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Hoof clippers. A horse's hoof grows continually and has to be trummed regularly. In the case of farm-horses worked on soft land it was often necessary to do this before the shoes themselves became worn out. In such cases the shoe was removed, the hoof was pared and trimmed using a knife, or later, hoof clippers as these, and the old shoe replaced.

Country blacksmiths spent half their time shoeing horses. Farmers depended on horses to pull tools and vehicles, like carts and ploughs. Making a shoe needed great skill. The blacksmith would shape it from one piece of iron based on the width of the horse’s hoof. The iron was heated, bent into a V shape, then rounded into a horseshoe. The heel was turned down, and clips and nails made for attaching it.