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| A '''farrier''' is a specialist in ], especially ]. Effectively the farrier couples a subset of the blacksmith's skills with a subset of ] to primarily address the care of a horse's | A '''farrier''' is a specialist in ], especially ]. Effectively the farrier couples a subset of the blacksmith's skills with a subset of ] to primarily address the care of a horse's hooves, feet and legs. | ||
| Historically in the United States farrier and ] have been all but synonymous and traditionally includes ] or ] work. In Europe, historically, and more recently in the U.S. farriers are considered to be in a separate, although related, trade. | Historically in the United States farrier and ] have been all but synonymous and traditionally includes ] or ] work. In Europe, historically, and more recently in the U.S. farriers are considered to be in a separate, although related, trade. | ||
Revision as of 18:30, 1 March 2005
A farrier is a specialist in horse care, especially shoeing. Effectively the farrier couples a subset of the blacksmith's skills with a subset of veterinary medicine to primarily address the care of a horse's hooves, feet and legs.
Historically in the United States farrier and blacksmith have been all but synonymous and traditionally includes smithy or blacksmith work. In Europe, historically, and more recently in the U.S. farriers are considered to be in a separate, although related, trade.
While it might at first seem to be a simple job, the farrier's tasks involve more than handling the occasional intractable horse.
A farrier's routine work is primarily hoof cleaning and trimming, and shoeing. In ordinary cases it is important to trim each hoof of the horse so that it retains its proper orientation to the ground after shoes are nailed on.
More advanced 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 repairative procedures may be needed for the hooves, and then special shoes may need to be constructed and fitted.