Braided Horsehair Full Set Keepsake

A lovely way to create a keepsake from a full set of precious shoes combined with a horse hair braid.Our ‘Full Set’ sculpture makes an amazing celebratory piece from as special event as well as a memorial piece from a horse or pony who has passed away.An length of tail hair is intricately braided and set within the fullering of the central shoe.Additional braiding on the outer shoes may be possible at an extra charge. Please contact us here to discuss this.We can add handstamped personalisation as well as an oak base for something truly special.If hearts are not your thing and you’d prefer your creation from your own horseshoes to stay their original shape this may be the piece for you.

As a Keepsake of a Special Horse

As horse owners and lovers ourselves we know that sometimes you would like to have a creation made from your own horse’s shoes. This may be from the shoes worn at a significant show or event as a lasting reminder, they may make a lovely personal gift for someone who adores their equine friend, or you may like to have them as a sentimental keepsake after a much loved horse has passed away.

The braid in the central shoe is created by Tail End Jewellery who has 20 years experience in working with horsehair. To complete the braid in the central shoe we will need a length of tail hair at least 30cm long, 40cm is ideal and about a pencil thickness width.

The process

Every shoe is heated to remove rust and carefully cleaned by hand. Generally toe and side clips are removed as well as nails. Every now and then a nail is extremely reluctant to leave and in these instances we allow them to stay, it is after all part of the character of the shoes! We buff and polish each shoe gently to remove dirt but retain marks of wear. Personalisation is added now, positioning of the hand stamping may vary according to the size and type of shoe.

Each shoe is then welded into formation and buffed and polished once more. A clear sealant is then applied to protect from rust. We recommend keeping your piece indoors and away from damp.

Adding an oak base

Our bases are made from solid oak, 15mm thick, that we can stain in either a Light Oak (pictured) or Medium Oak (deeper & darker). You can select which you would prefer from the drop down menu. The horseshoe is securely bolted to the Oak Base. The beautiful tones and grain of the wood set off the gunmetal silver shade of the shoes to perfection. Size of Oak base may vary slightly to accommodate the size of horseshoes used.

A Note on Personalisation

Our personalisation is hand stamped onto the horseshoes. We would generally place text to the left inside edge of the left shoe, central on the central shoe and to the right on the right shoe. However makes and types of shoe vary and if using your own shoes we may need to make adjustments to this if there is not much space available. We would discuss this with you before proceeding.

For information on lead times and where to send your shoes please click on the ‘delivery’ tab just up there to the right of the ‘description’. Please add on a week to standard lead time for the complexity of this piece.

Lead Times:

We aim to dispatch candle, textile & gift voucher within 3 working days of receipt of your order.

For horseshoe creation lead times please bear in mind we are not Amazon! Please be understanding of the time, effort and care that goes into what we do.

The majority of our pieces are hand forged and crafted to order. In general please allow 3 weeks lead time for dispatch of your order. We do endeavour to be as quick as we can. We combine Horseshoe Hearts work alongside farriery (and any emergencies that occur with this!) and other work, family life and our own animals.

Please allow 4 weeks lead time for Braided Horsehair items and Horseshoe Photo Frames.

Some larger pieces and larger bespoke orders may take longer lead time.

Please Note: If using your own horse’s shoes delivery lead times are from the date your shoes are received by us, not the order date. Please ensure shoes arrive with us as promptly as possible.

Fast Track:

Fast Track is available on some horseshoe items for an additional charge.

Eligible items have Fast Track options on them on each individual item. These items have a 7 day lead time on receipt of your order, or if sending your own shoes 7 days from receipt of your shoes arriving with us. Please note we cannot guarantee any dispatch of an order in less than 7 days.

Sending your own shoes:

The address to send your horseshoes to is Horseshoe Hearts, 3 Cromer Close, Little Gaddesden, Herts, HP4 1PR. Please include a note with your name and order number so we know they are your shoes.

On check out you will be given the option to select your item under 2kg to be sent to you via Royal Mail First Class Signed For or via Special Delivery. Please note the only Special Delivery is tracked. Signed For acknowledges when the item is sent and when the item was received. It is not a tracked service. If you are sending precious shoes we recommend Special Delivery or other Tracked and Signed Service.

All items over 2kg will be sent with a courier (usually UPS) and are sent on a tracked and signed service.

International Orders:

We are happy to ship to most locations worldwide. International Delivery is for International Standard delivery. Approx. transit/shipping time between 5-10 days depending on your location. We cannot guarantee shipping times.