Bad with the farrier.....

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Parkranger

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Just wondering how many of you brought a horse, thinking it was good to shoe, and then found out that it wasn't?

My boy was very jumpy when first shod....we think it might be cause he's never been hot shod (ex racer probably, from Ireland). He calmed down but it was a nightmare.

Next time, Iwasn't there and he apparently tried to kick the farrier!

Bearing in mind he's blind in one eye too (although that's absolutely no excuse for trying to kick someone/lashing out blindly).

Do you sedate your horse to shoe? Did it get any better? Thinking we might need to cold shoe first to get him used to it again.....

Another palava in the life that is Vicki and Ty......
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My horse tends to lose concentration and then starts to try snatching her legs away and be a general pain. I have iwned her a year now and I can't really say there has been much improvement. I always have to hold her for the farrier - which is a pain but do it for his safety more than anything else
 
Hi, when I brought my boy he was 100% to shoe but after a very bad experience he went from brilliant to virtually un-shoeable
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he even sliced my farriers hand open when he was hammering the nail in. It didnt help that because he was so bad I never found a regular farrier for a while and when I did he had 4 apprentices so you never knew which one you'd get. Although one of them started on his own and was given me as his first client (suprise suprise) and i've been with him 8 years now and through patience and time my boy is almost 100% again. We never used sedative tho it was just patience.
 
I got told my horse was good, then got a message from the farrier that under no circumstances is he shoeing my horse when i am not there
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I usually have someone hold her for me as i work but it looks like i will have to go down there now instead and try to get some time off each month.

To be fair it was only her 3rd set of shoes, she is only 4yo and they turned all the others out and left her on the yard on her own so i am hoping she will settle.
 
hmmm have tried sedation with a previous pony and didn't work. It turned out he fought the sedative as he was really scared, we had given him a high dosage too and he nearly fell over, was awful!
we ended up finding a different farrier who, although wasn't as good a farrier had patience and took time to get to know the horse and let him get used to him.
i wouldn't resort to cold shoeing as then when you have to go back to hot the steam could frighten Ty and resort back to the scaredness?!
I'd just be there when the farrier comes and just take time with him. Practise picking up his feet for long periods and generally getting him use to the feel!!
jen xxxxx
 
I bought a horse who was terrified of hot shoeing - she had probably always been cold shod - she came from a dealer.

My farrier was fab and was very patient with her. He shod in outside her own stable where she was used to being tied up - not in the usual shoeing place. He would barely touch her with the hot shoe - just put it onto the foot for a second. Gradually she got better and better. She always had a big haynet to munch on.

She was most bothered by the sound I think - she didn't like the sound of fly spray or anything so I used to spray her all the time!
 
Yes! Was told my horse was 'fine' - just needed a calm farrier. But when the farrier came she went mental! Rearing, kicking out etc. Had to get the vet to sedate her to get four shoes on. After that I spoke to her old farrier, who said she was very difficult, but she had got a little bit better, the more he shod her - but had also kicked him and he had lost his finger nail!

Decided to just shoe her on the front two for a while and found a very patient female farrier. Never had to sedate her again, but she was a real pain for a while. Tried lots of hammering her feet in between shoeings etc (as it was when the nails were being hammered that she really hated it).

Anyway, 14 months on she is the perfect horse for all four feet. I really think that most horses are scared of the farrier for a reason - and perserverance and a very calm, patient farrier is the way to go. Good luck!
 
My pony is Irish and isn't too keen on being shod
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he kicked the farrier recently and stood there trembling and resting his head on me
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I now stand there with him wveythime stroking and reasurring him that everything is ok and he is getting a lot better.
 
Have 4 horses, all are excellent with farrier and farrier is extremely good and patient with them. However, I would never not be there when they are shod/trimmed.
 
Something you might like to try ... my youngster was very bad to shoe behind, although OK in front. My farrier, although patient, was beginning to grumble when I hit on the idea of using bribery (for the horse, not the farrier). I smeared treacle on the sides and bottom of a large feed bucket and hung it beside his haynet - it kept him in what was almost a trance for enough time to have both hind feet hot shod.

Several months later we are now at the stage of only having to produce the treacle for the nailing-on - and last week we didn't even need that (although he got some treacle afterwards).

You will need to wash your horse's face afterwards ....
 
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i wouldn't resort to cold shoeing as then when you have to go back to hot the steam could frighten Ty and resort back to the scaredness?!

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Don't understand why you would have to go back to hot shoeing. I know farriers that ONLY cold shoe, and horses that have ONLY EVER had cold shoes. My farrier is a star and will do either, his preference is to hot shoe but he is happy to adapt

If cold shoeing works I would do it and stick with it and not worry about feeling you have to have hot shoes.
 
My girl was a pain for her first few shoeings but stood like a lamb last time (the time before it had take an hour and a half
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My horse had never been shod when I had her and wasn't particularly fond of having her front feet picked up.

She was cold shod the first time and surprisingly didn't bother about him knocking the clenches in.

When she was hot shod, it was a whole different ball game....cue mucho rearing!

We perservered and then one noticed the wind was in a different direction across my yard and the steam when they put the hot shoes on actually blew away from her whereas it had always blown towards her face. She was fine!

Now we check the wind direction by doing back feet first and turn her so we know smoke will blow away from her face. She's never reared since!

She is clearly just worried that she's on fire!
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My sister got a pony for her daughter and due to their inexperienced I was actually present the first time he was shod. He was a little 13.2 mild mannered easy to handle pony but dragged me over a large bale of straw when he spotted the farrier. Stood trembling with fear throughout.

Not long afterwards they changed to my farrier (who was warned, but still said he would take him on). From the first set he was as good as gold.

The farrier they first used had a bit of a reputation of taking an exceptionally long time to shoe and being a bit (well more than a bit) rough if they got fidgety. I have often wondered if the little pony had met this same farrier in his previous home.

Not saying yours is rough at all - but he has maybe had a hard time before and isnt keen. Love the idea of treacle smeared on feed bucket.
 
Lots of sound advice has been given already but can I just add that it might be best if you are there to handle the horse when he's shod. Lots of work handing the feet and mimicing as much of the shoeing process as you can, together with making sure your body language is confident and calming should help.

Whilst the giving of treats can work well with some horses, protective behaviour over food can make others more difficult and some farriers prefer horses not to be fed whilst they are working so that the horses attention is on them.

Good luck with him, I'm sure with perseverance he will improve.
 
Has you boy got typical flat TB feet? Mine has
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. He used to be difficult if he had both his fronts off at the same time,so my farrier now only takes off one at a time. He said there may be too much pressure on the frog of the other foot when a foot is picked up.
I always give him a haynet, and always go in person to hold- if i see he's about pull back i just russle a packet of polo's in my pocket and he forgets he was about to be difficult.
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I was intrested to see on a post above that it takes somones farrier and hour and a half; it always takes my farrier over an hour, which i think is because he's through
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. How long does it take everyone elses?
 
When I got my girl last year she had never been shod before. The first time it took 2.5 hours
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Poor Farrier was basically piggy-backed by my horse and she was dripping in sweat by the end of it. He said not to sedate, as the best way was to just get her used to it or she'd have the problem for life. She got better and better each time as she knew what to expect and she is now as good as gold.
 
Thanks guys for all the advice.

It's so bizarre but when he misbehaves I get a small insight into what it must be like for parents when their kids scream in the supermarket....!

I'm sure he'll get over it, he just needs a farrier that's sympathetic - on the phone he suggested a few techniques that I hadn't thought of so he's obviously used to it.....

x
 
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I hit on the idea of using bribery (for the horse, not the farrier). I smeared treacle on the sides and bottom of a large feed bucket and hung it beside his haynet

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Lol!! Don't we all bribe the farrier? Bacon sarnies and cups of tea?? I hatch chickens off for mine, too!!

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Tried sedating Will for shoeing last time as he is a shiverer.
Gave him a full tube of Sedalin but had no effect, went back to the car to pay farrier and rang vet to see if i could still give him a net.
When i got back to the stable, he was zonked out on the floor and slept all afternoon!!!!
Had a new farrier today, no sedation, just lots of patience and he was a lot better.
Jo xx
 
get anyone who does anything with him during the day to pick his feet up. Practice tapping his shoes with a hammer. Practice again in the location where he will be shod. If the farrier comes on different days for different horses always stand him nearby when a calm horse is being shod. As last resort cold shoeing and leave back shoes off.
 
Ellie has been awful in her time.
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One poor farrier came out through her front legs
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We tried twitching her (which I hated) but she eventually got quite violent and would sit on her haunches and then launch out with her front feet.

I got a new farrier who is superb and he was the only one that agreed with me that she was in pain. He thought her hocks were bothering her as she only disliked the back feet being done and particularly the hammering. So now we are leaving her back shoes off and she is on Glucosamine and so far she has (touch wood) been an angel
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Could you try a bute the night before shoeing and one on the morning to rule out pain? Maybe give her some rescue remedy or if treacle works then I all for it
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I must admit Ellie is very partial to honey!
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but she eventually got quite violent and would sit on her haunches and then launch out with her front feet.

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Oh my god this is uncanny - I've just been told that Ty did the same thing for my farrier last time (I wasn't there second time when he was a nightmare).

I also think it's pain in his shoulder that's causing him problems - great idea about the bute beforehand....think we'll give that a go.

x
 
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