What Type Of Shoes Do You Carry In Your Rig?

Some 96% of farriers carry steel keg shoes in their trucks or trailers, while 65% have aluminum shoes on hand. Plastic/synthetic shoes are carried in 24% of farrier rigs, rubber shoes in 2% and titanium shoes in 4%.

When it comes to specialized shoes carried in their rigs, 43% of farriers keep heart bars, 39% egg bars, 53% frog support shoes, 24% Natural Balance shoes and 37% carry wedged heel shoes.

 — 2017 International Hoof-Care Summit attendee survey

How Modern Technology Impacts Farrier Work

Among the 39% of farriers who use tablets in their footcare business, 23% use them for accounting, 46% for scheduling 22% for invoicing, 69% for email, 74% for photography, 54% for video, 28% for keeping other records and 41% use them for managing social media.

— 2016 American Farriers Journal Farrier Benchmark Study


Friday's Farrier Facts & Figures is brought to you by Markel Insurance.

Markel Corporation (NYSE – MKL) is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, and investment operations around the world. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia and founded in 1930, Markel reports its ongoing underwriting operations in three segments, and products originate from four insurance divisions and one reinsurance division. Markel Ventures, a subsidiary that makes strategic investments in companies outside of the insurance marketplace, is another important component of our business.


In each of our businesses, we seek to deliver innovative products and responsive customer service so that we can be a market leader. Our time horizon is long-term, our underwriting approach is disciplined, and our focus is on continuously improving the quality of the customer experience. Our financial goals are to earn consistent underwriting and operating profits and to combine those profits with superior investment returns to build shareholder value.