Barefoot and Equine Podiatrists trim costs

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FFAQ

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Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say that I am really excited to see how many of you are barefooters! I am just coming to the end of my 2 year equine podiatry course with EPT ltd and should qualify in August (I have passed my final exams, just need to be signed off on my last two case studies). It was a massive gamble for me to start the training as I had to take out a big loan to be able to afford it, and I have heard very mixed views about 'filing fairies' as we are sometimes known. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who believe that all EP's learn from youtube or on a weekend course, then go away and charge people £50 a trim and lame the horses in the process. However, this forum has given me hope! So many people are seeing that there are a lot of us who are total hoof geeks and are trained well! Can I ask please, how much do you pay for a trim? Also, do you use an EP or a farrier and where are you based? Just thinking that although I have to start paying my loan back in August, I also don't want to price myself out of the market! On the other hand, my experience has been that if people are paying very little for something they don't tend to believe it's any good!

Sorry about the long post! Thank you in advance if you reply!!
 
My trimmer charges about same as one above but does a lot more than just trim. Diet, exercise and environment so equally important for hoof health. Is your course covering these?
 
I use an EP, Rohan Fox who travels over a large area. He only charges £25 and will come for just one if we need him, although we do try to make it more worth his while. He is also happy to just do mine once in a while so I can keep him tidy in between times. The other good one I know also charges £25 - TBH charges are a consideration for lots of us.
 
I used my Farrier and he charges £15 and does my mare's feet as and when needed when she has her shoes off over Winter. Based in West Yorkshire
 
I use a trimmer for £30 a time. I used to pay the farrier £20 but decided to see whether a trimmer would have anything else to add.
 
I use a farrier, £35 a trim. I have tried barefoot trimmers in the past and I would never let one near my horse again. I think they cost more than my farrier.
 
Dizzle said:
I use a farrier, £35 a trim. I have tried barefoot trimmers in the past and I would never let one near my horse again. I think they cost more than my farrier.
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I have had three different trimmers and they have all been excellent. They not only do the trim, they also advise on feed and the necessary nutrition, take photos to plot progress, watch the horse trot up before the trim and can advise on boots.

I pay £35 for a trim including travel and the non ridden pony is £25.00. One trimmer wanted to charge £40 for trimming a non ridden pony, which contributed to parting of the ways. I have used a farrier in the past, but I found they trimmed too short and the minute there was anything not 100% wanted to put the shoes back on.
 
I think how much you can charge will depend on the competition you have in your local area. Also as you are newly qualified it might be harder to get customers to start off with as you won't have the testimonials and the same experience perhaps as the more established practitioners.

Farriers tend to charge between £20-£30 for a trim so if your starting price is around that mark then you may get some people who currently use farriers to swop to using you. There are plenty of people who don't have their horses shod because it is the cheaper option, as well as those who are more into the barefoot lifestyle, so you have two potential markets for customers, if that is you are willing to accept customers whose sole reason for not shoeing is financial and who may not have the same values as you.
 
I use my farrier and I do my own research re feed etc.....don't need to pay extra for someone to tell me what I already know. He charges £25 and always watches how all the horses he does move etc.....barefoot or shod. He also uses Gait Analysis video if needed for more detailed info on how the horse is moving/landing etc.
 
I pay £45 for a trimmer. Used to pay £25 for farriers about 4/5 years ago but 3 farriers left my horse lame after a trim so having found someone good not looking to change.

One thing to consider is travel costs, with fewer trimmers around, they are more likely to cover a larger area and maybe have fewer horses when they get there. The plus side is my trimmer will come up just to trim mine if needed. The farriers I used wouldn't come out for 'just a trim' so I would have to wait till horses were being shod and piggy back onto that visit.
 
Thanks everyone. I recognise a few of those EP names as people who have done the same course as me! My course has covered detailed anatomy, gait analysis, pathologies, first aid, behaviour, nutrition, environment, awareness of farriery, science, and more. I will be covering the whole of Devon and will be the only qualified EPA EP in Devon, although there are trimmers from other groups here. The prices you have all quoted seem fair to me. I reckon I'll aim for somewhere in the middle and if the business is slow to build I can always have an introductory offer!
Really appreciate the input. Really sorry to hear that some of you have had bad experiences. To be honest, I'd heard a few horror stories myself but the course I've been on was fantastic!
 
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