Farriers and Equine Professionals — Tax and Expenses Guide

The Accounted Business Team·2 March 2026·8 min read

Farriery is one of the oldest and most specialised trades in the UK, and it remains one of the few professions where you legally need to be qualified and registered to practise. Beyond farriers, the broader equine industry supports a wide range of self-employed professionals — equine dentists, physiotherapists, saddle fitters, and more.

All of these professionals share some common ground when it comes to tax: they are typically self-employed, they travel extensively, and their equipment costs can be significant. This guide covers the tax essentials for farriers and equine professionals during the 2025/26 tax year.

Becoming a Self-Employed Farrier

Qualifications and Registration

Unlike most trades, farriery is a legally regulated profession in the UK under the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975. Only registered farriers may shoe horses. To become registered, you must complete a four-year apprenticeship approved by the Farriers Registration Council (FRC) and pass the Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (DipWCF).

Once qualified, you must maintain your FRC registration — which costs around £100–£150 per year — and continue your professional development. The registration fee, CPD costs, and any Worshipful Company of Farriers membership fees are all tax-deductible.

Other Equine Professionals

If you work in another area of the equine industry — equine dentistry, physiotherapy, saddle fitting, or equine nutrition — the tax principles are the same as for farriers, even though your regulatory requirements will differ. Some of these roles have voluntary registration bodies (e.g., BAEDT for equine dental technicians, RAMP for equine physiotherapists) and the associated fees are deductible.

Registering with HMRC

Whatever your equine specialism, if you are self-employed you need to register with HMRC. Do this as soon as you start trading. You will receive a UTR number for Self Assessment.

Understanding Your Tax Bill

Income Tax for 2025/26

As a self-employed farrier or equine professional, you pay income tax on your profits — your total income minus allowable expenses.

Personal allowance: £12,570 tax-free
Basic rate: 20% on profits between £12,571 and £50,270
Higher rate: 40% on profits above £50,270

National Insurance

Class 2 NI: £3.45 per week
Class 4 NI: 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270

Experienced farriers can earn well — a busy farrier shoeing six to eight horses a day at £80–£120+ per set of shoes can generate a healthy income. That earning potential makes expense tracking and tax planning particularly important.

For help estimating your tax bill, see our sole trader tax guide.

Expenses Farriers Can Claim

Farriery is an equipment-intensive, physically demanding, and travel-heavy profession. The good news is that the expenses are correspondingly substantial.

Tools and Equipment

Anvil, forge, and gas supply
Hammers, tongs, and rasps
Hoof knives, nippers, and clinch cutters
Buffer and pritchel
Apron and chaps (farriery-specific protective clothing)
Hoof stands and tripods
Portable forge (if mobile, which most farriers are)

These items wear out and need regular replacement. The costs are fully deductible as business expenses. Larger items like a mobile forge may be claimed through capital allowances.

Shoes and Materials

The cost of horseshoes, nails, pads, and other shoeing materials is one of your biggest recurring expenses. Whether you buy pre-made shoes from suppliers like Mustad or Kerckhaert, or you forge your own from bar stock, the material costs are deductible in full.

For equine dentists, the equivalent would be floats, speculums, headlamps, and dental burrs. For equine physiotherapists, it might be treatment tables, laser therapy equipment, or ultrasound machines.

Vehicle and Travel Costs

This is often the single largest expense category for farriers. You travel to your clients — sometimes covering 100+ miles per day between yards, livery stables, and private homes.

You can claim either:

Simplified mileage rate: 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles, 25p per mile after that.
Actual costs: Fuel, insurance, servicing, repairs, road tax, and a proportion of the purchase price through capital allowances.

Most farriers use a vehicle that is dedicated to their work — often a pickup truck or van fitted with a forge, gas bottles, and tool storage. If the vehicle is used exclusively for business, you can claim 100% of the actual costs. For detailed guidance, see our mileage and vehicle expenses guide.

Given the mileage most farriers cover, the actual costs method often works out significantly better than the simplified rate. However, once you choose a method for a particular vehicle, you must stick with it for that vehicle.

Professional Fees and Insurance

FRC registration fee
Worshipful Company of Farriers membership
British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association (BFBA) membership
CPD courses and forge meetings
Public liability insurance
Professional indemnity insurance
Tool and equipment insurance

Workwear and Safety Equipment

Farriery aprons and chaps (these take a real beating and need regular replacement)
Steel-toe boots
Safety glasses
Gloves

These are deductible because they are distinctly for work purposes — you would not wear a farriery apron to the supermarket.

Other Expenses

Phone bill (business proportion — you are taking bookings and coordinating with yards all day)
Accountancy and bookkeeping fees
Marketing (website, social media, business cards)
Stationery and invoicing materials

For the comprehensive list, see our sole trader expenses guide.

Managing Payments and Cash Flow

Getting Paid

Farriers and equine professionals face a somewhat unique payment landscape. Many horse owners pay by bank transfer or card, but cash payments at the yard are still common. Whatever the payment method, record everything.

Issue invoices or receipts for every job
Record cash payments on the day they are received
Bank cash promptly
Use a separate business bank account

Some farriers invoice monthly for regular clients (e.g., a yard where you shoe multiple horses every six weeks), while others collect payment on the day. Either approach is fine, but be consistent and keep clear records.

Accounted can connect to your business bank account and let Penny categorise your transactions automatically — helpful when you are too tired after a long day of shoeing to think about bookkeeping.

Bad Debts

Unfortunately, non-payment can be an issue in the equine world. If a client does not pay, you should still record the income when invoiced. If the debt becomes genuinely uncollectable, you can write it off as a bad debt, which reduces your taxable profit.

VAT Considerations

You must register for VAT if your taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period. A busy farrier with a full round can approach or exceed this threshold.

If you register, you charge VAT at 20% on your services. Most of your clients will be private horse owners who cannot reclaim VAT, which effectively increases your prices by 20%. This can be a competitive disadvantage, so many farriers keep a careful eye on their turnover as they approach the threshold.

On the other hand, being VAT-registered means you can reclaim VAT on your purchases — shoes, materials, fuel, equipment, and van costs. If your input VAT is significant (and for farriers, it often is), the net cost of being VAT-registered may be lower than you think.

Our VAT registration guide explains the details and options.

Physical Demands and Planning for the Future

Farriery is extremely physical work. Back injuries, knee problems, and hand injuries are occupational hazards. This has practical tax and financial implications.

Income Protection Insurance

Premiums for income protection insurance are not tax-deductible (because any payouts would be tax-free). However, having cover in place is sensible given the physical risks of the profession.

Pension Contributions

As a self-employed farrier, there is no employer contributing to a pension for you. Making your own contributions to a personal pension or SIPP is one of the most tax-efficient things you can do:

Basic-rate taxpayers: £80 contributed is topped up to £100 by HMRC
Higher-rate taxpayers: Additional relief can be claimed through Self Assessment

Given that many farriers may want to reduce their physical workload as they get older — perhaps transitioning to teaching, consultancy, or forge work — building a pension pot is particularly important.

Diversifying Income

Some farriers supplement their shoeing income with:

Teaching and mentoring apprentices
Forge work and blacksmithing (decorative ironwork, gates, etc.)
Remedial and corrective farriery (often commands higher fees)
Lecturing at agricultural colleges
Competition judging

All of these income streams are taxable and should be declared on your Self Assessment return.

Record-Keeping

What HMRC Expects

Keep records of all income and expenses for at least five years after the 31 January submission deadline for the relevant tax year. This includes:

Invoices and receipts
Bank statements
Mileage logs
Details of equipment purchased

Making Tax Digital

From April 2026, sole traders earning over £50,000 will need to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC. If your farriery income exceeds this threshold, ensure you are using MTD-compatible software.

Key Tax Dates

5 April — End of the tax year
31 July — Second payment on account
5 October — Registration deadline for newly self-employed
31 January — Self Assessment filing and payment deadline

Keeping on Top of Things

Farriery and equine work is physically demanding and often means long, unpredictable days. The last thing you want to do after shoeing eight horses is sit down and sort through receipts. That is where good systems pay for themselves — whether it is a simple receipt-scanning routine at the end of each day, a spreadsheet you update weekly, or an app like Accounted that handles the categorisation for you.

The fundamentals are straightforward: register promptly, track everything, claim all your legitimate expenses, and set aside money for tax. Do those consistently, and the financial side of your business takes care of itself.

Accounted helps UK sole traders stay on top of their bookkeeping and tax. Start your free 30-day trial at getaccounted.co.uk

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