As readers clamour for our Royal Wedding horseshoes

As readers clamour for our Royal Wedding horseshoes, the inspiring story of devotion and courage behind... the hottest shoes in town

They are the equestrian answer to Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, John Lobb and Church's rolled into one. If you happen to be a horse, then nowhere has better, smarter shoes than the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment Forge here in London's Hyde Park.

This was where the four-legged stars of last week's Royal Wedding procession all came to be fitted for their boots. Every one of the 186 horses on parade that day, from Goliath, the largest ‘Cav Black' in the regiment, to a pair called William and Catherine played an unforgettable role in that exemplary pageant.

And now countless Daily Mail readers are hoping to win one of the 744 everlasting souvenirs of that occasion — a Royal Wedding horseshoe.

The tradition of the horseshoe as a lucky wedding charm is rooted in an ancient belief that metal wards off evil spirits. Others link the custom to St Dunstan, a 10th-century Archbishop of Canterbury and former blacksmith, who sent Satan packing after hammering a horseshoe into his foot.

But you do not have to be superstitious to appreciate the charm of this royal memento.

Last Friday's parade may have involved ‘all the Queen's horses and all the Queen's men'. But they also happened to be from the groom's old regiment. Prince William — like Prince Harry — started as an officer in the Blues and Royals which, together with the Life Guards, make up the Household Cavalry.

Billions were dazzled by the wedding and, now, many of them are clamouring for a souvenir. The regiment's Facebook page — facebook.com/hcmr — is buzzing. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Dan Hughes says he has received requests from all over the world for a keepsake from one of the great days in modern royal history.

But they are out of luck. Because these horseshoes have all been earmarked for Daily Mail readers in exchange for a substantial contribution to the Household Cavalry Central Charitable Fund.

This is, of course, first and foremost a frontline military unit whose men are routinely in danger around the world. Their ceremonial duties are simply what they do between missions.

Most of those in the wedding parade had recently returned from Afghanistan and needed no reminding of their comrades who were too badly injured to take part, not to mention those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

Military life is always hazardous. The fund provides badly needed support to all injured soldiers past and present and to the families of those who have died. That is why Farrier Major Wayne Freeman and his team of ten farriers are going to such efforts to ensure this brilliant fund-raising idea does justice to the noble cause it is serving.

Household Cavalry horses are reshod every few weeks, and normally the old shoes would be dispatched to a scrap dealer for recycling.

Since last Friday, however, every shoe has been carefully removed, tagged and logged by Farrier Major Freeman. It goes without saying that it is all being done with military precision.

Once the last wedding parade horseshoe has been detached — some time at the end of next week — the farriers will then take each one and reheat it in the furnace. When it's red hot, it will be removed and cleaned with a steel brush to remove all imperfections. The farriers will then stamp each shoe with the wedding date — 29.04.11 — hammering every numeral by hand.

Each horseshoe will be lacquered and sealed in a box with a photograph of its horse and rider and a certificate of authenticity. As Royal Wedding souvenirs go, it beats anything bar a slice of the actual royal cake.

‘My mother keeps asking me for a wedding shoe, but I've had to tell her that even I can't have one,' laughs Farrier Major Freeman, 38. The father-of-two served all over  the world with the regiment, starting out at the helm of a Scimitar tank, before moving to the forge in 2001.

Think of a forge, and images of burly blokes sweating away in grimy, clanking semi-darkness spring to mind. It's not like that here. There are, indeed, a lot of burly men sweating away, but it's light and airy and one of the cleanest workshops I've seen (there is no background squawk from a radio station, and no pin-up calendar either). Even the men's vests have ‘E II R' emblazoned on them. No one forgets who's boss around here.

Four open furnaces glow at one end, while five splendid horses loiter patiently like chaps at a  St James's bootmaker waiting to be served.

Home for these immaculate animals is Hyde Park Barracks, next door to the most expensive block of flats in Europe. By equestrian standards, this place is equally plush. Each horse has a stall full of shavings, round-the-clock veterinary care, daily outings around Hyde Park, a central part in a world-famous daily tradition — Changing the Guard — and holidays in the countryside.

The 300 soldiers stationed here keep them fed, watered and groomed to the highest standards. Woe betide the Trooper whose horse is not in tip-top condition.