Every three months, like clockwork, the mailman delivers an invoice to my home for the care and maintenance of my horses. The one fee that always stands out is the farrier fee — the person who maintains the care of the horses feet.

While humans have podiatrists, pedicurists, and shoemakers, horses have farriers. Farriers are the trained specialists who care for horses' feet. They combine the skills of a blacksmith and veterinarian to trim and balance horses' hooves, craft and maintain horseshoes, and apply them to horses' feet.

Growing up, I always thought of the person who shoed the horse as the blacksmith but there is a significant difference between a farrier and blacksmith. As nouns, the difference between the farrier and blacksmith is that a farrier is a person who maintains the health and balance of horses' feet through the trimming of the hoof and placement of horseshoes while the blacksmith is a person who forges and shapes iron. In reality, you need to be both in order to properly care for a horses' feet and hooves.

Nailing metal shoes to horses' hooves began in the sixth century. Prior to that, early Asian horsemen protected their horses’ hooves with leather and plant booties while the Romans’ horses wore leather and metal sandals called, "hipposandals." Iron shoes became popular in the 13th and 14th centuries. Today, aluminum horseshoes are common in racing, but, bronze, plastic, steel and titanium are also used. There are many types of shoes that are crafted for horses but there are five shoes that are widely used for pleasure riding and sport performance.

Most horses wear a regular or “keg” shoe. When it is pre-made by a machine, these shoes are often called "keg" shoes. The grooves in the middle (in which the nail holes are placed) are known as "fullers," so this shoe would be said to be "fullered." This normal shoe is made to support the hoof and protect it under regular riding circumstances.

Rim shoes are very similar to regular horse shoes, but they include a large groove in the middle which allows for additional traction. For that reason they are popular for sports that require speed and quick turns, such as barrel racing and roping.

Bar shoes are named for the extra "bar" on the back of the shoe, which allows for more support in the back of the hoof, heel and leg. A straight bar can help hold the hoof together, which can be needed in cases of hoof injury.

Egg bar shoes offer even more support than bar shoes since they extend beyond the heel. They are often used for horses that suffer from mavicular syndrome — an inflammation or degeneration of the navicular bone. These shoes are often made of aluminum, which is lighter-weight and easier to add a wedge to if the horse's heel needs to be raised.

The Heart Bar shoe offers the same advantages as other bar shoes, but adds frog support as well. These shoes are typically used for horses with laminitis.

From sliding plates, to the rolled toe shoe, to shoes with toe grabs, there are many more types, but these five are the most common shoes in use today. Speak with your farrier about your concerns and intentions for your horse and he or she will fit your horse with the right shoe for the job.

Thinking about a career as a farrier? It’s a difficult trade to learn and requires the application of many skills. It must be consistently practiced over the course of a career. Your career, and even your entire life, will be influenced for better or for worse by your choice of a school and its teachers. Good teachers will bring out the best in you by encouraging you and expecting excellence from you. Often, the best and most successful farrier students are those with limited horse experience and a strong desire to learn. Choosing a knowledgeable mentor and applying the lessons they teach will help new horseshoers become great tradesmen.

There are about 50 public and private schools in America that offer some type of training in horseshoeing. These schools vary tremendously in course content and length, instructor qualifications and skills knowledge, and hands-on learning experiences. Upon completion, certification by a credible farrier organization is desirable but is not required to start a career as a farrier. Also, passing a certification test does not ensure competency.

In this trade, as well as many other careers, the way you start out is often the way you end up, so it pays to get the best start possible. Any horseshoeing school should be considered only an introduction to learning the horseshoeing craft. (This is one trade that takes a lifetime to master!) You must take responsibility for your education and recognize that most of your learning will occur after you leave school. You will learn from each horse you shoe. When you graduate, give me a call — I’m always looking for a standout farrier to work with our horses.

Margaret A. Reed, PhD, is the co-author of the best-selling book, The Dogs of Camelot, an AKC dog show judge, thoroughbred racehorse owner, principal of Canine Training and Behavior Services, LLC, and serves on the board of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, James A Baker Institute for Animal Health.