SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region - The number of horses and farriers is on the rise in the Kurdistan Region as more riding clubs are opening.
Dilan Anwar Nalbend is a horse farrier who specializes in the care and maintenance of horse hooves. Having been in the equestrian field for seven years, he told Rudaw that the number of both farriers and horses is increasing in the Region.
“Compared to 2010 and 2012, there are more horses. For example, if at that time five to ten people had horses, now 50 people do. Even until 2015, there weren't any horseback riding clubs in Sulaimani, but now there are more than ten, and no club has less than 20 or 30 horses," he said.
A horse's hoof grows like human nails and is trimmed once every 45 to 60 days. Horseshoeing has several methods including cold and hot shoeing. Cold shoeing involves fitting the horseshoe to the hoof and attaching it without heating it. During hot shoeing, the horseshoe is heated until it's glowing red and then applied to the hoof.
"There are more than 80 types of horseshoes, and each of them is used for a specific condition. For example, some are for joint or tendon problems or other issues," Dilan Anwar, a farrier, said.
"Inside a horse's hoof, there are bones, blood vessels, and ligaments. If the horse continuously gallops on hard surfaces, the hoof wears down and needs to be shod," added the farrier.
Dler Mohammed has been taking care of around 15 horses at a stable in Sharbazher, north of Sulaimani province for four years. He gives special attention to the horses' health and shods their hooves as needed.
"Horseshoes are the soul of the horse. As the ancestors say, a horse has five hearts - one is its real heart, and the other four are its legs. That's why horseshoeing is very important," he said.
The cost of horseshoeing ranges from 30,000 to 60,000 dinars, approximately $22 to $44, depending on the type of horseshoe and the method used.
Horseshoes come in various types and are not produced locally in the Kurdistan Region. Instead, they are imported from neighboring countries.
