A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with some veterinarian's skills (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb) to care for horses' feet. While exploring Keeneland stables for a good photo opportunity in the fall of 2014, I noticed this farrier getting ready to place shoes on horse's hooves. I was amazed to see such an old tradition alive and still being used today. The horse handler was standing in front of the horse in order to keep him steady, while the farrier did his job of replacing the shoes. The entire process took about 10 minutes, and horse did not appear to be distressed at any point during this process.
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