View source for Farrier

{{short description|Specialist in equine hoof care}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2024}}
{{other uses}}
[[Image:Marechal Ferrant.jpg|thumb|upright|''The Farrier'', a painting by [[Albert Demuyser|Bob Demuyser]]]]
[[Image:Italian farrier 2006 2.jpg|thumb|upright|Nailing on [[Horseshoe|shoes]]]]
[[Image:Panamanian farrier at work.jpg|thumb|Rasping the [[Horse hoof|hoof]]]]
[[File:Farrier tools.jpg|thumb|upright|Some farrier [[tool]]s, including hammers,  nippers, rasps, and hoof knife, as well as a set of custom-made corrective shoes on the ground below the toolset]]
A '''farrier''' is a specialist in [[equine]] hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of [[horse|horses']] [[horse hoof|hooves]] and the placing of [[horseshoe|shoes]] on their hooves, if necessary.  A farrier combines some [[blacksmith]]'s skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with some [[veterinary medicine|veterinarian]]'s skills (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb) to care for horses' feet. Traditionally an occupation for men, in a number of countries women have now become farriers.
==History==
While the practice of putting protective hoof coverings on horses dates back to the first century,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-03-06 |title=Horse Shoes History |url=http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/hoof_care/eqhorsesho610/ |access-date=2022-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306031347/http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/hoof_care/eqhorsesho610/ |archive-date=2012-03-06 }}</ref> evidence suggests that the practice of nailing iron shoes into a horse's hoof is a much later invention. One of the first archaeological discoveries of an iron horseshoe was found in the tomb of Merovingian king [[Childeric I]], who reigned from 458 to 481 or 482. The discovery was made by Adrien Quinquin in 1653, and the findings were written about by [[Jean-Jacques Chifflet]] in 1655. Chifflet wrote that the iron horseshoe was so rusted that it fell apart as he attempted to clean it. He did, however, make an illustration of the shoe and noted that it had four holes on each side for nails.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chifflet |first=Jean-Jacques |title=anastasis childerici i francorum regis, sive thesaurus sepulchralis tornaci neviorum effossus et commentario illustratus |publisher=Plantin Press |year=1655 |location=Antwerp |pages=249}}</ref> Although this discovery places the existence of iron horseshoes during the later half of the fifth century, their further usage is not recorded until closer to the end of the millennium. Carolingian [[Capitulary|Capitularies]], legal acts composed and published by Frankish kings until the ninth century, display a high degree of attention to detail when it came to military matters, even going as far as to specify which weapons and equipment soldiers were to bring when called upon for war.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=France |first1=John |title=Warfare in the Dark Ages |last2=DeVries |publisher=Ashgate |year=2008 |location=Hampshire, England |pages=321–340}}</ref> With each Capitulary that calls for horsemen, no mention of horseshoes can be found. Excavations from [[Viking Age|Viking-age]] burials also demonstrate a lack of iron horseshoes, even though many of the stirrups and other [[horse tack]] survived. A burial dig in Slovenia discovered iron bits, stirrups, and saddle parts but no horseshoes.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1287098588 |title=Horse and Rider in the late Viking Age Equestrian burial in perspective. |date=2021 |others=Project Muse, Project MUSE, Anne Pedersen, Merethe Schifter Bagge |isbn=978-87-7184-998-1 |edition=1 |location=Baltimore, Md. |oclc=1287098588 |publisher=[[Aarhus University Press]]}}</ref> The first literary mention of nailed horseshoes is found within Ekkehard's [[Waltharius]],<ref name=":0" /> written c. 920 AD. The practice of shoeing horses in Europe likely originated in Western Europe, where they had more need due to the way the climate affected horses' hooves, before spreading eastward and northward by 1000 AD.
The task of shoeing horses was originally performed by blacksmiths, owing to the origin of the word found within the Latin ''ferrum''. However, by the time of [[Edward III of England]] (r. 1327–1377) the position, among others, had become much more specialized. This was part of a larger trend in specialization and the division of labour in England at the time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Britnell |first=R. H. |date=2001 |title=Specialization of Work in England, 1100-1300 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3091711 |journal=The Economic History Review |volume=54 |issue=1 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1111/1468-0289.00181 |jstor=3091711 |issn=0013-0117}}</ref> In 1350, Edward released an ordinance concerning pay and wages within the city of London. In the ordinance it mentioned farriers and decreed that they were not to charge more for their services than "they were wont to take before the time of the pestilence."<ref>{{Citation |last=Holland |first=John |title=London Life and Works |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139857093.007 |work=Memorials of Sir Francis Chantrey |year=2013 |pages=241–306 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/cbo9781139857093.007 |isbn=9781139857093 |access-date=2022-11-03}}</ref> The pestilence mentioned was the [[Black Death]], which places the existence of farriers as a trade independent of blacksmiths at the latest in 1346. In 1350, a statute from Edward designated the shoer of horses at court to be the ferrour des chivaux (literally Shoer of Horses), who would be sworn in before judges. The ferrour des chivaux would swear to do his craft properly and to limit himself solely to it.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fleming |first=George |date=January 1892 |title=Shoeing of Army Horses |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O_I5AQAAMAAJ&dq=edward+ii%2C+1359%2C+forges%2C+equipment&pg=PA986 |journal=Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States |volume=13 |pages=986–987}}</ref> The increasing division of labour in England, especially in regards to the farriers, proved beneficial for Edward III during the first phase of the [[Hundred Years' War, 1337–1360|Hundred Years' War]]. The English army traveled into France with an immense baggage train that possessed its own forges in order for the Sergeants-Farrier and his assistants to shoe horses in the field. The increased specialization of the fourteenth century allowed Edward to create a self-sufficient army, thus contributing to his military success in France.  
== Etymology ==
The word ''farrier'' can be traced back to the [[Middle English]] word {{lang|enm|ferrǒur}}, which referred to a blacksmith who also shoed horses. {{lang|enm|Ferrǒur}} can be traced back to the even earlier [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|ferreor}}, which in itself is based upon the Latin {{lang|la|ferrum}}, meaning 'iron'.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Ferrour |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED15747. |access-date=16 October 2022 |website=The Middle English Compendium}}</ref>
==Work==
James Blurton, 2005 World Champion Farrier, said, "Farriery is all about technique and getting the horse to do the work for you. It is not a wrestling match."<ref name=":1" />
A farrier's routine work is primarily hoof trimming and shoeing.<ref name="PaviaGentry-Running2011">{{cite book|author1=Audrey Pavia|author2=Kate Gentry-Running|title=Horse Health and Nutrition For Dummies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Xy6FN7UBhgC&pg=RA1-PT27|date=4 February 2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-05232-7}}</ref> In ordinary cases, trimming each hoof so it retains proper foot function is important. If the animal has a heavy work load, works on abrasive footing, needs additional traction, or has pathological changes in the hoof or conformational challenges, then shoes may be required. Additional tasks for the farrier include dealing with injured or diseased hooves and application of special shoes for [[horse racing|racing]], training, or "cosmetic" purposes.  Horses with certain diseases or injuries may need remedial procedures for their hooves, or need special shoes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santantimes.com/the-value-of-proper-hoof-care/|title=The Value Of Proper Hoof Care|date=2019-02-05|website=San Tan Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-10}}</ref>
Traditionally, farriers worked in premises such as forges with yards where they could hot-shoe a number of horses. Changes in the industry including the introduction of electric grinders, gas-powered portable forges, ready-made shoes, and plastic stick-on shoes, have now made travelling to individual clients possible.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How farrier Sarah is forging a career |url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/20714353.farrier-sarah-forging-career/ |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=Great British Life |date=22 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
===Tools used===
{| class ="wikitable"
|+ Farrier's tools
|-
!scope = "col" | Tool
!scope="col"|Picture
!scope="col"|Function
|-
| [[Anvil]], hammer
| align = center | [[File:FarrierJimKnockBrackenTools (8).JPG|175px]]
| Used to shape horseshoes to fit horse's feet<ref name="Evans2000">{{cite book|author=J. Warren Evans|title=Horses, 3rd Edition: A Guide to Selection, Care, and Enjoyment|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IhWz87RiuGQC&pg=PA314|date=13 December 2000|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|isbn=978-0-8050-7251-8|page=314}}</ref>
|-
| Forge and tongs
| align = center | [[File:FarrierJimKnockBrackenTools (10).JPG|175px]]
| Used to heat horseshoes to allow custom shaping and specialized design, tongs hold a hot shoe in both the furnace and on the anvil<ref name="Millwater2009">{{cite book|author=Dave Millwater|title=The New Dictionary of Farrier Terms 2. 7. 2-PB|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pAb9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA39|date=19 October 2009|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-0-557-15559-0|page=39}}{{self-published source|date=June 2022}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}
|-
| Clinchers
| align = center |
| Used to bend over ("clinch") ends of nails to hold the shoe in place<ref name="HillKlimesh2009">{{cite book|author1=Cherry Hill|author2=Richard Klimesh|title=Horse Hoof Care|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DnyNEu_aiz8C&pg=PA78|year=2009|publisher=Storey Pub.|isbn=978-1-60342-088-4|page=78}}</ref>
|-
| Hammer
|align = center |
| Two types, a larger design used on the anvil to shape shoes, a smaller one used to drive nails into hoof wall, through nail holes in shoe
|-
| Hoof knife
|align = center | [[File:Hoof knife.jpg|175px]]
| Used to trim [[Frog (horse anatomy)|frog]] and sole of hoof<ref name="FloydMansmann2007">{{cite book|author1=Andrea E. Floyd|author2=R. A. Mansmann|title=Equine Podiatry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ie4c7dZwT7wC&pg=PA413|year=2007|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|isbn=978-0-7216-0383-4|page=413}}</ref>
|-
| Hoof nippers
|align = center | [[File:HoofNippers.jpg|175px]]
| Used to trim hoof wall<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanfarriers.com/articles/599-getting-more-out-of-your-hoof-nippers|title=Getting More Out of Your Hoof Nippers|first = Pat |last =Tearney |date = 1 May 2011|work = American Farriers Journal}}</ref>
|-
| Hoof testers
| align = center |
| Used to detect cracks, weakness or abscess in the hoof<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanfarriers.com/articles/708-hoof-testers-a-valuable-diagnostic-tool-when-properly-used|title=A Valuable Diagnostic Tool When Properly Used|first = Chris|last = Gregory|date = 1 January 2011|work =American Farriers Journal}}</ref>
|-
| [[Rasp]]
| align = center | [[File:HoofRasp.jpg|175px]]
| Used to finish trim and smooth out edges of hoof<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanfarriers.com/articles/554-why-rasps-are-the-most-important----yet-most-neglected----tool-in-your-shoeing-box|title=Why Rasps are the Most Important -- Yet Most Neglected -- Tool in your Shoeing Box}}</ref>
|-
| Stand
| align = center | [[File:FarrierJimKnockBracken (14).JPG|175px]]
| Used to rest a horse's hoof off the ground when rasping the toe area.
|}
==Qualifications==
[[File:Mid 18th century gravestone of a Master Farrier, Old Polmont.jpg|thumb|Mid-eighteenth-century gravestone of a Master Farrier, Old [[Polmont]]]]
In countries such as the United Kingdom, people other than registered farriers cannot legally call themselves a farrier or carry out any farriery work (in the UK, this is under the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975).<ref>{{citation | title=Farriers (Registration) Act 1975 | url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1975/cukpga_19750035_en_1}}</ref>  The primary aim of the act is to "prevent and avoid suffering by and cruelty to horses arising from the shoeing of horses by unskilled persons".
However, in other countries, such as the United States, farriery is not regulated, no legal certification exists,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehorse.com/articles/27897/finding-a-farrier|title=Finding a Farrier|date=October 2000}}</ref> and qualifications can vary.  In the US, four organizations—the American Farrier's Association (AFA), the Guild of Professional Farriers (GPF), the Brotherhood of Working Farriers, and the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization (ELPO)—maintain voluntary certification programs for farriers.  Of these, the AFA's program is the largest, with about 2800 certified farriers.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}}  Additionally, the AFA program has a reciprocity agreement with the Farrier Registration Council and the [[Worshipful Company of Farriers]] in the UK.
Within the certification programs offered by the AFA, the GPF, and the ELPO, all farrier examinations are conducted by peer panels.  The farrier examinations for these organizations are designed so that qualified farriers may obtain a formal credential indicating they meet a meaningful standard of professional competence as determined by technical knowledge and practical skills examinations, length of field experience, and other factors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://americanfarriers.org |title=The American Farriers Association |publisher=Americanfarriers.org |date=2011-04-28 |access-date=2013-05-11}}</ref><ref>[http://www.guildprofarriers.org/ Registration guidelines] for The Guild of Professional Farriers</ref>   Farriers who have received a certificate of completion for attending a farrier school or course may represent themselves as having completed a particular course of study.  Sometimes, usually for purposes of brevity, they use the term "certified" in advertising.
Where professional registration exists, on either a compulsory or voluntary basis,  a requirement for [[continuing professional development]] activity often exists to maintain a particular license or certification.  For instance, farriers voluntarily registered with the American Association of Professional Farriers  require at least 16 hours of continuing education every year to maintain their accreditation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://professionalfarriers.com/farrier_accreditation.php |title=Farrier Accreditation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028172749/http://professionalfarriers.com/farrier_accreditation.php |archive-date=2016-10-28 }}</ref>
== Female farriers ==
Traditionally, farriery has been seen as a career for men<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Horse & Hound |date=2005-09-20 |title=Female farriers on the increase |url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/archives/female-farriers-on-the-increase-68720 |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=Horse & Hound |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Female Farriers Thriving Despite Gender-Based Challenges {{!}} ePublishing |url=https://www.americanfarriers.com/articles/167-female-farriers-thriving-despite-gender-based-challenges |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=www.americanfarriers.com |language=en}}</ref> although images do show women shoeing horses at a horse hospital in the early twentieth century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Women as farriers in the horse hospital of a big firm of haulage... |url=https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/women-as-farriers-in-the-horse-hospital-of-a-big-firm-of-news-photo/598817073 |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=Getty Images |date=7 January 2016 |language=en-gb}}</ref> In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, however, the number of women entering the profession has risen<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2013-06-06 |title=Female farriers buck the trend |url=https://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/female-farriers-buck-the-trend |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=Farmers Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref> in, for example, Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-04 |title=Female farriery student calls for more women to enter the trade |url=https://www.hawkesburygazette.com.au/story/7370746/female-farriery-student-calls-for-more-women-to-enter-the-trade/ |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=Hawkesbury Gazette |language=en-AU}}</ref> Canada,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Advertiser |date=2018-09-27 |title=First female farrier in Ontario nears 29 years in business |url=https://www.wellingtonadvertiser.com/first-female-farrier-in-ontario-nears-29-years-in-business/ |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=Wellington Advertiser |language=en-US}}</ref> Ireland,<ref>{{Cite web |title=A rare thing: Ireland's female farrier |url=https://www.farmersjournal.ie/a-rare-thing-ireland-s-female-farrier-703198 |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=www.farmersjournal.ie |language=en}}</ref> New Zealand,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-01 |title=Gender is Not a Qualification {{!}} Butler Professional Farrier Schools |url=https://butlerprofessionalfarrierschool.com/archives/1615 |access-date=2023-02-13 |language=en-US}}</ref> Senegal,<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Brooke's Farrier Training Changed My Life {{!}} Brooke |url=https://www.thebrooke.org/our-work/success-stories/how-brookes-farrier-training-changed-my-life |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=www.thebrooke.org}}</ref> the UK<ref name=":2" /> and the USA.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-28 |title=Female farriers: Cornell farrier program admits first all-female cohort |url=https://www.vet.cornell.edu/news/20180228/female-farriers-cornell-farrier-program-admits-first-all-female-cohort |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine |language=en}}</ref> Changes in materials and ways of working make it easier for women to combine the career with motherhood.<ref>{{Cite web |last=team |first=Editorial |date=2021-07-15 |title=Hayley Foy – Female Farrier |url=https://www.theblackmorevale.co.uk/2021/07/15/hayley-foy-female-farrier/ |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=The BV |language=en-GB}}</ref> Women in the UK are now becoming 'master' farriers<ref>{{Cite news |last=Greenbank |first=Tony |date=9 November 2019 |title=Meet North Yorkshire's Sarah-Mary Brown - the only female master farrier in the country |work=[[The Yorkshire Post]] |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/meet-north-yorkshires-sarah-mary-brown-only-female-master-farrier-country-1747754 |access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref> and Fellows of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, training apprentice farriers from around the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=Spring 2023 |title=To shoe or not to shoe? |journal=[[British Horse]] |pages=54–57 |via=The Official Magazine of The British Horse Society}}</ref>
== See also ==
<!-- new links in alphabetical order please -->
* [[Equine anatomy]]
* [[Equine forelimb anatomy]]
* [[Equine podiatry]]
* [[Household Cavalry#Army Farriers|Household Cavalry Army Farriers]]
* [[Natural hoof care]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Sister project links|wikt= farrier |b= no |n= no |q= no |v= no}}
* [https://www.americanfarriers.com/ American Farrier's Journal]
* [https://americanfarriers.org/ American Farrier's Association]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Farriers| ]]
[[Category:Equine hoof]]
[[Category:Farriery]]
[[Category:Horse health]]
[[Category:Horse-related professions and professionals]]
[[Category:Horseshoes]]