses. I’ve seen great farriers who didn’t attend to the business aspect, and it hurt them.”
To learn his craft, Frisco attended the Kentucky Horseshoeing School and apprenticed with several respected farriers, including Rob Spencer, Scott Lambert, Conrad Trow, and Gerry Campanello, all of whom had different areas of expertise and wisdom to share. By the time he was out of school, he’d already earned his certification and his journeyman credentials.
From the equestrian center to an international fellowship, Victor’s education was never just in the classroom. He earned the prestigious AFA cultural fellowship which allowed him to spend a year in England. “The standard there is really high. They take training very seriously. I learned a lot and made lifelong friends.”
Victor Frisco and Mustad Field Sales Manager Rob Logsdon catch up about workload and products at Victor’s rig.
Education by fire
The ultimate test may be making a shoe from scratch, under the pressure of competition. Frisco rose to that challenge: making the AFA Competition Blacksmithing Team and winning the “Best Shod Foot” competition in England. When Frisco talks about the importance of being humble, he means it, even when pressed about his accomplishments as a farrier. Despite the wins, Frisco's perspective is a modest one. “I’m not saying I’m the best farrier out there. It was a matter of focus. I was eating, sleeping, and breathing horseshoeing. I was in the zone.”
In the years since, Frisco has shifted his intense focus to his business. He hasn’t made a shoe from scratch in several years, but the lessons from competing shape what he does every day. “Being on the anvil teaches you things, like how steel moves, that you can’t learn any other way.”
“A lot of bending over and driving nails”
He’s now focused on building his business, one happy client at a time. Mustad products play a big role in what he does. Mustad Field Sales Manager, Rob Logsdon “turned me on the TS8s. I love the shape, the hinds, the larger toes, and the less exaggerated corners.”
The Delta Challenger TS8s are a particularly good solution for the Thoroughbreds he shoes, horses bred for racing who did not race. “The TS8s are a strong 5/16s—not quite 3/8s—which is perfect for a Thoroughbred. You’re not putting a big heavy shoe on a light foot but you get some resets.”
Capewell Slim Blade 5 nails are similarly useful. “These Thoroughbreds have thin feet with thin walls. A thick nail will crowd or stick them or cause sensitivity. But the Slim Blades are thin like needles. The horses never feel anything.”
Like many farriers, he’s a big fan of the green tang Heller Excel Legend, praising its sharpness, its ability to stay sharp, and the “bowling ball finish” it helps him achieve.
But it’s not just about products. Reps like David York and Rob Logsdon are there when he needs them. “Mustad reaches out more than any other manufacturer. They care about what the farrier thinks.”
Paying forward—and planning ahead
Frisco’s business is a tribute to the great paradox of horseshoeing. It is a solo business where “shared knowledge is everything. Mentorship is the lifeblood of this business. You work with somebody, they teach you something it took them twenty years to learn.”
Like many Mustad partners, he still consults his former mentors, and he mentors young farriers through one-day ride-alongs and hiring helpers. Long-term, he’s thinking of expanding his business to include another farrier and rig. With his relentless approach to education and his humble spirit, he’ll always be a part of a team of farriers, stretching back in time and across friendships.