About Handmade Shoes
Designed by a World Champion. Trusted by farriers worldwide.
Billy Crothers AWCF is one of the most respected names in international farriery: a master craftsman, educator, competitor, manufacturer and innovator, and a five-time World Champion Blacksmith. Every shoe, tool and piece of equipment at Handmade Shoes is built on that lifetime at the forge and under the horse.
Decades of farriery excellence
When farriers talk about experience, they often mean time spent under horses. When they talk about expertise, they mean a lifetime dedicated to understanding how horses move, how feet function, and how the right shoe can make all the difference.
Billy has spent decades at the highest levels of the profession. As a five-time World Champion Blacksmith he has competed against the world's finest farriers and blacksmiths, consistently showing exceptional skill in forging, shoe design, hoof care and practical horseshoeing.
Just as important is the respect he has earned within the profession. Billy has trained apprentices, shared his knowledge through clinics and demonstrations, and helped shape the careers of many farriers who have gone on to win recognition of their own.
Understanding the farrier's world
From racehorses and eventers to hunters, cobs and leisure horses, Billy has seen first-hand how the right shoe and the right tools improve both efficiency and results. His experience covers:
- Hoof balance and biomechanics
- Corrective and remedial shoeing
- Sport horse requirements
- Traditional forging techniques
- Modern manufacturing methods
- Competition shoe making
- Farrier tool design
- Horseshoe development and testing
That practical experience is the foundation of every product associated with his name.
World Championship titles
Concave sections rolled in Wales
Brands we trust
Made in Ebbw Vale
From forge to factory
One of Billy's greatest contributions to farriery has been bridging the gap between traditional hand-forged craftsmanship and modern manufacturing. As a world-class competitor and practising farrier, he saw that many machine-made shoes failed to match the balance, shape and quality of a well-made handmade shoe. Rather than accept those limits, he set out to design something better.
The result was the HMS range: the precision of modern manufacturing with the performance farriers expect from high-quality hand-forged shoes. Its design comes straight from years of practical and competition forging: a symmetrical, balanced shape, upright heel support, accurate nail placement, well-positioned clips, reliable steel and consistent quality, in a shoe that closely replicates a handmade one. Today HMS shoes are used by farriers across the UK and internationally, on everything from everyday horses to high-performance competition animals.
Our own concave, rolled in Wales
We roll our own concave section in Ebbw Vale in six sizes, from 18 x 10 to 26 x 11, and make the HMS Concave shoe and the HMS heart and straight bar shoes from it. Symmetrical, elliptical, with finished upright heels and a bob punch clip.
Designed by Billy
The Champion Concave is Billy's own design: a drop-forged shoe where every size has its own proportioned section, so it shapes easily and fits fast. Our HMS Dragon stamps are precision milled from S7 tool steel and heat treated.
Built for the van
Our Forge & Van range is made in the same factory: shop and travel anvil stands, foldaway truck and van stands, vice stands and tapping machines, all powder coated to last on the road.
Designing products for farriers
“Products should work in the real world, not just on paper.”
Billy has never designed from behind a desk. Everything he designs, recommends or supplies is based on practical use in the forge and under the horse, then tested and refined until it solves a real problem for a working farrier: horseshoes, tooling, forge equipment and everyday workshop essentials. Every item has to help farriers work more efficiently, produce better results and keep the highest professional standards.
Why farriers trust Billy Crothers
- A lifetime working with horses
- International competition success
- Five World Championship titles
- Apprenticeship training and mentoring
- Product research and development
- Manufacturing expertise
- Continuous involvement in the profession
That combination is rare, and it is why farriers around the world trust the products Billy develops and supplies.
A lifetime in the trade
Under the horse
Decades of shoeing racehorses, eventers, hunters, cobs and leisure horses, and training apprentices who have gone on to succeed in their own right.
Five-time World Champion
Competing against the world's finest farriers and blacksmiths, and winning five World Championship titles for forging, shoe design and practical horseshoeing.
The HMS range
Billy designs the HMS range to give a manufactured shoe the balance, shape and fit of a well-made handmade shoe.
Made in Ebbw Vale
Our concave section is rolled, and HMS Concave and bar shoes are made, in our factory in Ebbw Vale, South Wales, alongside our Forge & Van range and S7 tool steel stamps.
Champion Concave
Billy's drop-forged Champion Concave joins the range, with a proportioned section for every size.
One of Europe's widest farrier ranges
Handmade Shoes is the UK home of Andrea Ridolfo's Italian tools, and offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of farrier supplies available in Europe.
Clinics, demonstrations and judging
Billy presents clinics and demonstrations on concave shoe making and adapting machine-made shoes, attracting farriers from across the UK and overseas, and is often found judging competitions.