With sparks flying and hammers ringing, skilled artisans recently competed alongside one another in a profession where a single misstep could mean the difference between a champion racehorse and a lame animal.
By Elzette Boucher-Krüger, journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
For Gabriel Tendai Butawo and Godwin Ndou, two participants at this year’s Southern African Association of Professional Farriers (SAAPF) Interprovincial Championship held in Bloemfontein, honing their skills means contributing to a crucial service for the equine agricultural sector.
Presented at Bloem Show from 23 to 25 April 2026, the championship comprised four sections – novice, intermediate, open and plating classes – with about 18 contestants participating.
Championship Tests Skills Across Different Classes
“The novices get to make a simple shoe, ensure it fits the horse and also that it is showable,” explained organiser Marica Wessels, secretary of SAAPF. “The intermediate is for participants who are more experienced and they must have won novice. They must show more technical skills like working with a lateral heel or plain stamp, which exposes all your mistakes.”
The open class entails highly technical work where participants forge their own tongs before creating horseshoes. Both components are judged as teams of two – a head smith and fireman. “The fireman may assist by striking but may not take part in shaping the horseshoe nor the tongs,” adds Wessels. Their second class involved creating bar shoes requiring forge welding where flux joins heated metal sections.
The plating or shoeing class targeted farriers who don’t focus on blacksmithing. “Instead of making shoes, competitors shoe a horse using manufactured shoes. They are judged on nail placement, the level and fit of the shoe, and the balance and angles of the horse’s foot,” explained Wessels.
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Proudly Learning a Vital Trade
Ndou, originally from Zimbabwe but now based in Mbombela, says: “I like this job because I like to practise my skills. As time goes on, I can make my own shoes for my horses.” Butawo, part of the winning Western Cape team, added: “We did very well. We’ll keep doing this until we produce something good for the agricultural sector.”
Free State and Mpumalanga drew for second place. Leili Steenkamp won the novice section with St. John Midgley triumphing in the intermediary. In the open and shoeing sections, Sean Eggersglusz and Dewald Pretorius respectively placed first.
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Preserving Essential Skills For Equine Health
Judge Jacques Kruger, a KwaZulu-Natal farrier with 25 years’ experience, emphasised farriers’ vital role in maintaining horse health and performance. “We like to say: ‘no hoof, no horse’.”
Through trimming and shoeing, farriers ensure hooves are balanced and function correctly. Skilled practitioners forge and customise horseshoes for specific needs, addressing hoof problems or injuries. “By adjusting the shape, weight and angle of a shoe, they can influence the horse’s movement and biomechanics,” added Kruger.
Becoming qualified requires significant dedication – typically a four- to five-year apprenticeship combining theoretical study with practical skills like blacksmithing and trimming. “It takes a lot of effort, time and commitment,” Kruger noted.
Beyond daily work, Kruger promotes farriery clinics nationwide, educating horse owners, aspiring farriers and equine professionals on blacksmithing, anatomy and hoof care.
To learn more about this time-honoured craft, visit: www.saapfarriers.com.
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