Much like a farrier’s shoeing rig, a shoer’s toolbox can become a personal statement. It’s a reflection of personal work style, shoeing technique and professionalism. The shoeing box accommodates the way that a farrier works, and in doing so, the farrier needs it to fit his or her individual standards.

The design of a shoeing box also needs to fit a variety of horseshoeing factors. It needs to be the right size to fit a farrier’s height or shoeing stance, it can be built with or without wheels (depending on the ground or environment that he or she is working in) and, most importantly, the box must have the flexibility to be organized and set up in a way that adapts to a farrier’s specific style of shoeing.

And since being unorganized is a detriment to time management, potential earnings and safety, selecting the type of shoeing box to fit your needs can become a critical issue.

“I’ve seen some shoers simply put their tools in anything they could find — wood boxes, old paint buckets — you name it,” says Sherrill Spears, the owner of Nature Farms Farrier Supply, in Norman, Okla., which manufactures several types of shoeing boxes. “Finding the tool they needed meant reaching almost to the ground and digging through a tangled mess while straining to stay under the horse.

“Amazingly, few of these people ever see the need to improve the efficiency of their shoeing boxes. Having the right box can save you time and…