Ask Roger Newman about the ideal farrier rig and his description will be different than the one he would have given you last year — as well as different than the one you’d be likely to get next year.

And that doesn’t mean Newman can’t make up his mind. It simply means that farrier rigs are constantly evolving, both to meet the increasing demands of the horseshoeing professional as well as to incorporate new design and technological improvements.

Newman, an American Farrier’s Association (AFA) Certified Farrier, runs a full-time shoeing business in Somerset, Wis. He’s also the owner of SomerSong Forge, designing forge trailers, horseshoe tooling and benders.

Some farriers, like Neal Poort, featured in this issues “Shoeing For A Living” article (page 28 to 38), make a habit of carrying just what they’re likely to need for a day’s shoeing. But Newman says his experience is that most shoers want to carry everything they might possibly need with them. As the story goes, you can’t sell out of an empty wagon.

“When I started I’d have racks for 160 pairs of shoes,” he says. “Now some guys want double that — no problem.”

Cooking Up A Rig

“For farriers, a good rig is kind of like having a nice kitchen if you’re a cook,” he says. “Everyone will have their own little preferences, but they’ll all want…