Farriery is any work involving fitting horseshoes, or preparing an animal’s foot for a horseshoe.
A farrier is capable of shoeing all types of feet, of making all types of horseshoes, and of taking measures to compensate for faulty limb action. It is an offence for any person to engage in any act of farriery who is not registered on the Register of Farriers nor employed under Articles of Apprenticeship.
On the horizon
The UK leads the world in the basic standards of farriery as it is the only country with regulation. However, as other countries introduce legislation this may alter the relative position of the UK.
Farriery emphasises attention to detail, quality and the welfare of the animal being shod. The customer has to be totally confident in the farrier.
Capital investment for farriers can be high. They have to ensure that their equipment is in good condition, and in many cases farriers need additional technical skills to maintain this equipment.
It may be that in the future, if the horse population decreases, farriers will have to turn to alternative business practices to generate income.
There is a future for a greater use of partnerships or practices as used by vets, accountants, etc. to offer better emergency and sickness cover, while reducing back-office overheads as a percentage of each job.
Farriers are highly-skilled, and have to maintain their skills as a farrier in order to continue practising.
Digging deeper
Our research helps us to ensure education and training is relevant to your sector. We study the skills and labour requirements of the farriery industry, and ensure these needs are met through your training.
For more detailed information, read the Farriery Sector Skills Agreement Report and Annex here.
