The use of weld inserts for farriery purposes is nothing new. For many years, farriers have often used off cuts of flat or concave steel to create their own egg bar or heart bar inserts for standard keg shoes.

However, due to the availability of commercially produced weld inserts, the farrier now has many more options than before (Figure 1). These inserts allow farriers to reduce their inventory in their rig and provide on-the-spot solutions when faced with challenging conditions.

The Advantages

The advantage of using these inserts include the option of fitting the farrier’s preferred choice of shoe to any shape of foot with the insert placed in and welded after. This is particularly advantageous with narrow or wry feet that commercially available bar shoes would struggle to fit accurately due to the committed dimensions of the shoe when bought. The cost of the inserts averages at £1.80 ($2.63) when compared to a machine made bar shoe of an average price of £15 ($21.98).

If the farrier keeps a wide range of bar shoe stock in their rig, considerable savings can be made along with saving space. The reduced thickness of the plate allows it to be set away from the hoof or set away from the ground giving more options relating to the hoof pathology or intended function. Complex corrective shoes can be difficult to master when…