Barefoot Horses - Farrier or Podiatrist????

[C&C]

I am probably going to cause a debate and some arguing on this one, apologies in advance, but.............

Some say you should have a podiatrist as they are barefoot experts and farriers trim them too short.......others say farriers have been trimming horses for YEARS before podiatrists came along and go thru more training!!

Me believing i was doing the right thing started off with a podiatrist with new horse (been barefoot for 2 years, previous owner used a farrier and feet are perfect), but have been told that they are over charging and dont have the experience of a farrier. They do charge more than a farrier for a trim and if im honest i was rather shocked at the price i had to pay for 5 mins foot work (the rest was alot of talking and pics!)

A farrier (who is a friend) told me not to bother with the podiatrist and have my regular farrier (who Chance has been having for shoes for past 8 years) to trim them.

What are your views??

 

[ThePony]

I think picking the right person isn't down to the name they give themselves, but if they do a good job, personal recommendation is really the only way tbh. I guess if you are looking at taking the shoes off because your farrier does a terrible job then that would rather colour your choice!!

We are v lucky that our farrier did a good job shoeing them, was very supportive about taking shoes off and now pops out to trim/watch them trot up if needed. Though they have been self trimming for the last 5 months or so, so we don't actually get to see our farrier that much! He isn't over fussed by the movement and feeding aspects of them being happy barefoot horses but I like to research that myself, so I don't mind. However if that is an area you would like support with then it is worth considering a podiatrist or trimmer (UKNHCP would be my choice of training provider so I would hunt of one trained under that school).

 

[amandap]

Like most things I'd say it depends. I personally would use a 'good' trimmer for any problem horses/hooves mainly because of the other advice and trim to help the horse. Many will support you in learning to maintain the hooves yourself as well.
My personal belief is that trimmers are educated much more deeply about the hoof and how it functions and how to help it become healthy. Sadly farriers are still taught at length how to fabricate shoes which is imo is a waste of time as most use ready made ones these days. This college time could be spent studying modern thinking.
I do know many, many people disagree.

 

[Oberon]

I am probably going to cause a debate and some arguing on this one, apologies in advance, but.............

Some say you should have a podiatrist as they are barefoot experts and farriers trim them too short.......others say farriers have been trimming horses for YEARS before podiatrists came along and go thru more training!!

Me believing i was doing the right thing started off with a podiatrist with new horse (been barefoot for 2 years, previous owner used a farrier and feet are perfect), but have been told that they are over charging and dont have the experience of a farrier. They do charge more than a farrier for a trim and if im honest i was rather shocked at the price i had to pay for 5 mins foot work (the rest was alot of talking and pics!)

A farrier (who is a friend) told me not to bother with the podiatrist and have my regular farrier (who Chance has been having for shoes for past 8 years) to trim them.

What are your views??

I would say whomever does the best job for your horse.

With the farrier, my horses always ended up with the apprentices and when the last one drew blood in both of my (perfectly healthy) horse's hooves - I voted with my feet and started using UKNHCP trimmers.

My horse's hooves have been lovingly tended ever since and I've found my trimmer to be a consistent source of support and information. I've never seen anyone take such pride in my horse's hooves. And for that I would never begrudge the extra few pounds it costs.

On the other hand there are some fabulous farriers out there and some trimmers I would run and hide from.

I've noticed it tends to be the farrier community that vocally pooh poohs trimmers. But I've never heard a good trimmer be so unprofessional as to so the same to a farrier.

Pick whomever is doing the best job for your horse. There's good and bad on both sides

 

[amandap]

Yes, there are some awful trimmers out there...
The problem is knowing who is truly doing a good job. Owner education has to be a priority so you can have a chance of being able to judge.

 

[C&C]

I know some people are gonna go potty over this but i DO rasp them myself....said farrier friend gave me a lesson on what to look for and how to rasp, keeping a nice shape. He gave me a rasp and hey presto we are away

I am not the only one on my yard who tend to their horses feet themself. Farrier said that if enough road work is achieved to keep the wear down naturally then a rasp to round the foot off to stop breaking/cracking will be sufficient. Obviously i would have a proper trim if the foot needed it.

Anyone else do their horses feet themselves??

 

[Goldenstar]

Yes, there are some awful trimmers out there...
The problem is knowing who is truly doing a good job. Owner education has to be a priority so you can have a chance of being able to judge.

yes this is the problem I have my first visit from a trimmer at the weekend and I am scared to be honest I have heard some horror stories but have done my best to find someone that someone I know uses and hope it will be ok just have no idea what to expect .
This trying to to dressage with no shoes has turned out way more complicated than it seemed at first !!
I have now read all the books looked at all the web sites been treated like I have a mental problem by some people I have mentioned it too so now I am ready for the trimmer .

 

[ThePony]

I know some people are gonna go potty over this but i DO rasp them myself....said farrier friend gave me a lesson on what to look for and how to rasp, keeping a nice shape. He gave me a rasp and hey presto we are away

I am not the only one on my yard who tend to their horses feet themself. Farrier said that if enough road work is achieved to keep the wear down naturally then a rasp to round the foot off to stop breaking/cracking will be sufficient. Obviously i would have a proper trim if the foot needed it.

Anyone else do their horses feet themselves??

I have a nice blunt rasp that I can use should they get a chip I want to smooth off. I would be suprised if I even picked it up once a month though for our two! Less definatly seems to be more in this case!

 

[Oberon]

I know some people are gonna go potty over this but i DO rasp them myself....said farrier friend gave me a lesson on what to look for and how to rasp, keeping a nice shape. He gave me a rasp and hey presto we are away

I am not the only one on my yard who tend to their horses feet themself. Farrier said that if enough road work is achieved to keep the wear down naturally then a rasp to round the foot off to stop breaking/cracking will be sufficient. Obviously i would have a proper trim if the foot needed it.

Anyone else do their horses feet themselves??

Many people do an excellent job on their horse's hooves. With the right supervision and guidance in the beginning, a lot of owner trimmers offer a more sympathetic and conservative trim than many professionals - which often leads to a much more comfortable horse!

 

[C&C]

Here are my horses feet

Khan -7 yr old TB - barefoot for 2 years, always had farrier with previous owner. Closest pic i have!

Chance - 20 yr old Shire x TB - barefoot for nearly 2 months, been shod all his life beforehand (pic was taken 1 week after shoes were removed)

Both are rasped by myself or my OH as he is actually better at it than me