What is a Farrier?

Thursday 02 December 2010

Have you been asking people: What is a farrier? There are many different equine jobs that are required for different aspects of horse care and health. It can often be overwhelming when there are so many different professionals involved. Find out more about what a horse farrier does with the following guide.

Simply put, farriers are people who are trained and qualified professionally for caring for all matters regarding horse hooves. These equine jobs involve tending to shoeing a horse, trimming the hooves and making sure that the horse hoof is angled to the ground correctly. All this work is extremely important in keeping a horse in the best condition possible. Horse hooves that have not been looked after properly can be dangerous, unhealthy and affect performance.

Traditionally, the term “horse farrier” was used to describe a person who cared for the entire horse body. However, over time this changed as equine jobs became much more specialised.

There are numerous tools used by farriers to take care of a horse’s feet well. these include:

files and rasps to shape
shears for trimming
hoof knives for getting rid of abscesses

A horse farrier must be trained in veterinary medicine concerning the foot and lower leg of horses. The course to become a farrier is extremely old and dates back to 1796 when it was established by the Duke of York.

Horses must be seen to by a horse farrier regularly so that their hooves, and in turn their well-being, is maintained properly. A horse that comes up lame will usually be seen by farriers first. The work of farriers is extremely demanding and physically challenging.

Next time somebody asks you “What is a farrier” you will have the answer.

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