Bachelor Thesis - Christina Kuenen - Hufpfleger

Farriery has been more a technical skill for a long time. Until the middle of the 18 th century farrier still did fit
the hoof to the iron instead the other way around. Kertsing (1760) recognized a deficiency of a uniform
farriery theory. In the 19 th century the first instructive institutes for farriery were founded (Lungwitz, 1913).
But still there was a lack of knowledge and further education what became obvious in the quality of shoeing
practices (Dammann, 1898).
On account of the increasing number of researches and development at the end of the 19 th and at the
beginning of the 20 th century a lot of different theories evolved how to treat a hoof the right way. For all this
effort there is still no agreed consensus about a theory of farriery (Lingens, 2007).
2.2.2 Laws and Regulations in Farriery
The institutionalisation of the smithy trade in 1356 in London was the first step to organise the whole farrier
sector (Hickman, 1983). Following the farrier guild was founded in 1692. In the 18 th century the first
veterinarian institutes began to educate according to Hickman (1983). Farrier instruction institutes developed
in the 19 th century. The industrial code for businesses came into force in 1869 (Müller, 1988; Ruthe, 1978).
The first regulation for farriers was added in 1883. There a differentiation between commercial and private
employed farriers was written down. It determined that a certificate is just necessary for the commercial
farriers (Müller, 1988; Ruthe, 1978). Müller (1988) talks also about the education institute for farriers of the
army in 1887. According to him the first curriculum for the military hoof shoeing have been developed in
Preußen. Hickman (1983) writes about registration of farriers and the first worked out examination
regulations in 1890. First they planned just a theoretical exam, later also a practical one was necessary to be
registered as farrier. The act was re-worked in the German empire in 1940. From then on everyone who shod
horses had to take an examination (Reichsgesetzblatt, 1941; Müller, 1988). The content and admission
requirements were written down in the bylaw. In 1965 new regulations were added to the existing law (BGB,
1965). They regulated the education and the examination of farriers more in detail. New prescriptions came
into force in 1974 (Müller, 1988). The admission requirements for the examination were lowered. From 1974
on one had to prove a completed vocational training in a metal-working or related profession, a practical
work at a farrier's business for one year and a preparatory course of two months to be approved to the
examination (Ruthe, 1978).
In 2006 a new farriery law should have been introduced to give more attention to the animal protection. The
new law and regulation settled new conditions for the education and examination of a certificated farrier, an
instructive farrier and an instructive farrier institute. §2 part 1 of the HufBeschlG from 19 th April 2006 BGBl
I S.900 should define “farriery” as any processes on hooves for protection, keeping them healthy, correction
or treatment (BRD, 2006a). Farriery should, from the introduction of the law on, only be allowed for
certificated farriers. This means that in the same moment all alternative hoof treatment practitioners would
not be allowed any more to practice their profession (BVG, 2006). Although, a transition period and
continued existence of existing businesses and practitioners were planned, the hoof treatment should be
monopolized at a certificated farrier's business. Due to resistance of representatives of bare hoof trimmers,
hoof technicians and hoof orthopaedists the definition of 'farriery' was announced as vain. After the
examination of the constitutional complaint of the 'alternatives' through the federal constitutional court most
parts of the proposed law were introduced in 2007. This means that everybody is allowed to practice hoof
treatment excluding the fixation of an iron shoe until now (BVG, 2007b).
The latest development in Germany according to the regulation of hoof treatment was in 2009. There the
'Hufbeschlags-Annerkennungsverordnung' has been introduced. This acknowledgement regulation defines
the necessary conditions for the acknowledgement of a certificated education as farrier from abroad
(BMELV, 2009). This means that a farrier certificate from abroad can be recognized like a certificate
according to the latest German farriery regulation, if the education and certification reaches the necessary
level (BMELV, 2009). In practice one can follow a farrier education in the Netherlands for example, what
means less expenditure of time and therefore also money, and ask for acknowledgement of this in Germany.
The farrier is allowed then to work like a German certificated farrier (Wurthmann, 2009).
15