Farrier Services

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On site farrier services available. We offer the following:

Normal shoes: These are used by the majority of horses. The regular shoe is a simple U-shape generally made of steel. There is a fuller (groove) where the nails are hammered. This groove prevents the nails from being pulled out so easily, and the heel of the shoe is open. The toe is smooth. The normal shoe is adequate for correct, well-moving horses in light to medium work on good ground.

Rim shoes: Identical in shape to the normal shoe, the rim shoe is also made of steel. The one difference in tbe rim shoe is they are more full around the nail holes than that of the regular shoe. The rim shoe is much deeper and extends all the way around the entire shoe. This fuller shoe helps to give the horse a little more grip on slippery surfaces and works well for jumping, eventing, dressage, or endurance while riding on poorer surfaces.

Racing plates: These shoes are also shaped similarly to rim shoes, but they are made of aluminum – and thus considerably lighter than the ordinary steel shoes. However, they are considerably less durable. While steel shoes are generally replaced every four to six weeks, racing plates are only intended for a few days’ use. 

Sliding plates: These U-shaped shoes are longer and narrower than ordinary shoes. They extend all the way to the bulbs of the horse’s foot and have rolled toes. The inside heel is narrower than the outside, helping to keep the horse’s feet from deviating from their natural, straight action. Sliding plates are used exclusively on the hind feet of reining horses to help them perform those super-impressive sliding stops.

Glue-on shoes: There are many varieties of glue-on horseshoes . These are generally made of various forms of plastic and have different adhesives that are used to attach the shoe to the horse’s foot. These may seem like a good option to those owners for whom the idea of nailing on a shoe is a little squeamish.

Bar shoes: The bar shoe is an important component of remedial shoeing – the art of shoeing horses with foot problems in order to help alleviate the problems. Bar shoes, instead of being U-shaped, are closed. They are generally designed to support the horse’s heel or hoof wall. The most common type, the straight bar shoe, is commonly used in horses who have problems with hoof wall quality – such as quarter cracks or white line disease – to hold the hoof together as it heals. The egg bar shoe has a rounded bar at the heels, which is designed to support low or weak heels. Lastly, perhaps one of the most specialized shoes of all is the heart bar shoe. These are not usually available from online sellers and may only be used in conjunction with both a vet and a farrier.