Aberdeenshire peeps

[badamba]

Hello and thank you for reading. I m hopefully going tomove to Aberdeenshire later this year (not sure exactly where yet) but Iam worried about finding livery for my 2 girls, farrier and vet etc as I have heard so much about there being a shortage specially for farriers and livery in this area. DOes anyone have any experiences or know what the situation is in the area? Thanks.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Hello and thank you for reading. I m hopefully going tomove to Aberdeenshire later this year (not sure exactly where yet) but Iam worried about finding livery for my 2 girls, farrier and vet etc as I have heard so much about there being a shortage specially for farriers and livery in this area. DOes anyone have any experiences or know what the situation is in the area? Thanks.

Don't panic, you will find both, farriers are quite sparse (quite a few peeps including me use trimmers partly due to the problems in getting farrier to come as regularly as I'd like) but there are a couple of newer ones I think.

Livery the same, there's somewhere for everyone, just depends on what area you are and what facilities you need. And theres plenty of private places that don't offer livery as such but if they found a good match with person/horses could offer a spare stable or two.

Edited to add vet wise Ardene house near Aberdeen and Dukes vets in Banchory are both very good horse focused vets.

 

[badamba]

Thank you! Why are farriers so sparse up there? Ive heard of a few people having trouble in that area.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Thank you! Why are farriers so sparse up there? Ive heard of a few people having trouble in that area.

I think it's partly the spread out population, making it harder to get to lots of appointments in one day. But also the gap between the decline of working horses on farms and the relatively recent big rise in the numbers of leisure horses up here,meaning not so many locals got trained up, and those that were there are now reaching retirement in quite a few cases.

Farriers trained down south just don't consider coming to live up here cos they think of all of Scotland as being rainy and midgey - which Aberdeenshire generally isn't specially either but that's the image. If they knew how gorgeous it is they would all be here !!!!

 

[brucea]

Shhhh...let's keep the secret and it will stay that way

 

[Dry Rot]

Shhhh...let's keep the secret and it will stay that way

They'll need passports and visas soon, so not to worry!

 

[Spook]

We have had and have toppers of farriers........ and have had one who was, lets just say a "scheister"....... one was the first up here., no probs but he retired......... the second lasted 2 visits, just about, and I hear he's moved abroard ....... and the third ....... no probs.

We've been here 23 years....... but come the revolution?.....(power to the people 'n' all that) who knows? Maybe they'll all go south again..... not ever had a qualified Scottish farrier here, are the any about these parts?

 

[magpie92]

our Farrier is Sam, this link has a load of aberdeenshire farriers http://scottishshowing.proboards.com/thread/25814

 

[TequilaMist]

We have had and have toppers of farriers........ and have had one who was, lets just say a "scheister"....... one was the first up here., no probs but he retired......... the second lasted 2 visits, just about, and I hear he's moved abroard ....... and the third ....... no probs.

We've been here 23 years....... but come the revolution?.....(power to the people 'n' all that) who knows? Maybe they'll all go south again..... not ever had a qualified Scottish farrier here, are the any about these parts?

Where are you? I am Aberdeen and know more than a few scottish farriers up here? Maybe they just keep to certain 'sides' lol

OP really don't know why they don't say.local farrier says its the climate! Def not a lack of work.
In fact they sort of can pick and choose who they take on or don't.
I know theres a new girl starting up on her own later this year so will prob be looking later to start up a client list.

 

[Spook]

Insch....... And we are very happy with our farrier too.

 

[Mithras]

I moved to Aberdeen from the Lothians and I found it difficult to get a good farrier. I now get one from outwith the area who travels up, recommended by my farrier back in the Lothians. I found the shape of hoof that quite a few of the farriers do up here quite odd and although farriers don't like to speak out against each other, I could tell by my original farrier's reaction that he thought the same as me as he told me to change my farrier. Its a sort of very long toe with a low heel and the shoes would stay on 4 weeks max before working loose. This happened with 4 different horses. Now that I've changed my farrier the problem with constantly losing shoes, odd shoe wear and oddly shaped hooves has gone away. I also noticed that there was a tendency to put the nails very close together.

The other difficulty I had with farriers up here is that the good ones won't take you on as their lists are full, or they will only do so if you come from the area originally and are recommended by one of their existing clients. Some farriers won't go to certain yards, and some farriers won't come to you if you don't have a yard and if you only have 2 or 3 horses!

So anyway I pay more to get a farrier in from elsewhere.

The other thing I noticed about Aberdeen is that people will constantly tell you that there is a shortage of everything, as if being busy and having business was something very unusual and exceptional, and no other part of the country is like that. There are actually loads of livery yards and vets, and they are much cheaper than in the Lothians (but again people will tell you Aberdeen is far more expensive than anywhere, even central London!)

 

[MagicMelon]

not ever had a qualified Scottish farrier here, are the any about these parts?

I'm very near you and had several farriers over the years (maybe 5), every one has been qualified and Scottish. We currently use Sam Thompson (who is Scottish and qualified too!), he's very good. Does a great job and is extremely reliable - has never let us down yet, he even texts if he's running 10 mins late! I'd personally never use a non qualified farrier and never had the need to - even when past farriers have done a runner and left me in the lurch, I've found another. There used to be a shortage but I think those further down south have cottoned onto that and are coming up regularly now, there's heaps of new ones around nowadays.

I dont think Aberdeen is that expensive, although my farrier did say that farriers are cheaper in other parts than here. Vets I assume are the same as anywhere else. There is money in Aberdeen, its a very rich city in that respect, more so than the other cities so I guess it perhaps is a bit pricier in general but I dont think that filters down to general horse care.

 

[Spook]

Just to say all the farriers I've used and do use are qualified..... it's just that they've moved here from England, although one of them did his apprenticeship and qualified in Scotland

I do know of one yard who fly their farrier up from Kent, they recon it pays, I cannot see how but that is the case. Recently prices have hiked up, but that is the same for most services..... and actually I think vets vary for price, so for such as castrations I ask about for the best deal.

 

[badamba]

Thank yiu for the replies so far. I think we are looking at the Huntly area so we might see some of you at local shows at the nd of the summer!!! Thank you again.

 

[nevis]

Thank yiu for the replies so far. I think we are looking at the Huntly area so we might see some of you at local shows at the nd of the summer!!! Thank you again.

Hi Badamba

Huntly area is brilliant - you get a lot for your £ land wise and there's a big horse community up here and LOTS of Forestry Commission hacking - Gartley Forest, Bin Forest, Balloch Forest etc.
Knock Farm isn't too far away with livery and XC course - popular with riding clubs for Hunter Pace etc.
My neighbour is opening a stunning bespoke 6 stable livery yard between Huntly and Keith next month - see if you can find Glenside Stables on facebook - she only went live with the page yesterday so bear with. I'm an equine therapist and performance specialist - Huntly is THE place to be in 2014.

I've a fabulous foot trimmer who comes to me - Shona Halford - who I highly recommend and there are 2 or three farriers who come this way too.

We're really well served with fab Equine Dentists like Deborah Atkinson from Chomping at the bit. There's more horses in Aberdeenshire per head of capita than anywhere else in the UK so you'll have your choice of whatever equine therapist or trainer you wish.

You have a choice of Huntly, Keith or Aberlour Vets.

Strathisla Riding club is online and on fb and is a really good club with lots of training. Upper Donside Riding Club if you go the Alford side of Huntly.

You're 40 mins away from Ladyleys for comps and training, or an hour south of Burgie, next door to Aswanly and just over half an hour from Beaches.

The winters can be special up here - I got a snowplough for the quad for my Christmas present after the first one here - if you're independent and love the outdoors this is a fabulous area. Midges hell in the summer - highly recommend taking a vitamin B1 supplement and they'll leave you alone.

Good luck with the move!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Re the midges, choose a property on a hill and without water courses or boggy areas, and although you will get more wind, you won't get bothered by the midges. We don't have much bother with them at all. But friends a couple of miles away down in the woody bits by streams get them terribly.

 

[nevis]

I'm almost 1000 feet up atop a hill... midges thicker than a blanket!