Farriers in Spain

Tony is based in Cómpeta, Málaga. He is English trained and has been shoeing in Spain for a number of years. Together with his wife Donna they own and run the very popular and successful Los Olivillos riding establishment.

Many of his Spanish clients in the pueblos found the hot shoeing fascinating as they had never seen it before. Although they appreciated the quality of his work, many were adverse to change to the "new" hot shoeing.

However, over time they have come to appreciate the benefits and the level of service Tony and Axarquia Farriers provide to such an extent that now he works with top "ganaderos" (breeders) and he works closely with a number of vets who are are happy to have him in the area.

His colleagues in England find it difficult to believe his stories of the hardness of the hooves he deals with particularly during the summer months. The dry weather brings its own problems to the hooves but there is nothing that Tony cannot cope with now he has adapted to the conditions!

You can e-mail Tony at Axarquia Farriers or you can easily send an SMS (text message) saying "CALL ME" (0034) 619 171 592

Ed has been shoeing horses for over 35 years. He has shod all types in many different places and in many different circumstances in England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, the USA, France and Spain.

The horses, ponies, donkeys and mules have ranged from the humble to the heroic. They have included Olympic showjumpers, Derby contenders, a Grand National winner, championship driving horses, hunters and riding school hacks...the list is endless.

He is a retired member of the Worshipful Company of Farriers. He has also held various shoeing licences in Canada and was a member of both the American and Canadian Farriers Associations.

Ed is an all round horseman. who has owned, ridden, driven and trained horses in various disciplines. These days he concentrates on remedial trimming and shoeing and training young farriers.

You can e-mail Ed at Axarquia Farriers or you can easily send an SMS (text message) saying "CALL ME" (0034) 654 025 358 or Skype: fincafantastica

We have a simple philosophy. We like to work quietly round our horses and make the shoeing or trimming experience as pleasant as possible for the horse. This is achieved by taking a little time, talking to the horses and keeping distractions down to a minimum.

Shoeing horses is a three way street between the horse, the owner and the farrier. When all three are working in harmony there is rarely cause for concern. In the course of our business we shoe horses that are rarely handled and in many cases have been badly treated. It is not usually a problem for us and certainly by the second and third visit the horses know us and far easier to handle.

Tony Forsyth and Ed Kirwan together with our apprentice Jamie are the Axarquia Farriers.

We cover the Axarquia, Malaga, Seville and Granada. If you have any problems, if only for an opinion or a little advice, you can e-mail us.

Andrés, from Cádiz, has been a farrier for 36 years and spends just about every waking hour with his beloved Andalusian Horses.

He has owned, trained and ridden for hundreds of hours. He lives and breathes his work and his lifelong interest - horses.

He has studied conformation, movement and morphology, learned from others - and in turn, has taught what he has learned.

Like all good farriers Andrés works closely with a number of vets specialising in hoof and lameness cases and focuses on being up to date with new technology and discoveries.

If you are looking for a good farrier in the Cádiz region, contact Andrés who also has a very good information packed website.

For the want of a nail a shoe was lost.
For the want of a shoe a horse was lost.
For the want of a horse a battle was lost.
For the want of a battle a war was lost.
For the want of a battle a nation was lost.
And all for the want of a nail.

I quote from my Master Farrier, the late and much missed Bill Hayter. "There are three basic things you need to learn to deal with. The ironwork, the horses and the clients. The last part is the most difficult..."

And if you are a horse owner you will understand us just as much as we understand you!

OK, only joking but is it any wonder we are a little crazy? We spend our waking hours with our backs bent and our heads down. We love what we do and we do it to the best of our ability but you guys are crazy too!

We successfully cope with all manner of horses in varying conditions. Ideally we require a dry, level surface to work on (with shade in the summer months)and a knowledgeable handler in attendance. Is this too much to ask? I think not if you want a good job done.

The old story has it that an apprentice was given 5 marbles to put in his mouth on his first day at work. "Now go and remove those shoes as I showed you" said his Master.

Slightly confused, the apprentice complied and returned to his boss with the four shoes correctly removed but minus one marble. "Ok, you can take the others out of your mouth now."

"But why did I need them in the first place?" asked the apprentice.

"When you lose all of them, you will be a farrier" came the reply.

What's the difference between a farrier and a vet?

A farrier knows that he's not a vet!

Do you know how to make a small fortune with horses?
Start out with a large fortune.

Did you know that horses asses outnumber horses 2 to 1?

Worcester farrier, Kelvin Lymer goes shoeing at the Olympics in China. Video courtsey of BBC News.

The Horseshoe Museum aims to be the most comprehensive collection of horseshoes in the world. From the old tradition of Handmade Horseshoes to fit any horse, to Manufactured Horseshoes from around the world. The "Horseshoe Museum" promises to be the place to come to discover, reference, and learn about the horseshoe, including how to build each of the examples on display. A brief listing of horseshoes displayed at the "Horseshoe Museum" are as below.

O.A.Curtis and Sons of Newmarket, England is a famous and well established business. It is interesting to note that Simon Curtis employs two Spanish farriers, Sergio Muelle Goldstein AWCF and Alejandro Sepulveda Maroto.

The American Farriers Association can help you find a farrier in the US, Canada and worldwide.

In the UK THE FARRIERS REGISTRATION COUNCIL have a complete list of registered farriers

Gabino Fernando in Madrid. 0034 628 060 364 or 620 420 940. This is a Spanish site only.

Roger Soler-Pont
Ferrador qualificat . Registered Farrier
Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers

653 856013 E-mail:rsp.ferrador@terra.es
Av. Verge De Montserrat,
147 - atic 1*-08041
Barcelona