Bit of a dull question about horse shoes?

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little_mistress13

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So far I have found out it is £65 for a full set of standard shoes. I have been reading horses need to be reshod every 8 weeks (some say 6)

My dull question is.. When the farrier comes out to do the shoes is £65 including trimming then shoeing? or would that be £20 a trim then £65 for the shoes? and also in 8 weeks (or 6) is it the same price again or cheaper as he just reshapes the shoes? horse won't need a trim? or is it everything all over again... trim, then brand new shoes put on???
 
The price quoted is for the complete job, removing old shoes, trimming, then fitting a new set of shoes, shoes wear out during exercise and hooves grow, it's not a case of re using shoes.
It's not April allready is it?
 
Yes it should be an all-in price, and £65 is a very good price, I pay £80. How often really depends on the horse and how good his hooves are. When I first got George, he needed to be done every 5 weeks or they would start dropping off. As his hoof quality improved, he now goes 6 weeks but can't really go any longer than that. Not many can go 8 weeks.
 
Yeah I did say it was a dull question. But I am completely new and trying to learn. As she would only be hacking (on roads) probably most days would the shoes wear down as quicker?
 
It will be £65 each time, possibly if the shoes are not too worn they may be replaced after the hoof has been trimmed and it is slightly less but you are paying for the whole service not just the shoes which are only a fraction of the overall cost, time, travelling, insurance etc. most will need doing every 6 weeks, leaving them too long will be harmful to the horse.
If you are considering getting a shod, or unshod horse you would benefit from possibly spending some time on a decent yard where you could experience things first hand, without wanting to seem mean you seem very inexperienced and while there is plenty to be learnt on forums gaining a basic knowledge really needs to be hands on before you are actually having to make decisions for a horse, get some horse care lessons or at least someone involved that is willing to come out and advise you.
 
little_mistress13 said:
Yeah I did say it was a dull question. But I am completely new and trying to learn. As she would only be hacking (on roads) probably most days would the shoes wear down as quicker?
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Don't feel guilty asking questions, it wasn't dull or stupid (even if someone was a tad mean hinting it was). We've all had to learn things and always have more to learn.

You really have to play it by ear, working on between 4-8 KW's depending on how the hoof grows and the shoes wear, and how the horse walks. You may find that it varies from summer to winter. Some people are religious about having it done every six weeks on the dot.
 
Honey08 said:
Don't feel guilty asking questions, it wasn't dull or stupid (even if someone was a tad mean hinting it was). We've all had to learn things and always have more to learn.

You really have to play it by ear, working on between 4-8 KW's depending on how the hoof grows and the shoes wear, and how the horse walks. You may find that it varies from summer to winter. Some people are religious about having it done every six weeks on the dot.
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If that was me you were hinting at about being mean, I wasn't sure this was genuine, if it is, I apologise to OP, but would suggest they take BPs suggestion on learning about horse care, the only stupid question is the one never asked, I am still learning and asking advice after years of horse ownership, check my recent posts about youngsters, I wouldn't be deliberately mean to anyone
 
Mine are usually £75 per set and stud holes are extra for the eventing season. There is a little variation in costs whether new set of shoes fitted or refits. My guys usually go six weeks between farrier visits.
 
flirtygerty said:
If that was me you were hinting at about being mean, I wasn't sure this was genuine, if it is, I apologise to OP, but would suggest they take BPs suggestion on learning about horse care, the only stupid question is the one never asked, I am still learning and asking advice after years of horse ownership, check my recent posts about youngsters, I wouldn't be deliberately mean to anyone
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Fair enough, and yes it was you I was hinting at, it didn't come across well..

Ps. To elaborate on why it matters as to how the shoes wear, it's because if they've not worn down too much they can be refitted sometimes. But yes, the growth of the hoof is the most important.
 
Roadwork daily would mean new shoes rather than refits (shoe removed, hoof trimmed, shoe refitted) because roadwork wears the shoes down.

ETA There is also hoof boots, which works out cheaper than shoes but is more faffing around before you can ride and obviously they need cleaning though wouldn't get too dirty with roadwork. They are more expensive to buy but last far longer than a set of shoes. You still have to have the hoofs trimmed and it can be trial and error to find which brand of boots is best for your horse. If you want to use hoof boots instead of shoes the horse needs to be sound walking around the field and stable unshod. Hoof boots are put on for the ride and taken off after.
 
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My horse is only shod on the front even though we do quite a bit of road work but his feet are very good. I pay £42 a time, my friend pays £85 for a full set and my daughter pays £30 every other time the farrier comes out for a trim on her youngster.
 
Talk to your farrier as to how he charges. The shoes themselves don't cost much but it takes just the same time to remove shoes, trim, reshape shoes and nail on new shoes or 'removes' so most farriers just charge a base price.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
Roadwork daily would mean new shoes rather than refits (shoe removed, hoof trimmed, shoe refitted) because roadwork wears the shoes down.

ETA There is also hoof boots, which works out cheaper than shoes but is more faffing around before you can ride and obviously they need cleaning though wouldn't get too dirty with roadwork. They are more expensive to buy but last far longer than a set of shoes. You still have to have the hoofs trimmed and it can be trial and error to find which brand of boots is best for your horse. If you want to use hoof boots instead of shoes the horse needs to be sound walking around the field and stable unshod. Hoof boots are put on for the ride and taken off after.
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If most of your riding is hacking on roads your horse could do very well with no shoes at all. Road hacking is much less slippy with no shoes. I'm guessing that you haven't actually got a horse yet, so before you do, learn all you can about barefoot horses if you would like not to have shoes at all.
 
A novice horse owner will find it much easier to buy a horse that is already working happily without shoes, than buying something shod and then going barefoot.
 
Faracat said:
A novice horse owner will find it much easier to buy a horse that is already working happily without shoes, than buying something shod and then going barefoot.
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True.

Are you suggesting that no novice owner can take a horse barefoot though, because that is not true?

It's also entirely possible that the horse this person gets will be one of the many who just never noticed that the shoes disappeared. I've had several of those, and one of them was a racehorse so newly off the track that I still have his little aluminium race plates :)
 
If the horse you are/ might be getting is on a similar routine, your best course of action is to ask the existing owner about the shoeing schedule: questions like has the wear ever increased, have you noticed any seasonal change in hoof growth, has the farrier ever remarked to keep an eye on/ anything unusual/ recommended a supplement, has the horse ever had remedial shoeing, how does the horse cope with studs etc. Even has it ever been barefoot (say on field rest). These are questions I'd be very happy to hear from a potential purchaser because they're often overlooked as not really covered by has he been lame/ seen the vet.

I would always ideally try to get a new set of shoes before you take the horse if you are intending shod, as organising a farrier can take more time and flexibility than you think.

Also find out, if your horse throws a shoe, what's the farrier policy: does he replace, will he show you how to get it off if it's twisted etc. How soon could you expect him to fit it in and what would the cost be. This would also be a good time to ask about emergencies, say abcesses. Everyone has their own preferences and working with your farrier is the best way for a happy relationship. Also does your farrier bill or want paying at the time!

Best of luck.
 
My horse gets shod every 6 weeks normally, although she was getting shod every 5 over the summer.
My last horse got shod every 4-5 weeks.
It really depends on the horse and the work its doing.
I pay £70 for a standard set of new shoes, I think its only £5 less if I have shoes refitted so hardly worth it!
 
The cost covers the whole process, and £65 is cheap. Refits are very little cheaper. It depends on hoof growth and shoe wear as to whether it should be six or eight weeks, or maybe some other length of time.
 
Price will be all inclusive, trimming shaping hooves and fitting shoes.
This is the same regardless of how much he has to trim etc ( so whether it's 6 or 8 weeks)

Some farriers will refit used used if they arnt to warm down.
So they will remove shoe trim hoof heat and refit shoe.
This will give you a slight reduction in price.
 
My farrier costs £70 for a full set with road nails (hot shod) . At present his feet grow very slowly so can go 6-7 weeks depending on road work. Hoping to improve hoof quality as they grow out over next 6-9 months. New horse so still learning timescales and what works for us.
 
Not only does it cost for the shoes and the expertise (approx. five year apprenticeship) there's also insurance, use of his vehicle diesel/petrol tyres, rasps, nails, hammers, telephone calls etc. Time wasted because owners haven't caught the horse to be shod. Or not bothered to teach it how to pick its feet up. Talk to your farrier he/she will be more than happy to tell you how much it all costs!!!!!!!!!
 
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