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Farrier
Farriers inspect, trim and shape horses' hooves and make,
fit and nail horseshoes or, in the case of race horses, racing
plates or 'tips'.
A farrier may perform the following tasks:
- look at horses' legs and hooves while the animal is
stationary as well as in motion to check for irregularities,
interference, peculiarities in 'gait' (how the horse walks)
or abnormalities in size and shape of hooves
- talk to the horse's owner or trainer to decide on the
type of shoe required
- remove worn or faulty shoes and note wear patterns and
any foreign bodies, bruising, infections or deformities
- examine, clean, trim and shape hooves using knives, hoof
cutters and rasps
- measure hooves, take a template of each hoof on a piece
of cardboard and estimate the length of metal required for
the shoes
- select and cut metal according to type, size and weight
of shoes, and use of the horse, and select suitable nails
- hold shoes against hooves to find out the amount of
shaping required
- heat shoes in a forge, shape them on anvils and hammer
them to size
- place and nail shoes to hooves and check that clips and
clenched nails are smooth and lined up with the walls of
each hoof
- remove steel shoes from horses before they race, replace
with light aluminium shoes or 'tips' and after the race
replace with the steel shoes
- work in the areas of corrective or surgical shoeing.
Farriers spend a great deal of time travelling to attend to
horses, mainly in country or outer metropolitan areas. Weekend
and after-hours work is often necessary. Farriers must work
very quickly and have the ability to handle horses as they may
be unpredictable or agitated.
Farriers usually wear protective equipment.
Required Skills - Farrier
- physically fit
- good eyesight and hearing
- able to handle horses
- awareness of personal and industrial safety
- good hand-eye coordination
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