Barefoot Farriers V Farrier, opinions please!!

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A farrier purely trims the hoof in order to put a shoe on. A barefoot trimmer takes into account the hoof quaility / shape etc. and does things over time to improve it.


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What a pile of steaming male bovine poo! YOUR farrier may well trim a horse's foot just to put a shoe on but not ALL farriers take such little interest in the horse's well being. Farrier's are quite capable (and far more qualified) to trim a horse's foot for ridden work. Farrier train for 4 years, so called qualified trimmers train for about 4 weeks. It really is the difference between going to a doctor and going to a crystal healer.

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Yep I agree. My farrier takes great care + attention to my barefoots. He spends a lot of time with remedial work on one of mine and ensuring they are balanced etc. He also advises on nutrition + supliments. Each to their own but I would never use anyone other than a qualified farrier on mine.
 
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A farrier purely trims the hoof in order to put a shoe on. A barefoot trimmer takes into account the hoof quaility / shape etc. and does things over time to improve it.


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What a pile of steaming male bovine poo! YOUR farrier may well trim a horse's foot just to put a shoe on but not ALL farriers take such little interest in the horse's well being. Farrier's are quite capable (and far more qualified) to trim a horse's foot for ridden work. Farrier train for 4 years, so called qualified trimmers train for about 4 weeks. It really is the difference between going to a doctor and going to a crystal healer.

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If the equine "foot industry" (for want of a better phrase) is ever to improve such extreme opposing viewpoints need to become the minority.

Farriers need to be given more respect for what they do and know, and barefoot trimmers need to be listened to and given credit for the training and beginnings of meaningful research which is coming through.

IMO, the two schools aren't mutually exclusive and should be afforded more respect than the two extremes. Yes, I daresay there are farriers who only trim to fit a shoe, and barefoot trimmers who have only done 4 weeks training, but we need to get away from the mentality that they are all like that in order to make progress. why should we make progress? For our horse's welfare.
 
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My farrier takes great care + attention to my barefoots. He spends a lot of time with remedial work on one of mine and ensuring they are balanced etc. He also advises on nutrition + supliments

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And that is very rare - which is why there is a market for barefoot trimmers.

Farriers 'after care' is shocking.

I have had various farriers doing trimming and they have never volunteered any infomation on transitioning, diet, work etc etc. I had one farrier out to deal with avery laminitic pony who's feet were a right mess. They did a good trim but their sole contirbutuion to 'after care' was 'he might need shoes on if he's still a bit sore'. So instead i had a trimmer out who advised us on deit, management, boots, work etc.

I don't doubt that farriers are very knowledgeable, but if they aren't willing to share it, it's irrelevent.
 
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My farrier takes great care + attention to my barefoots. He spends a lot of time with remedial work on one of mine and ensuring they are balanced etc. He also advises on nutrition + supliments

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And that is very rare - which is why there is a market for barefoot trimmers.

Farriers 'after care' is shocking.

I have had various farriers doing trimming and they have never volunteered any infomation on transitioning, diet, work etc etc. I had one farrier out to deal with avery laminitic pony who's feet were a right mess. They did a good trim but their sole contirbutuion to 'after care' was 'he might need shoes on if he's still a bit sore'. So instead i had a trimmer out who advised us on deit, management, boots, work etc.

I don't doubt that farriers are very knowledgeable, but if they aren't willing to share it, it's irrelevent.

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Have to say that not all farriers are like that and if you get up their nose then you wont get anything out of them.

I have found that if you ask in the right way you get the right answer.

My farrier is fantastic!!! I can even phone him for an opinion or help if I need to and always recommends what is good for the horse rather than his pocket and he travelled to my farm to do one horse every 8 weeks even though its out of his way. He now does Eowyn my new mare and is happy for her to stay barefoot just as Kia is on the back for over a year now and the feet look excellent!!

Nikki xxx
 
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IMO, the two schools aren't mutually exclusive and should be afforded more respect than the two extremes. Yes, I daresay there are farriers who only trim to fit a shoe, and barefoot trimmers who have only done 4 weeks training, but we need to get away from the mentality that they are all like that in order to make progress. why should we make progress? For our horse's welfare.

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Amen to that.
 
I would always go for a farrier over a barefoot trimmer as well. Far more qualified and has a wider training.

My farrier will look and treat horses as individuals - some he recommends are unshod, some have remedial shoeing and some have normal shoes. He would not recommend shoes for everything or barefoot for all.

I don't agree that every horse can and should be barefoot which is why I would never use someone that only practiced this.
 
Not this AGAIN!!

I have had three farriers trim my two horses over the years, before I found a barefoot trimmer, and each time they left my boys footsore, one of them to the point of having to go on box rest for three weeks until he felt able to move!!

By virtue of moving house several times, I have had several trimmers attend to them, and I have never had an issue with them. My horses compete, xc, s/j, long, long hacks for endurance and stamina as well as helping their feet. I would never, ever let a farrier near their feet again. Barefoot trimmers are not voo-doo doctors, they are TRAINED in the art of managing barefoot horses and can advise on diet, management as well as explaining the type of trim and why. They are great!
 
My farrier is lovely, and pretty good, so I'll keep him as long as possible. He is qualified, he does a good job (I look at feet he's shod and feet shod by others on the yard and often think his look a lot better than some!)

The only disadvantage is that, naturally, his take on management relies more on applying shoes. The trimmer I've been in contact with looks much more at the whole horse and management, and if there are problems, has advice on how to mange them - I know full well that my farriers advice would be to put on shoes if I ever said that he had been a bit footier one week, rather than look into why. I think really that he just humours me - as does my YM - and they keep their mouths shut as long as coblet seems to be ok...
 
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