Farrier

Farriers trim, balance, and shoe horses' hooves to maintain soundness and performance. The work combines forge skills — heating, shaping, and fitting steel or aluminium horseshoes at a portable forge — with detailed knowledge of equine anatomy, gait analysis, and hoof pathology. You assess each horse's conformation and movement, trim the hoof wall and sole, shape shoes to fit (hot or cold shoeing), and nail them in place. Remedial farriery addresses lameness, corrective shoeing for foals, and surgical shoeing in collaboration with veterinary surgeons. Farriers are legally regulated under the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975 — only FRC-registered farriers may shoe horses in the UK. Most farriers are self-employed, travelling to yards, livery stables, racing establishments, and private owners.

Farriery is one of the few crafts that is both legally regulated and inherently impossible to automate — each horse has unique hoof geometry, and shoeing requires real-time physical judgement while handling a live animal. The Farriers Registration Council (FRC) controls entry to the profession, ensuring quality and limiting competition. There are approximately 2,700 registered farriers in the UK serving an estimated 800,000 horses. Demand consistently outstrips supply, particularly in rural areas, and the retirement rate of experienced farriers exceeds the number of new entrants qualifying each year.