Farriery, or the shoeing of horses and similar animals, is an ancient craft, believed to have been practised first in the Roman Empire.  It is defined in the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975 as ‘any work in connection with the preparation or treatment of the foot of a horse for the immediate reception of a shoe thereon, the fitting by nailing or otherwise of a shoe to the foot or the finishing off of such work to the foot’.  A farrier is a skilled craftsperson with a sound knowledge of both theory and practice of the craft, capable of shoeing all types of equine feet, whether normal or defective, of making shoes to suit all types of work and working conditions, and of devising corrective measures to compensate for faulty limb action.  Farriery is hard work and it is practiced on animals, some of which may be fractious.  It is an individual handcraft from which intense satisfaction may be derived. 

 
A ‘Farrier’ should not be confused with a ‘Blacksmith’.  A farrier works with horses but needs training in blacksmithing in order to make the shoe properly.  A blacksmith is a smith who works with iron and may never have any contact with horses.  The shoeing of horses is part and parcel of the blacksmith’s craft, so smiths may have been trained in farriery and may, therefore, shoe horses legally alongside blacksmithing, as long as they are registered as a farrier.

You Should Always Use a Registered Farrier, WHY?
 

The Farriers (Registration) Act, which covers the shoeing of horses, ponies, mules and donkeys, came into effect in 1980 in England and Wales, and in 1981 in Scotland (excluding the Highlands and Islands of Scotland). The Act aims to: "Prevent and avoid suffering by, and cruelty to horses arising from the shoeing of horses by unskilled persons; to promote the proper shoeing of horses; to promote the training of farriers and shoeing smiths; to register persons engaged in farriery and the shoeing of horses; and to prohibit the shoeing of horses by unqualified persons."

 

How can I tell if my farrier is registered and legal?


There will be badge on the windscreen of the farriers vehicle.  Your farrier should have a registration card that you can ask to view.  These are issued annually and are clearly marked with the year of validity.

What Are the duties and tasks of a farrier?
 

A farrier may perform the following tasks:

-   look at horses' legs and hooves while the animal is stationary as well as in motion to check for irregularities,           interference, peculiarities in 'gait' ( how the horse walks ) or abnormalities in size and shape of hooves.
-   talk to the horse's owner or trainer to decide on the type of shoe required.
-   remove worn or faulty shoes and note wear patterns, foreign bodies, bruising, infections or deformities.
-   examine, clean, trim, and shape hooves using knives, hoof cutters and rasps.
-   measure hooves, take a template of each hoof on a piece of cardboard and estimate the length of metal required for the shoes.
-   select and cut metal according to type, size and weight of shoes, and use of the horse, and select suitable nails.
-   hold shoes against hooves to find out the amount of shaping required.
-   heat shoes in a forge, shape them on anvils and hammer them to size.
-   place and nail shoes to hooves and check that clips and clenched nails are smooth and lined up with the walls of each hoof.
-   remove steel shoes from horses before they race, replace with light aluminium shoes or 'tops' and after the race replace with steel shoes.
-   work in the areas of corrective or surgical shoeing.
 

Structure of a Horses Hoof / Foot