The Farrier.
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of a horse’s hoof so as to fit shoes to the horse’s foot. A farrier couples a subset of the blacksmith’s skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with a subset of veterinary medicine (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb) to address the care of the horse’s feet.
Today, farriers usually specialize in horseshoeing, focusing their time and effort on the care of the horse’s foot. For this reason farriers and blacksmiths are considered to be in separate, albeit related trades.
A farrier’s routine work is primarily hoof trimming and shoeing. In ordinary cases it is important to trim each hoof so that it retains its proper orientation to the ground. If the animal has a heavy work load, works on abrasive footing, needs additional traction, or has pathological changes in the foot, then shoes may be required.
Additional tasks for the farrier include dealing with injured and/or diseased hooves and application of special shoes for racing, training or “cosmetic” purposes. In cases of horses with certain diseases or injuries, special remedial procedures may be needed for the hooves, and then special shoes may need to be constructed and fitted.
For 650 years the Worshipful Company of farriers has nurtured the farriery trade. However its biggest acheivement occured more recently in 1975 when it proposed and supported the “Farrier’s Registration Act”. Since that date all civillian farriers have had to be registered.
Trainee farriers serve a four year and 2 month apprenticeship under an approved training farrier. During this time they have a number of block releases to one of the four colleges now offering farriery training and this culminates in a NVQ level 3 qualification. The trainee may now attempt the Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers examination – the gateway to registration.
The Diploma is examined independantly of the colleges by an examination team consisting of two senior farriers and a veterinary surgeon appointed by the W.C.F. It consists of three parts. A written theory paper. A practical exam requiring the candidate to forge from strainght steel and correctly fit a front and a hind shoe within a strict time limit.
Finally an oral examination serves to check the candidate’s theoretical knowledge. It is a testament to the quality of the W.C.F. Diploma that farriers from all over the world travel to the UK to voluntarily take the exam. We are fortunate in the UK to have some of the best trained and regulated farriers in the world.