It’s been said that all you need to shoe a horse is a bucket, a rock and some nails. Of course, an efficient and well-organized farrier rig is helpful.

While a shiny new rig is a toy that some farriers wish for, there’s plenty of ground to be found between a bucket and a state of the art mobile shoeing station. In fact, all one needs is function with a bit of efficiency for good measure.

Whether you’re putting together a rig yourself or buying one, it’s important to know what you want and need.

Getting Organized

The key to a good workstation is efficiency. Without efficiency, you’ll be spending more time fumbling and less time shoeing.

“It’s all about organization and a smooth workflow,” says Neal Purdy, owner of Finger Lakes Manufacturing, which will be moving Dec. 1 from Skaneateles, N.Y., to Ocala, Fla. “Typi­cally, you’re going to want your forging area in the rear, shoe storage on one side and power station on the other. It just keeps you from…