mobile farrier · forge in the van
The forge comes to your stable.
Hot shoeing, barefoot trims and corrective work — done in your yard, on my anvil, with the forge burning in the back of the van. Horses stay home; I do the driving.
4–8
horses a day
6–8 weeks
shoeing cycle
120 km
a working day
A day on the road
One van, five stables, a burning forge.
This is what a working Tuesday looks like. The route changes, the rhythm does not: load before dawn, drive, shoe, drive again — and the last hoof gets the same patience as the first.
05:40
Loading the van
Coal, iron, and two hundred kilos of tools. The forge is lit before the first stable so it is at heat on arrival.
the yard at home
07:15
First stable — three warmbloods
Full sets for two, a trim for the third. Morning horses are calm horses; the hard cases go first.
34 km out
11:00
Ranch by the river
A pony that has never been shod stands for her first trim. Slow work, short holds, lots of breaks — that is how it should be.
61 km out
14:30
Corrective case
A vet-referred laminitis mare gets heart-bar shoes, shaped hot and checked twice. This stop takes as long as it takes.
89 km out
18:20
Last hoof, rasp down
The clinches are smoothed, the yard swept, tomorrow's route confirmed by phone from the van.
120 km, day done
One stop up close
Forty-five minutes under one horse.
A full hot shoeing, step by step — the same order every time, because the order is what keeps horses sound.
01
Old shoes off
Clinches raised, shoes pulled — never levered against the wall
5 min
02
Trim and balance
Dead sole and frog pared, wall trimmed to a level bearing surface
10 min
03
Shape at the forge
The shoe glows orange and is hammered to the exact line of the hoof
8 min
04
Hot fit
A second of smoke shows every high spot — the print never lies
3 min
05
Cool, nail on
Six to eight nails, each angled out through sound wall
8 min
06
Clinch and finish
Nail ends turned down tight, wall rasped smooth, angles checked
8 min
Work and prices
Plain work, plain numbers.
Prices are per horse and include travel within the usual round. Corrective work is quoted after seeing the horse — or the X-rays.
Barefoot trim
All four hooves balanced — the 4–6 week habit that saves shoes later
$32
Full set, hot shod
Four shoes shaped at the forge, fitted hot
$128
Re-shoe, front pair
Fronts wear first — a common half-way service
$69
Corrective / orthopedic
Heart-bars, wedges, egg-bars — with your vet's diagnosis
from $161
Lost shoe call-out
One shoe back on, usually within two days
$28
For owners
Three things worth catching early.
Overgrown, cracked walls
Long toes and spreading cracks mean the cycle has run too long — book before it splits higher.
Loose or clicking shoe
A shoe that shifts or rings on stone is days from coming off — and taking wall with it.
Short, careful steps
A horse that suddenly walks like glass belongs to the vet and me together — call us both.
Book a stop
Get your stable on the route.
Tell me where you are, how many horses, and what they wear now. I will slot you into the round and confirm a date.