Our police horses see the farrier every six weeks to have their shoes replaced.
They get a lot of wear and tear, especially when the horses are patrolling the streets.
Here, our youngest member of the Mounted Section, Silver Arrow, has new shoes fitted.
When performed correctly, shoeing causes no pain to a horse. First, the farrier removes the old shoe using pincers before trimming the hoof wall with nippers.
This is similar to you or me having our fingernails cut. A hoof knife is then used to trim and clean the sole and frog of the hoof.
The farrier then puts the new shoes in a forge where the steel becomes red hot and can then be shaped and customised to the horse's foot using a hammer and anvil.
The shoes are then held against the horse's hoof to make sure they fit properly - this is called hot-shoeing and makes for a better fit.
The hot shoes are then placed in water to cook them off before being nailed on. The nails are driven into the hoof wall. The farrier cuts off the sharp points and uses a clincher to bend the rest of the nail so it is almost flush with the hoof wall.
The farrier then uses a rasp, which is a large file, to smooth the edge where it meets the shoe and eliminate any sharp edges. The hooves are then given a final rub down and it's job done.
Our police horses see the farrier every six weeks to have their shoes replaced.
They get a lot of wear and tear, especially when the horses are patrolling the streets.
Here, our youngest member of the Mounted Section, Silver Arrow, has new shoes fitted.
When performed correctly, shoeing causes no pain to a horse. First, the farrier removes the old shoe using pincers before trimming the hoof wall with nippers.
This is similar to you or me having our fingernails cut. A hoof knife is then used to trim and clean the sole and frog of the hoof.
The farrier then puts the new shoes in a forge where the steel becomes red hot and can then be shaped and customised to the horse's foot using a hammer and anvil.
The shoes are then held against the horse's hoof to make sure they fit properly - this is called hot-shoeing and makes for a better fit.
The hot shoes are then placed in water to cook them off before being nailed on. The nails are driven into the hoof wall. The farrier cuts off the sharp points and uses a clincher to bend the rest of the nail so it is almost flush with the hoof wall.
The farrier then uses a rasp, which is a large file, to smooth the edge where it meets the shoe and eliminate any sharp edges. The hooves are then given a final rub down and it's job done.
Follow Silver Arrow on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/npsilverarrow
Watch a video of Silver Arrow having his shoes changed at http://www.youtube.com/nottinghampolice
See more photos of Silver Arrow having his shoes fitted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nottspolice
Visit our website at http://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk
nottspolice over 2 years ago