Most farriery problems in Pakistan are not caused by bad farriers. They are caused by owners who say nothing. The farrier arrives, the horse is presented, and the job is done to a general standard that may or may not suit the animal's discipline, conformation, or recent history. The owner collects the horse, pays, and wonders six weeks later why the horse is moving short on its near fore. The brief that never happened is where the problem began. This guide exists to close that gap — to give every horse owner in Pakistan, whether they run thoroughbreds at Lahore Race Club or play high-goal polo at the Lahore Polo Club, the vocabulary and the checklist to brief their farrier correctly before the first nail is driven.
Section 1 — Know What You Are Looking At: Hoof Anatomy
You cannot brief a farrier on something you cannot name. The hoof is not a simple block of keratin — it is a precisely engineered structure whose parts perform different mechanical functions, and the placement of every nail and every shoe affects each of those parts differently. Study this diagram before your next shoeing appointment.
The single most important line in that diagram is the white line — the junction between the hoof wall and the sole. Every nail must be driven through the wall, angling outward, and must exit the wall cleanly below the coronary band. A nail placed inside the white line penetrates sensitive tissue. That is a nail bind. The horse goes lame within hours. Knowing this one fact makes you a more useful presence at a shoeing than ninety percent of owners in Pakistan.
Section 2 — The Pre-Shoeing Brief
Before your farrier picks up the rasp, you should be able to answer — and communicate — the following. This is not about supervising a professional. It is about giving a skilled tradesman the information he needs to do the best possible job for your specific horse on your specific surface in your specific discipline.
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Discipline and surface. Racing on turf at LRC, polo on grass, tent pegging on hard ground, or mela competition — each demands a different shoe profile, weight, and stud configuration. State it explicitly.
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What was on last time. If possible, keep the old shoes and show them. The wear pattern tells the farrier more about how the horse moves than any verbal description.
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Any recent lameness or shortness. Even a single day of moving stiffly six weeks ago is relevant. Tell the farrier. Hoof imbalance that caused a short stride last cycle will still be visible in the growth rings.
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The shoeing interval. Six weeks is standard. If you have been going longer — eight or ten weeks — the farrier needs to know because the hoof will have grown unevenly and the correction must be gradual, not aggressive.
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Ground conditions for the next cycle. If you are moving from soft to hard ground — or heading into a competition season on a specific surface — the shoe choice today must account for where the horse will be working in four weeks.
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Any conformation issues. Toed-in, toed-out, low heels, upright pastern — these are not just cosmetic. They affect breakover point and the angle at which the shoe should be set. If your vet has flagged anything, tell the farrier.
"The wear pattern on an old shoe is worth more than ten minutes of conversation. Keep the pulled shoes and show them."
Z-Stables · Farriery ReferenceSection 3 — Racing Owners: The Racehorse Brief
A racehorse is shod for one purpose — speed. Every gram of unnecessary weight costs energy. Every millimetre of incorrect breakover costs fractions of a second that compound over the course of a race. The brief for a racehorse farrier is more technical than for any other discipline, and the shoe choice matters enormously.
Ask for aluminium, not steel. A steel racing plate weighs approximately 200–250 grams per shoe. A quality aluminium plate weighs 90–130 grams. Over four hooves, that is roughly 400–500 grams removed from the legs — the part of the horse that is accelerating and decelerating with every stride. The energy saving is measurable. The Kerckhaert Kings Plate Extra Sound aluminium racing plate is the benchmark shoe for serious racing in Pakistan — engineered specifically for turf surfaces, with a profile that promotes clean breakover and does not sacrifice durability for weight.
Specify toe angle. A lower toe angle (more sloping pastern) promotes extension and stride length — relevant for horses running longer distances. A more upright angle promotes quicker breakover — relevant for sprinters. Know your horse's typical race distance and discuss this with your farrier.
Heel length. Long heels on a racehorse create leverage that stresses the deep digital flexor tendon. Short heels — appropriately short, not excessively so — are the standard for horses in hard training. Check that the shoe does not extend significantly behind the heel bulb.
Nail count and pattern. Fewer nails means less interference with hoof expansion. Most racing farriers use five nails per shoe — three on the outside wall, two on the inside. Query any farrier who uses seven or eight on a racehorse without explanation.
Section 4 — Polo Owners: The Polo Horse Brief
The polo horse does things a racehorse never does. It stops from full gallop in two strides. It pivots on its hindquarters. It accelerates laterally. It does all of this on surfaces ranging from manicured grass to sun-baked hard ground. The shoe must provide lateral support, controlled grip, and enough mass to be stable without slowing the horse down.
Steel, not aluminium. Unlike racing, polo demands a heavier shoe for stability and ground contact. The Kerckhaert Steel Kings High Goal polo shoe has become the standard at Pakistan's leading polo clubs — including with Argentine professionals who brought the specification with them and found it already available here. Its wider web provides lateral support during the hard cuts and spins that define the game.
Stud holes. Tell your farrier whether you want stud holes tapped into the shoe. For soft ground and grass, screw-in studs provide grip during acceleration and turning. For hard, dry Pakistani ground in summer, smaller studs or no studs may be more appropriate — excessive stud height on hard ground creates concussive force up the leg. This is a surface-specific decision and it should be discussed every shoeing cycle as conditions change.
Lateral support and width. A polo shoe should have a slightly wider web than a racing plate to support the hoof wall during lateral stress. If your farrier is using a narrow racing-style shoe on a polo horse, raise the question.
Hind shoes and traction. The hind feet do the stopping and the turning. Some polo players prefer a slightly different specification on the hinds — more toe grab, different stud placement — compared to the fronts. Discuss this if your horse is being used at high-goal level.
Section 5 — Five Red Flags: When the Job Has Been Done Wrong
You do not need to stand over your farrier with a spirit level. But you should be able to walk around your horse after the job is finished and identify the following warning signs before the farrier leaves your yard.
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The shoe does not match the hoof outline. Standing in front of or behind the horse, the shoe should be visible as a thin line of metal around the perimeter of the hoof. If the shoe extends significantly beyond the heel — or is visibly narrower than the hoof wall — it is the wrong size or has been set incorrectly.
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Nail clinches are raised or uneven. After nailing, the farrier should cut and clinch the nail ends flush against the hoof wall. Run your hand down the wall — it should feel smooth. Raised clinches will snag rugs, cause skin injuries, and indicate the nail was not driven to the correct depth.
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The horse is immediately lame or reluctant to move. Some horses are slightly footsore after shoeing on fresh-trimmed hooves — this passes within a day. Immediate significant lameness is a nail bind or a pricked foot until proven otherwise. Do not wait and see. Pull the shoe and call your vet.
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The medial-lateral balance is visibly off. Look at the horse from behind. The hoof should be level — neither the inside nor the outside wall should be significantly higher than the other. An unlevel hoof creates rotational stress on the fetlock and coffin joints with every step.
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The frog has been excessively pared. The frog is a circulatory pump — it compresses with each footfall and pushes blood back up the leg. An over-pared frog that no longer contacts the ground is a frog that is not functioning. It should be trimmed of ragged, infected tissue only — never cut back to a small stub.
Where to Source the Right Shoes in Pakistan
The brief you give your farrier is only as good as the shoe he has available. In Pakistan, the quality of horseshoes in circulation varies enormously — from precision-engineered European plates to locally cast steel of inconsistent hardness and profile. The shoe specification matters. A farrier working with a poorly made shoe cannot produce a result that a farrier working with a correctly engineered shoe can.
Z-Stables is Pakistan's exclusive distributor of Kerckhaert performance horseshoes — the Dutch manufacturer whose shoes are used on racing and polo horses across Europe, South America, and now at Pakistan's leading clubs and racecourses. The Kings Plate Extra Sound aluminium racing plate and the Steel Kings High Goal polo shoe are both stocked and available. Kerckhaert Liberty farrier nails are also available — the nail is as important as the shoe; a correctly driven Liberty nail holds without splitting the wall.
To discuss your horse's shoeing requirements or to order shoes and nails, contact Z-Stables directly: +92 333 445 6677 · [email protected] · zhubequine.com
The farrier is a skilled professional. He does not need to be supervised — he needs to be informed. Give him the brief. Show him the old shoes. Tell him the discipline, the surface, and any issues from the last cycle. Then let him work. The combination of a correctly briefed farrier and a correctly specified shoe is the foundation of every sound horse that has ever come out of a Z-Stables yard in fifty-five years of equestrian operations in Lahore, Pakistan.