Cost of podiatrist vs farrier?

[Melandmary]

Just wondering what people with barefoot horses are paying their equine podiatrists. I recently had my ridden pony’s shoes taken off and my farrier charges £25 for a foot trim. I have 2 other companions also barefoot so they do all 3 at same time. I hear a lot of barefoot folk saying a proper equine podiatrist is the best way to go for balanced feet and so I got a quote from one and they charge £40 per horse….seems steep to me. Is this the going rate ? And is it really the best option? Would appreciate your thoughts , thanks

 

[HappyHollyDays]

It shouldn’t be about cost but who does the best job. My Farrier is fully qualified, very progressive yet he doesn’t shoe anything in steel. All his clients are barefoot and for a very few of us he will shoe with Duplo composite. As to cost I pay £72 for full trims for both of them or £40 if only one is being done.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I've only ever used a farrier for my barefoot horses a few of the podiatrist people round here have absolutely crippled quite a few horses, I would rather stick with someone who has done many years of training and can balance a foot correctly.

 

[HelenBack]

It shouldn’t be about cost but who does the best job. My Farrier is fully qualified, very progressive yet he doesn’t shoe anything in steel. All his clients are barefoot and for a very few of us he will shoe with Duplo composite. As to cost I pay £72 for full trims for both of them or £40 if only one is being done.

I agree with this. My farrier charges £25 for a trim and does a perfectly good job. He trims with the individual horse in mind, takes into account their needs and listens to any feedback from me. I have full confidence in him. I've had a couple of trimmers / podiatrists who were more expensive but I didn't feel as confident in them as I do my farrier so settled on him. Other people have found better luck with podiatrists and I guess it just depends who is in your area and how food they are. If you're happy with your farrier though I'd just stick with him and ignore what anybody else says.

 

[AandK]

I paid £50 per trim when I used a podiatrist (horse is currently shod in front) and my farrier charges £30 for a trim. I would go with whoever does the best job and keeps your horse sound!

 

[SEL]

I wouldn't say one verses the other is better - its all down to the individual at the end of the rasp.

I used a podiatrist for ages and I'm very grateful to her for helping me with a horse who had some issues but I don't think she wasn't any better than either of the farriers I've used since (& I only changed because she wouldn't work in lockdown). I don't think I got £20 more benefit though which was the extra cost of podiatrist vs farrier. Current farrier is great with the horses, happy to have barefoot horses but also tells me if a horse isn't coping.

I think the podiatrists argue that they consult on feed etc too - but I don't need that.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Qualified EPA podiatrist charged £40 per horse and was cr@p. Farrier charges £25 per horse and does a brilliant job (although he is flaky re actually turning up ?).

A vet I use can spot which new clients use podiatrists as opposed to farriers by the awful long toe/low heel foot balance. It's a load of hype.

 

[HelenBack]

I wouldn't say one verses the other is better - its all down to the individual at the end of the rasp.

I used a podiatrist for ages and I'm very grateful to her for helping me with a horse who had some issues but I don't think she wasn't any better than either of the farriers I've used since (& I only changed because she wouldn't work in lockdown). I don't think I got £20 more benefit though which was the extra cost of podiatrist vs farrier. Current farrier is great with the horses, happy to have barefoot horses but also tells me if a horse isn't coping.

I think the podiatrists argue that they consult on feed etc too - but I don't need that.

I don't think they should really consult on feed anyway as they're not qualified nutritionists. When I did consult a qualified nutritionist she said that a lot of the feed advice these people gave out was inaccurate so I wouldn't really trust what they tell me anyway.

I suppose they would also say they can consult on hoof boots if needed whereas my farrier will just say "you'll probably need to boot him" and leave me to sort it out. I feel pretty confident sorting out boots as well though and if I'm struggling I'll just contact one of the hoof boot shops who will give me the necessary advice for free.

 

[Nasicus]

Really does depend on the podiatrist. I'm lucky enough to live where I have access to two fantastic, knowledgeable and dedicated qualified equine podiatrists, ones £40 and the other £45.
But just like you get crap farriers, you get crap podiatrists.

For what it's worth, they're here for quite a while and take their time to get the trim right, balance the hoof and educate me at the same time, well worth the money imo.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

It shouldn’t be about cost but who does the best job.

^^^ Exactly this.

Sadly there are a lot of farriers out there who frankly have no idea what a proper barefoot trim looks like; what the client all too frequently ends up with is a "field trim" or even worse the normal pre-shoeing trim, NOT a proper barefoot trim with the outside of the foot rolled to prevent chipping.

 

[Hollylee1989]

I've stayed with my farrier since being barefoot, £30 for a trim. Sound with no problems, I've seen barefoot trimmers spend over 3 hours trimming and horses be walking crippled for weeks afterwards. Wouldn't be for me personally, but I'm sure there's plenty of decent ones out there.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I held a friends horse for the barefoot trimmer. It certainly opened my eyes and never in a million years would I let her near my lot!

She charged £45 for the first visit, £40 after that provided she was booked in every 4 weeks, 5 at an absolute push but you go beyond the 5 weeks and it's back up to £45 again. But cost aside from my point of view she did a shocking job! She plonked each foot on a wee stool/hoof hammock thing (which to be fair I thought was brilliant and want one for myself!) Cut a load of sole away with a knife then rasped over the sole. Then she moved onto the next foot. Not one did she go round the edge of the hoof she only worked on the sole. Didn't even touch the frog. One of the hooves had a big crack all the way down which was nearly an inch wide at the bottom, the horse had cuts on the inside of the other front leg where it had clearly been catching the sharp bits of the crack on it. What did she do with the crack? Absolutely nothing. Nil. Nada. Nein. It may as well not have existed for all she cared! She just carved and rasped a load of sole off again and put the foot down. Didn't even look at how the horse was standing on the ground or anything just kept hoiking up feet and attacking.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I think I pay £57 per trim from my barefoot trimmer - their charges went up slightly recently but can't remember without looking at my last transfer what to.

They are v.v good & have zero complaints and indeed, only compliments from vet, physiotherapist and instructor who have seen the positive difference since using them.

There are barefoot trimmer I wouldn't let near my horse and farriers I'd happily let do him, same as anything

 

[smolmaus]

I don't honestly know if we have many, if any, "barefoot trimmers" in my area. I use the farrier recommended by our vet (who also has farriery and podiatry qualifications) and consider us very lucky to have him. This is my second post today raving about him ?

He didn't even lift the nippers today, tidied up with a rasp, took a bit of mid-shed frog off that I was too scared to pull myself and done. Best £30 I ever spend.

 

[Landcruiser]

I pay £55 for mine which includes £5 travel. She only has a very few clients due to health issues, and I'm glad to be one of them. I only have her for one of mine, who is very tricky and complicated and has been failed by barefoot trimmers and farriers over the years. I trim my other two myself, so don't mind paying a premium for an excellent service just for the tricky one.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

£55 per horse.

She starts with trot ups and foot placement / landing. She takes photos and tracks progress for me, sorts out topical treatments for anyone who needs anything (red horse products).

She measures and cuts pads for hoof boots, and she also advises on nutrition, exercise and overall movement and recommends additional physio or vet where she feels it’s needed. Each horse is on an individual programme.

We generally do four weekly visits, and fortnightly for newly barefoot horses or injuries etc.

 

[planete]

I had a very good farrier trim my pony until moving to my present yard. My pony has always been barefoot and has good feet but the difference in the development of his feet with the barefoot trimmer who comes to my new yard is amazing. She has succeeded in promoting the opening of his heels and a consistent heel first landing. She also notes any changes in wear or balance which can indicate the start of problems either in the foot or higher up and works closely with the pony’s physio. Finally she is patient and flexible enough to cope quietly with any handling problems caused by his muscle myopathy and consequent nervousness and shifting stiffness. I have never had this kind of service from any farrier.

Edited to say that if I pay between £20 and £30 for a trim I can understand it would not be economical to spend the amount of time necessary for an in depth assessment of the horse plus targeted advice plus the actual trimming. My farrier used to spend ten minutes trimming and charge £25. The trimmer charges £50 and takes as long as it needs to take, up to an hour sometime. Mind you a previous trimmer used to waffle for an hour and leave the toes too long. She has now started a trimming school!

 

[Melandmary]

It shouldn’t be about cost but who does the best job. My Farrier is fully qualified, very progressive yet he doesn’t shoe anything in steel. All his clients are barefoot and for a very few of us he will shoe with Duplo composite. As to cost I pay £72 for full trims for both of them or £40 if only one is being done.

No it’s not all about the cost but when you have 3 that need doing , I at least do need to take coat into consideration. My farrier does a good job of my ponies feet but since going the whole barefoot route and joining the forums that advise to use a podiatrist I just wondered what the added benefit was of using one over my farrier especially given that they seem to be quite alot more expensive. If I was getting an added value for money service then yes I would swap but if they are doing the exact same job as my farrier then no I can’t afford that. I have contacted a couple, the one that quoted said it included feed advice and help with boots etc but as two of mine are companions I don’t need that and I already follow a foot friendly diet for them.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

No it’s not all about the cost but when you have 3 that need doing , I at least do need to take coat into consideration. My farrier does a good job of my ponies feet but since going the whole barefoot route and joining the forums that advise to use a podiatrist I just wondered what the added benefit was of using one over my farrier especially given that they seem to be quite alot more expensive. If I was getting an added value for money service then yes I would swap but if they are doing the exact same job as my farrier then no I can’t afford that. I have contacted a couple, the one that quoted said it included feed advice and help with boots etc but as two of mine are companions I don’t need that and I already follow a foot friendly diet for them.

I’m sorry if my comment offended you, it wasn’t my intention it’s just my opinion. I have never used an Equine podiatrist, instead I use a qualified Farrier who specialises in barefoot horses and I put his prices as a guide for you to compare against what you have been quoted so you could make a better informed decision.

 

[paddy555]

No it’s not all about the cost but when you have 3 that need doing , I at least do need to take coat into consideration. My farrier does a good job of my ponies feet but since going the whole barefoot route and joining the forums that advise to use a podiatrist I just wondered what the added benefit was of using one over my farrier especially given that they seem to be quite alot more expensive. If I was getting an added value for money service then yes I would swap but if they are doing the exact same job as my farrier then no I can’t afford that. I have contacted a couple, the one that quoted said it included feed advice and help with boots etc but as two of mine are companions I don’t need that and I already follow a foot friendly diet for them.

no one can answer your question. Every trimmer/farrier produces a different trim. If it suits your horse and he is sound and doing well then it is most likely an adequate or a good trim.

If I listened to the barefoot forums I would need a barefoot trimmer (I trim my own and have 8 so I would be bankrupt) I would be using red horse products on them all the time ( totally unnecessary I don't put anything on their feet except water in a drought) and endless other feed requirements and everything else they suggest. The mention of molassed sugar beet and carrots would get me banned. Actually it wouldn't because I got banned long ago because I pointed out that some of what they were saying was rubbish.

Bear in mind that BF groups like to make a big issue out of things. Their way or the highway.

If you have sorted feed then also check you have sorted thrush. There is lots of booting help around. Whilst it is nice to have help bear in mind that trimmers don't carry stocks of every make of boot. That would be impossible. There is a lot of info online if you need it.

No one can comment if your farrier's trim is good or bad as we haven't seen it (unless you post pics) so see how the horse goes. Possibly get yourself a rasp (whether you use a farrier or trimmer) as with a barefoot horse you need to be able to keep the edges rolled round and smooth (as you would with an emery board).
Get either a bradawl or horseshoe nail and pick any stones out after riding, also a wire brush is a good tool.

Then see how you go.

£40 plus is the going rate for a trimmer.

 

[Caol Ila]

It's the Wild West out there, no matter what people call themselves.

I had one qualified farrier who knew as much about barefoot as I do about neurosurgery, and he made my old horse totally lame.

I had a farrier who did a very competent barefoot trim, but whose bedside manner (or spectacular lack thereof) totally freaked out my then-minimally-handled two-year old, and she still has a bit of a complex about farriers two years later.

After much faff and a painful search, I then found an equine podiatrist who was lovely, kind, and patient, trotted the horse up, analysed her gait, took photos, asked me lots of questions about the horse. Trim was pretty light because horse was not that cooperative. Paid £80 for a two hour session.

But I felt like I got a lot out of it, so I fixed what wasn't broke and had him come out to do my other horse, who was at a different yard. Bloody stupid. This yard's regular farrier does a great barefoot trim. More photos, trot ups, analysis. Great! Except the horse was hobbling afterwards. He was uncomfortable for weeks. He had been rock crunching the day before and had never been so sore after a trim.

Podiatrist did youngster again. She was much more cooperative so he could do more with her feet. Then she was sore over rocks, and she'd never had that reaction to a trim before.

Youngster moved to other horse's yard. I groveled to farrier. He's a very nice guy, and the reason he had not done youngster in the first place was that her previous yard was not on his beat. He has since done both horses, and no one is lame as a result.

 

[MarvelVillis]

I used a barefoot trimmer a couple of times - I think she charged £45 and she did an awful job of my gelding's feet. I now use a qualified farrier who charges £30 a trim and his feet have been perfect since.

 

[Melandmary]

Thankyou for all the replies….I have booked the equine podiatrist.Although my ponies feet are all ok, I believe my farriers do an adequate job, they are a bit gung ho so to speak with minimal conversation or information about their feet , and I don’t really feel comfortable asking which is more to the point so I will try this route and pray I have chosen a good one ?

 

[Boulty]

Use whoever keeps your horse sound and moving well & gives you the level of support you need / would like. I will always say that the absolute LEAST important thing my trimmer does is actually trimming the feet. He assesses movement, picks up on how it is changing for better or worse, helps me plan how often we think horse should see the physio, tells me if vet workup might be needed for subtle things that aren't moving in the right direction, will advise on weight, diet, exercise plan, foot conditioning, pros & cons of hoofboots & if anything we've tweaked from last time is / isn't working. Some trimmers & farriers will offer this level of service & some won't (& tbh all some people do want is someone to come, trim feet, leave horse sound, job done)

 

[Tiddlypom]

I hope that it goes well for you and your neds, OP, but keep a very careful watch on.

This is what a fully qualified EPA podiatrist (£40/trim) who I used did to my mare.

Podiatrist trim after more than a year of trimming this horse every 4-6 weeks. After I raised concerns his response was 'No matter what a foot balance x ray showed, I wouldn’t trim these feet any differently’





And the same feet 5 months later after the farrier (£25/trim) had taken them on and corrected the damage.



I hope your podiatrist does a better job, but I will never use a barefoot trimmer again. I thought the qualification he had had merit, but it seems not.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

For those who would like to learn more about horses feet or for those who don’t yet follow or know of him Mark Johnson is doing an online talk hosted by BHS Scotland on February 13th at 7pm.

Melandmanry if you have Facebook he is extremely interesting and knows his stuff. He also has a website www.mjfarrieranotherway.co.uk which is an interesting read.

 

[ycbm]

I hope that it goes well for you and your neds, OP, but keep a very careful watch on.

This is what a fully qualified EPA podiatrist (£45/trim) who I used did to my mare.

Podiatrist trim after more than a year of trimming this horse every 4-6 weeks. After I raised concerns his response was 'No matter what a foot balance x ray showed, I wouldn’t trim these feet any differently’

View attachment 107000



And the same feet 5 months later after the farrier (£25/trim) had taken them on and corrected the damage.

View attachment 107001

I hope your podiatrist does a better job, but I will never use a barefoot trimmer again. I thought the qualification he had had merit, but it seems not.

I have never been any fan of the EP qualification. In the very early days it was trim-by- numbers (literally) and a qualification given after attending the same 5 day course 3 times. The good EPs learnt by experience and by taking other courses.

Was nothing at all changed in your horse feeding or routine during that time, TP? Changes like that are, ime, most often seen after putting more miles into the feet and/or diet/medication changes.
.

 

[ycbm]

For those who would like to learn more about horses feet or for those who don’t yet follow or know of him Mark Johnson is doing an online talk hosted by BHS Scotland on February 13th at 7pm.

Melandmanry if you have Facebook he is extremely interesting and knows his stuff. He also has a website www.mjfarrieranotherway.co.uk which is an interesting read.

Mark is such a lovely guy. I met him on a Bob Bowker course run by UKNHCP, and later while manning the UKNHCP stand at YHL. It was sad that UKNHCP folded, it was by far the better trimmer training, ime.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Was nothing at all changed in your horse feeding or routine during that time, TP? Changes like that are, ime, most often seen after putting more miles into the feet and/or diet/medication changes.

Not really, apart from at some point changing from the spendy Forageplus Hoof and Skin balancer to the rather cheaper Pro Earth Pro Balance+ balancer. This is is a retired PPID mare, so she was not in any work.

Her feet aren't great, but the EPA trimmer made them far worse than they need to be. He was also completely unaware/uneducated about the damage that such poor foot balance puts on structures higher up the horse than the feet.

 

[criso]

It's the Wild West out there, no matter what people call themselves.

This.

Since my original trimmer stopped trimming, (@ycbm she was uknhcp) I can't say I have found anyone I would recommend as brilliant. Last 2 have been one farrier and one trimmer. Both OK in that they do no harm which is a start. Farrier was charging £30 some years back and trimmer charges £50 which includes a travel supplement. I stopped using the farrier as he never turned up. We were lower priority so as soon as his day got a bit chaotic, we were cancelled and this was 2 horses at the time. This after I'd rearranged everything to take time off and be at the yard. One time, I was about to go away for work the following day and we'd arranged for him to come the day before. He cancelled because he'd had a problem with a horse which had put him back. This was in the morning so he was working the rest of the day, just decided which clients to reschedule and as 'just a trim', we were one.

Before that I'd had 2 farriers that left my previous horse lame. One decided his hind frogs were too big and cut them back so far my poor horse was unable to walk properly for weeks, I needed to use pads and bandaging to protect his feet while they grew back. The other just trimmed back too far on one foot.

Other than my original trimmer, non has wanted to see how my horse moves and that includes when they were shod and various yard farriers at different yards.