Shoeing

Your horse, our craft

Keeping your horse comfortable, balanced, and performing at its best starts with the right shoeing. We provide a full range of traditional farriery services tailored to meet your horse (or donkey’s) individual needs.

Our shoeing services begin with a full assessment and trim, much like our barefoot trims. However, during a shoeing appointment we adapt the trim to prepare the hoof for a shoe.

Effective shoeing is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We take the time to assess your horse carefully, and each set of shoes is designed to address specific issues — supporting your horse’s health and performance with features such as:

Protection from excessive wear, damage or trauma
Support to optimise limb balance or manage an injury/pathology
Grip to reduce the risk of slipping or injury

During your shoeing appointment we will:

Assess conformation and foot balance — ideally both statically (while standing) and dynamically (while moving), where the horse’s temperament and environment allow
Create an individual trimming and shoeing plan — taking into account factors such as conformation, foot shape, workload, environment, and any past issues. We will discuss your horse’s routine and history with you in order to gather as much information as possible
Determine the shoeing cycle — for example, longer cycles (6–8 weeks) require shoeing to accommodate hoof growth. The interval is tailored to each horse’s needs
Provide flexibility without hidden costs — we do not charge extra if new conventional steel shoes are required as part of the plan (additional charges only apply for shoeing extras, when required)
Use premium materials — our shoes are fitted with anti-microbial coated nails to support long-term hoof health
Encourage owner feedback — we review each horse’s progress at follow-up appointments to adapt the plan as needed. We also welcome any feedback from you that will help us to improve our service – see our Feedback page for details

Complimentary Shoe Replacement – New for 2026: If your horse loses a shoe within 4 weeks of their shoeing appointment we will put it back on for free – with no additional call out charges, providing that

New for 2026: If your horse loses a shoe within 4 weeks of their shoeing appointment we will put it back on for free – with no additional call out charges, providing that:

You are able to wait until we are working in your area
The working environment and horses temperament don’t hinder the shoeing process
That the shoe is not worn out and needs replacing.

If your horse requires remedial shoeing, please contact us to discuss options and costs.

Shoeing Extras

All costs for Shoeing Extras and Additional Services are detailed on our Prices page.
Scroll down for details of our Additional Services

Road pins & road nails

Road pins and road nails are used to provide extra grip on hard surfaces such as roads or concrete. They are made using tungsten, which is harder than steel, which means that they continue to protrude even as the shoe wears down, providing additional traction.

To maintain balance, we always fit two pins per shoe — one on the inside and one on the outside branch — to prevent twisting or torsion in your horse’s limb, when the shoe meets the ground.

Road nail: the tungsten pin is set into the head of a nail
Road pin: a solid tungsten pin is inserted into a hole drilled directly into the shoe

We will recommend the most suitable option for your horse, but can always adapt based on your feedback and the horse’s performance.

Stud holes

A stud hole is a threaded hole drilled into the shoe, allowing a stud to be temporarily screwed in when extra grip is needed. Each hole is ⅜ inch in diameter, and a wide range of stud types and sizes are available from suppliers, so the most suitable option can be chosen for different ground conditions.

Because balance is so important to limb health, we apply two stud holes per shoe (one on the inside branch and one on the outside branch). This gives the rider the option of fitting two studs if needed, helping to reduce twisting or torsion of the limb on impact with the ground.

Please note: some equestrian disciplines (e.g. polo) have specific rules on stud hole placement. If this applies to your horse, let us know so we can ensure compliance. You can see more examples of different types of horse shoe studs in the gallery below.

Bar shoes

Bar shoes can be fitted to provide greater stability to the hoof capsule, offer additional support, or relieve stress and strain on specific areas of the hoof.

Bar shoes are continuous shoes with no opening at the heel and are available in a variety of styles and designs. We select the type of bar shoe for your horse based on the features that will be most beneficial for their individual needs.

Plastic or leather pads

Pads were traditionally used to provide extra protection across the sole area of the foot. Modern pads, however, often incorporate a synthetic frog design that offers digital support and encourages natural frog function — similar to a barefoot horse, but with the protection of a shoe.

There are many different styles available, and we will select the type of pad most suitable for your horse’s individual needs if and when they are required.

Pad packing

Because pads cover the sole and frog, pad packing is recommended underneath hoof pads to help maintain a healthy hoof environment. We use an antimicrobial coating within the packing to reduce the risk of thrush and other unwanted bacterial or fungal activity underneath the pad.

Packing also enables digital support pads to function correctly, engaging the frog and digital cushion, to effectively simulate the way that a barefoot hoof loads. The firmness (shore rating) of the packing can be adjusted to suit your horse’s specific needs.

Composite shoes

Advances in modern farriery have introduced alternatives to traditional metal shoes. Composite shoes are usually made of plastic and are typically applied with glue rather than nails. This type of shoe offers a number of benefits and can be an excellent option when required.

We have completed specialist training to ensure these shoes are applied correctly for the best possible results.

A variety of composite shoes are included within this price option. However, certain specialised remedial shoes may incur additional charges — we will always notify you of this before your appointment.

Application with glue

Both metal and composite horse shoes can be successfully applied using specialist glues. In farriery there are three main families of glue: methyl methacrylate, polymer urethane, and cyanoacrylate. We select the type most appropriate for your horse’s needs and your specific objective.

We have undertaken in-depth training and gained extensive experience with these products, so we know how to prepare, apply, and use each glue correctly to achieve consistent, reliable results.

Other shoeing products

This section lists our general shoeing products. If you need something that isn’t included here, please feel free to ask and we will probably be able to help. For remedial shoeing see additional services below.

Prices for our shoeing products and services can be found on our Prices page.

Gallery

Have a look at the gallery below to see some different types of shoe, remedial shoeing and examples of our work.

Additional Services

We also offer Barefoot Trimming and Hoof Boot Fitting. All costs are detailed on our Prices page.

Call out fees

Our additional services are priced on the basis that we are already attending your yard. If we need to travel out to you solely to carry out an additional service, a call-out fee will apply to cover travel time and expenses.

We offer two types of call-out fee:

Full Call-Out Fee – Charged when we make a specific trip to your yard. This may also apply if you request an urgent appointment before our next scheduled visit to your area (subject to availability).

In-Area Call-Out Fee – Charged when we are already working in your area, so less travel is required than a full call-out.

Find out more on our Prices page.

Reapplication of a shoe during your shoeing cycle

We maintain a very low lost-shoe rate (below 1% in 2024), despite our focus being on long-term soundness and performance rather than simply maximising shoe retention. We believe this success is due to our knowledge of equine biomechanics and anatomy, which allows us to promote a stronger, healthier hoof capsule and to shoe horses in a way that encourages more efficient movement.

Because our lost-shoe rate is so low (and continually monitored), the few shoes that are lost prematurely during a cycle are often due to factors beyond our control. However, we always analyse and investigate any case to reduce the chance of reoccurrence.

If you still have the shoe and it simply requires reapplying within our shoeing cycle, we do not charge to reapply the shoe, but we will charge an in area or full call out fee depending whether you can wait until we are working in your area. If we are already at the yard then there is no charge.

Replacing a lost shoe during your shoeing cycle

If your horse loses a shoe and it cannot be reapplied (for example, if the shoe is damaged or missing), we charge for the time required to fit and shape a new shoe to your horse, including the relevant call out fee if applicable.

Shoeing one foot (when a shoe is lost, at the end or outside of our recommended shoeing cycle)

If your horse loses a shoe at the end of, or outside, its regular shoeing cycle, that foot will need to be assessed, trimmed, and shod in the same way as during a full shoeing appointment. We strongly advise that the remaining feet are shod as soon as possible afterwards to maintain balance.

Farriery lameness assessment

The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 restricts the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, including lameness, to registered veterinary surgeons.

However, there are occasions where, from a farriery perspective, we may be able to help identify potential contributing factors to your horse’s lameness. In such cases, we can advise on possible farriery solutions or adjustments to support your horse, alongside veterinary care.

Foot search or investigation

We can investigate and debride the horny hoof capsule to check for potential issues, such as abscesses or seedy toe.

If we approach sensitive tissues during this process, we will stop and refer you to your veterinary surgeon. Our in-depth knowledge of equine anatomy allows us to recognise when veterinary intervention is necessary.

Additional time

All of our standard appointment prices are based on the time required to work with a well-behaved horse. We understand that some horses—such as young or nervous ones—may need extra time, and we are happy to accommodate this to promote a positive experience.

Before any additional time is charged, we will discuss with you whether you would like us to take the extra time or finish at the standard appointment duration.

This additional time charge also applies if we are unable to complete the intended service due to changes in the horse’s behaviour or the working environment.Charges for additional time are detailed on our Prices page.

Hoof reconstruction or repair

If the hoof wall is damaged or a section has been debrided, we can repair it using specialised hoof repair products.

We have completed extensive training and have significant experience with these products, allowing us to prepare, apply, and use each type of glue correctly to achieve consistent and reliable results.

Hoof cast

A hoof cast is a wrap that surrounds the hoof wall, with resin-impregnated fibres that are activated to form a firm structure around the hoof capsule. This provides additional strength and stability to the hoof.

We can apply hoof casts in a variety of ways depending on the reason for treatment, and when required, a shoe can also be applied over the cast.