When did the practice of shoeing horses begin?

There has been much speculation over the years as to when and where the practice of shoeing horses with nailed-on iron shoes was invented. Books that deal with the subject have been written by: Gesner (1551); Panciroli (1599); Beckmann (1780); Clark (1831& 1835); Mgnln (1665); Fleming (1869); Caviglia (1880); Nlcard (1890); Daul (1893); Meyer (1941): and others. Many people assume that shoeing is as old as horses and iron. References to ancient Roman shoes are in numerous 19th century works. There is evidence of horse domestication as far back as 4000 BC (McMiken 1990). The Bible identifies Tubal-Cain as the first blacksmith, around 3500 BC. It is possible, then, that horseshoeing dates back to 3500 BC. Possible, but not likely.

J. P. Mgnin (1865), as quoted by Fleming (1869), says: 'We place the invention of horseshoeing about the fifth or sixth century before our era (i.e. around 500 BC) -- that is, at the period when Druidism was most flourishing.... The Druids taught the structure of the horse's foot by the numerous sacrifices they made of this animal, accustomed to the manipulation of metals, and their intelligence continually cultivated by study, were marvelously disposed to be the inventors of shoeing by nails.'

Indeed, the Druids would certainly have been able to shoe their horses, but there is no firm evidence that they did.

This lack of evidence is not surprising. Druids were famous for their secrecy, and iron was rare and valuable enough to be used for money in some cultures (the ancient Celts, for one) -- so it was not all Druids, but only their priests who did any ironwork. Until this century, Iron was never discarded. Instead it was constantly re-used. In Virginia in the 1600's when settlers moved, they would frequently burn down their old house, just to salvage the iron nails! It was such a problem that in 1645 the Virginia Legislature passed a law to prevent it. (Smith 1966)

In the 1800's worn out horseshoes were used to make horseshoe nails, and worn out horseshoe nails were then welded together to make musket barrels. With that kind of recycling effort it seems unlikely that any samples of ancient horseshoes would still exist (unless re-worked into another object). Despite the fact that iron was rare and valuable and very easily re-used, archaeologists have discovered a few specimens of shoes which they think date back to a century or two BC.

The Professional Farrier

All Farriers must be registered with The Farriers Registration Council. It is a criminal offence for any person to shoe a horse (including their own) or otherwise engage in Farriery in Great Britain , whilst not registered on the Register of Farriers.

ONLY USE A REGISTERED FARRIER

The Farriers (Registration) Act, which covers the shoeing of horses, ponies, mules and donkeys, came into effect in 1980 in England and Wales, and in 1981 in Scotland (excluding the Highlands and Islands of Scotland). The Act aims to: "Prevent and avoid suffering by, and cruelty to horses arising from the shoeing of horses by unskilled persons; to promote the proper shoeing of horses; to promote the training of farriers and shoeing smiths; to register persons engaged in farriery and the shoeing of horses; and to prohibit the shoeing of horses by unqualified persons."

THE REGISTER OF FARRIERS

What this means for the horse and pony owner is that if you use a Registered Farrier he will be qualified by training or long experience to carry out the work properly and safely, and that he will be expected to abide by a code of conduct. If you use an unregistered person, he will be breaking the law; and you will have no comeback in law, and may have invalidated your insurance, if he lames or otherwise injures your horse. You can tell a Registered Farrier by the badge on the windscreen of his vehicle and his personal Registration Card, both of which are reissued each year and are clearly marked with the year of validity. If you have any doubts or if you have difficulty in finding a Registered Farrier, you can get an up-to-date list for your County by sending a remittance of £2 per list to:-

The Farriers Registration Council,
Sefton House,
Adam Court,
Newark Road,
Peterborough
PE1 5PP.

The Register is split into 4 Parts according to how Farriers qualified.

• Those in Part 1 have completed an approved apprenticeship, and passed an examination to demonstrate their ability.

• Those in Part II and IV qualified by virtue of their experience at the time the Acts were introduced.

• Those in Part III are allowed to shoe horses but are not allowed to carry out Farriery by way of trade or for reward. Apprentice Farriers must be indented to an ATF (Approved Training Farrier).

• Apprentices may practise Farriery on behalf of their ATF as they undergo their Apprenticeships, but the ATF remains responsible for their supervision and the quality of their work until they are eligible for Registration themselves.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Farriers with the qualification DipWCF (Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers) or RSS (Registered Shoeing Smith) have passed a practical and theoretical examination which tests basic Farriery, anatomy of the limb and foot, and some theory on remedial shoeing for common complaints. A person passing this examination has demonstrated the ability to practise basic Farriery.

Farriers with the qualification AWCF (Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers) or AFCL (Associate of the Farriers Company of London have qualified to DipWCF/RSS standard, have completed a minimum of an additional 2 years practice, and have passed a further examination to show that they have a high standard of skill and are capable of remedial shoeing. The examination carries the accolade of the highest technical merit.

Farriers with the qualification FWCF (Fellowship of the Worshipful Company of Farriers) have demonstrated not only the technical standards of the AWCF, but have also submitted a thesis on Farriery and demonstrated the ability to lecture on the subject.

Click here for more details about the Worshipful Company of Farriers