The lay of the land
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.
According to the Farriers Registration Council, there are currently 2,900 registered farriers and apprentices in the UK. The majority of farriers run their own business or work within a small company.
Based on Lantra estimates (2005), there are approximately 2,500 business and 2,500 employees in the UK farriery industry.
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 to keep education and training relevant to your industry.
For more detailed information, read the Farriery Sector Skills Agreement Stage 5 Report.
