"There are all sorts of modern products that are the result of work done in the space industry," says Jim Ferrie, one of Scotland's leading farriers – an expert on the care of horses' hooves.
"Many of the glues and light, tough materials, such as hybrid aluminium-titanium products that go into horseshoe development, started in the space industry.
"Some other glues are a spin-off from research into denture adhesives.
"We still trim the horse's foot and fit the shoe the way it has always been done, but the task is a lot easier now."
Jim and his brother, Allan, run J&A Ferrie, in Newmilns, Ayrshire. The company has six trucks, laden with shoeing equipment, to visit customers at their own premises.
"The old days of the horse coming to the forge and the farrier handmaking the shoe in front of the animal have by and large disappeared," says Jim.
The business runs in the brothers' blood.
"Our grandfather was a farrier and our father, who is retired now, was a farrier, so Allan and I are third generation," said Jim.
"We started the company in 1982 and sell our products all over the UK and Europe. Just as you can buy a David Lloyd tennis-racquet you can buy a Jim and Allan Ferrie hammer."
Pictures: Jamie Simpson
