How Long Does It Take To Shoe A Horse?

If you are wondering how long it takes to shoe a horse, the answer is not as straightforward as one might think. Horses have different foot shapes and sizes, which means they require shoes that are specific for their type of feet.

The process can take anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the horse’s hooves, how complicated the job is and what type of shoes are being applied. However, the more experienced you are, the less it will take you to shoe your horse.

In this blog post, I’ll talk about shoeing horses in detail, which tools require, how much it costs, and if you plan to become farrier how much you can earn.

How Much Does It Cost to Shoe A Horse?

Have you ever wondered how much it would cost to shoe a horse? Or what the average cost is? The price of shoeing a horse is subjective to the country you are living in.

In the USA – according to the American Farriers Journal, the nationwide charges for shoeing your horse are $142.09.

If you are not from the US – here are the average prices for other countries.

  • UK: 50-85 pounds
  • Australia: 60-140 Australian dollars

It’s actually not that difficult to find out. You can get all the price information from your farrier. The total cost includes the farrier charges and the price of the shoe. Prices of farrier vary from location to location.

However, for finding the exact cost I recommend you to read two articles.

  1. How Much Do Farrier Can Make?  (For a detailed list check the blog post and for an average idea i added a section below as well)
  2. Best horse shoes

In the first article you can find how much money a farrier can charge in your state and in the second article you can find and get an idea of how much money costs you for horseshoes and then add both prices you’ll find out how much money costs to shoe a horse.

On the other hand, if you’re or want to become a farrier it’s a different scenario. The most important thing you need is to learn skills.

  • You’ve to learn how to shoe a horse
  • Which Are the Things as A professional farrier you have to care
  • And most importantly which are the essential equipment and tools are needed.

Tools Needed To Shoe A Horse

Now that we have covered the prices, let’s move on to the equipment needed to shoe a horse. According to many farriers (who know their jobs well), your equipment depends entirely on the type of horse you want to shoe.

And most of the time, you don’t even need the fancy equipment, you just need a few bits to do the job well. So, if you are tight on budget, do not worry about missing out on anything.

And lastly, pick tools that are handy for you, just like everyone has their own order for their coffee at Starbucks – similarly, not every tool will fit your hands well. Do your research before choosing the tools.

Here is the complete tool guide that you will need to shoe your horse, or your client’s horse (if you are a farrier).

1. Education

Yes, you didn’t see this coming. But, the first tool that you will need to shoe a horse is your education. You cannot buy the best tools and turn up to start shoeing.

Especially if your horse has a bad temper. You will most likely end up breaking your ribs. So, learn to shoe a horse before you jump on the bandwagon to get the tools.

2. Anvil

An anvil will provide you with a better surface area for your hammer. However, always go for the heaviest one that you can find as it will hold well through many years. Count it as an investment for your business or horse.

3. Hoof Pick

A hoof pick is a tool that farriers use to clean any dirt off of the feet of the horse. And if you want to shoe your horse, you will need one too. It is better to keep the surface clean before putting a shoe on your horse as it will keep them more comfortable.

4. Shoe Puller

Your choice of shoe puller will ease up your next task i.e, to pull the current shoe off the horse’s feet. You will need something that has the best grip and strength to get the job done in one clean try.

5. Hoof Stand

A hoof stand will make your job 10 times easier. Your horse will simply rest its foot on the stand so you can get a better view of the area you are dealing with. Without a hoof stand, all your energy will get wasted in trying to pull the feet of the horse up for a better view.

6. Forge

You will need a forge to heat up the metal shoe to get it into the required shape. However, if you have bought the shoes from somewhere, then you can skip buying this one.

7. Hammer

Again, if you are making the shoe yourself then you will require a variety of hammers, for example – straight hammers, rounding hammers. But, you can skip buying these if you are not making the shoe yourself.

8. Pritchel

A pritchel will help you to do a number of things. Like punching holes in the shoes of your horse. Other than that, you will not need more things. You can utilize a few tools to do the whole job with adequate skills.

9. Shoes

Lastly, you will need a pair of shoes for your horse. The type of shoe will depend on how you use your horse. For example, if you like to be on trails then look for the best trail riding shoes available.

Always remember that do not compromise on the quality of the shoe as a low-quality one can be bad for the safety of your horse.

How Much Does A Farrier Charge To Shoe A Horse?

The charges of your farrier will depend on his expertise. However, on average, an intermediate farrier charges anything between 130-160 dollars to shoe a horse.

If you opt for more services like filing of nails or resetting of the keg, then it will be another 100 dollars added to the bill.

Here is a list of farrier charges depending on the service.

ServicesCharges
Nail trimming 25-40 dollars
resetting the keg 125-200 dollars
cleaning the shoes 10-30 dollars

How Many Horses Can A Farrier Shoe In A Day?

It is subjective to how many hours a farrier works. But on average, if someone works for about 8 hours a day – they can shoe about 5-6 horses.

Because it takes about 40 minutes to shoe a horse, so when you do the math and add everything up for a day, it will be around five or six horses.

Do farriers make good money?

Farriers have both good and bad seasons of their income, but on average they make around $18,749 and $27,984 a year.

It sounds good, but compared to other professions farriers do not make good money as an average American with a day job makes about $34,000.

How To Become a farrier?

Although, how to become a farrier is not a popular question among Gen Z right now but if you’re one of the few people who want to be a farrier – we’ve got your back.

First Step

A degree is not necessary to be a farrier but it will help you be more efficient in your job. Here are some of the courses that can be of help.

1- Communication Skills to be able to create a clientele among vets and horse owners.

2- Business Management to understand how you can scale up your business as a farrier.

Second Step

You can learn the skill from anywhere but you need to get registered from the Farriers’ Registration Council to be able to practice.

And if you’re in the US- then there are two certifications that you can get from the American Farrier Association (AFA).

First is the AFA farrier Classification, covering the basic aspects of being a farrier and then AFA certified farrier for when you have at least one year of experience as a farrier.

Last Step

Next, you need to take care of your health and practice as much as you can to be a good farrier.

Can a woman become a farrier?

Yes, a woman can be a farrier. Although strength plays a major role in becoming a farrier – there is no ground rule that a woman cannot be as strong.

So if you want to be a farrier and you’re a woman -just go through the steps required and you’ll be good to go.

What Age Can You Shoe A Horse?

When a horse is around 6 weeks and its hoofs start to get sore then it is a good time to shoe its feet.

However, your horse may need it earlier or later. So, it depends entirely on your horse.

Takeaway

For professional farrier shoeing, a horse is a daily task It will not take much time to shoe a horse but for beginners, it’s really a tedious task.

Being a farrier is not a popular phenomenon these days but it is an important pillar in the horse racing industry.

And farriers end up making 27,000 dollars a year which combined with some extra services is not a bad income source as you need around 40 minutes to shoe a horse and with time you can get the job done a lot quicker.

You will need some strength, determination, and a few certificates to work as a farrier.