Welcome to our farriers page which will assist you with general information, hints and tips and a great deal more – Enjoy while you browse through!

Your friendly TEAM

Farriers – Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by forging the metal using hand tools to hammer, bend, cut, or otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form. Usually the metal is heated until it glows red or orange as part of the forging process.

There are five basic operations or techniques employed in forging: drawing, shrinking, bending, upsetting, and punching.

His primary tools consist of a hammer and an anvil.

“All a smith needs is something to heat the metal, something to hit the metal on and something to hit the metal with“. A skilled blacksmith can, with minimal effort make a sophisti- cated product that looks good and demonstrates ingenuity.

A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care  which includes the trimming and balancing so that he can fit shoes to the horse’s hoof.

A farrier couples a blacksmith’s skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with some of the Vet’s skills (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb) to address the care of the horse’s hooves.

At one time the farrier and blacksmith were all but synonymous. Today, farriers usually specialize in horseshoeing focusing their time and effort on the care of the horse’s hoof.

Apart from time which has seperated a profession the basic tools and work of the farrier equals that of the blacksmith.

As he is carrying out his routine work of hoof trimming and shoeing he also has to construct individual shoes for the injured and/or diseased hooves which need an application of special shoes for racing, training or “cosmetic“purposes.

Imagine how difficult and heavy this work can be which can be very frustrating for the effort he has put in it does not always bring about the result he was trying to achieve.

Steel/Metal shoes can only be worked/shaped to a certain degree but that is not where it stops. He also has to carry tools and heavy equipment.

Who would not look for a better alternative to ease and simplify the work load and at the same time achieve better results in improving the health and well being of the horse?

HORSE SHOES are a readymade horse shoe. Not only are they easy to apply you only have to carry a few light tools in order to shape and mould them to any individual hoof.

 are the ultimate in hoof protection and have been proven over the last few years as the best alternative to the common way of shoeing a horse to protect their hooves.

 will not only reduce the heavy and often difficult workload of farriers but will also minimise the weight and the amount of equipment he has to carry.

For example, plumbers in times gone by use to carry cement bags and cast iron pipes to do their work. Because of improvement in technology they now only have to carry PVC piping and copper which has improved their quality of life. So too will improve the quality of life of farriers.

are a tested and proven product. Now the farrier only has to carry a “toolbox“, the work is less backbreaking and it is easier to care for the horse’s hooves, health and wellbeing.

THE NEW SET OF TOOLS FOR THE UP TO DATE FARRIERS

Preparation

“Hints and Tips“

In ordinary cases it is important to trim each hoof so that it retains its proper orientation to the ground.

are a readymade light weight, easy to apply shoe and will cover almost every task for every horse.

To fit the horses hooves have to be trimmed, as if it was running in bare feet. Once trimmed measure with a ruler/tape across the widest part of the front and/or the rear hoof.

In case you order a set (4) shoes for the same horse, we suggest to measure the front hoof for all sizes this prevents you from ordering the shoes to small. The excess can then easily be trimmed off by using a pair of pliers, rasp or a die-grinding tool.

When choosing your shoe size, please keep in mind that the measurements are in metric and expressed in millimetres (mm). For example, if you have measured 137mm then select the next size up namely 140 mm. The sizes go up in 5 mm increments starting at 105mm and ending at 160mm. Please note there are no 110mm or 155mm shoes. See the chart below for your right shoe size when you order.

are transparent so that you can see the white line of the hoof, if this is not clear enough then use a marker and trace the white line first to make it more visible, this is to see if the pre-fab nail holes are suitable and will ensure you avoid penetrating any part of the sensitive sole of the hoof when nailing the shoe.

To reset the nail holes turn the shoe around and use a 2mm drill bit and drill from the inner side of the shoe through to the outer side. Turn the shoe around and use a 6mm drill bit to countersink the hole from the profile side to the depth of the plate and then continue with the application.

Farriers and Horse owners/lovers will come to know the advantages of using Marathon’s horse shoes especially when resetting the nail holes

The Pictures below demonstrate 9 easy steps to apply a horse shoe!

1. Trim the hoof for bare feet walking.	2. Measure the hoof on the widest part.	3. Mark the white line to visualise it more.
4. Hold shoe against hoof to check.	5. Shape the shoe to fit the hoof if required.	6. Reset nail holes if required.
7. If you nail, counter sink them properly.	8. Check your work and test it.	9. Ready to go. For all surfaces & conditions.

Important Notice

If you nail the shoes, make sure you countersink the nails properly. A loose nail can cause a lot of damage.

Use Reg. Nr 5 nails for the average thickness of the hoof wall or combo nails for thinner hoof walls.

If you glue the shoes with an adhesive we recommend you use Vettec Super Fast as it is compatible with horse shoes.

The right trimming of the hoof and the proper application of either with nails or glue assures an even wear and tear of the profile shown in the picture below*.

*Compare the horse shoes in the top row which were used on all surfaces over a period of 14 weeks to the new shoes in the bottom row.

Removing Horse Shoes There is no need for special tools to remove the shoes for the purpose of re-using or to re-new horse shoes. The principle of removing is similar to iron/metal shoes, except the lifting of the shoes is done in the opposite direction as illustrated in the picture i.e. rear to front.

At we have also numerous accessories to support the health, comfort and wellbeing for your horse.

You can choose from the specially made counter sink Tool, to wedges to lift the horses heels and plates to protect the sole of the hoof when injured or when riding over stony ground.

are 90% shock absorbent and are slippery proof.

We suggest that if you apply to the hoof boots that you either screw them on or use Vettec Superfast Glue.

For further improvement you may add wedges to improve the correction of the hoof.

are an ideal supplement for hoof boots

Front protectors called “corngrip” maybe added to reduce the wear and tear on horse shoes if the horse develops a habit of pawing.

The Picture below illustrates eight different ways on how to cut the supporting bar of the shoe to accommodate the heel and/or frog if you have an existing problem with the frog.

The TEAM
wish you and your friend the Horse every success.

“What I am going to do for the love of my horse?
Shoe it with of course!