tallyho!
Following a strict mediterranean diet...
£45 a trim is still cheaper than a set of shoes
Half the price in my neck of the woods.
What needs considering is that farriers are still able to charge £20 because the large amounts of farriery so that does go some way to covering the "trims". If they started having more trims than shoeings then, they would have to redress the balance. It's a business after all.
Trimmers, aptly, trim but in the 2 years it takes to qualify, there is a lot of personal investment in different aspects such as nutrition, biomechanics, pathology, USA study programmes, European study programmes to study with different vets, farriers and scientists. All of which the international community agree, that performance trimming is radically different to a standard pasture trim.
All I'm saying is that, if you want to know more about trimming go to epauk.co.uk or uknhcp.org.uk and have a read of what it takes to qualify. Compare it with Mysercough or Warwickshire and see the difference in curriculum.
Excellent farriers are few and far between... hence why barefoot trimmers are becoming increasingly popular. Also, what you will tend to find is either they are ex-farriers or owners who, failed by traditional farriery for one reason or another has explored barefoot, grew passionate about it and decided to dedicate the rest of their lives to helping hooves undermined by conventional methods.
Neither is "the only way"... it's just ANOTHER way and one that should be accepted, not judge or scorned. There are many horses out there saved by trimming, just as there have been those saved by shoes.
Diversity should be embraced!