Dumping your farrier

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Limbo1

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I am seriously considering it. He shoes ok but reliability is another thing. Waited 4 him yesterday to get a text early evening saying he had to rush do to vet. Would come 7.30 am today. Well he is still not here! Worried I will just change one issue for another though!
 
What time did he come? I guess you need to weigh up his pros and cons and who else is available in your area, depending on if they are taking on new clients.
 
jrp204 said:
What time did he come? I guess you need to weigh up his pros and cons and who else is available in your area, depending on if they are taking on new clients.
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This is what I worry about. It seems the only ones who are taking on clients are newly qualified therefore difficult to know if any good.
 
Limbo1 said:
I am seriously considering it. He shoes ok but reliability is another thing. Waited 4 him yesterday to get a text early evening saying he had to rush do to vet. Would come 7.30 am today. Well he is still not here! Worried I will just change one issue for another though!
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I would hesitate to leave him over that, but I don't know what else has gone on. If he is involved with horses then an emergency trip to the vet seems reasonable. As for today, perhaps he did not realise the clocks have changed?
 
I've been through 3 farriers in the space of 2 years 😕 one was changing carrier paths part time so was ignoring clients and losing a hefty amount, and another was having problems at home but ignored all Attempts to contact him, I only knew about the family problems as I worked on the yard his other half owned. Not good when your horse looses a shoe 3 days after being shod and they still owe you £10 😟 ended up with a different farrier who is always reliable and is never more than 4 days away 😀
 
Red-1 said:
I would hesitate to leave him over that, but I don't know what else has gone on. If he is involved with horses then an emergency trip to the vet seems reasonable. As for today, perhaps he did not realise the clocks have changed?
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It is not the first time. There is often a genuine reason just find it stressful waiting and chasing. Yes he had forgotten about Clocks! He seems to assume that as I live here I am always available. I have a life and kids and am often at work, picking up kids or Heven forbid riding!
 
I would never lose a good farrier over time keeping. Let's face it when you work with animals it takes as long as it takes. My farrier is impossible to book. You text him the weekish before you need him and he rings the day before. I've dropped many a thing to be there and yes I think he thinks I live there :D . However he is the best farrier in the area and I will put up with it to keep him.
Bear in mind my horse came down with an abscess on Christmas Eve and my farrier came out , Ill and sorted him for me.
 
I wouldn't ditch over time keeping, but then I am not waiting around for the farrier. I usually just ask will you come am or pm? And leave horse in accordingly. I don't need to stay with the horse she is well behaved and I trust farrier. I have never had a farrier that was always on time, but as long as they turn up on the day they said and have done a good job I am happy.
 
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huskydamage said:
I wouldn't ditch over time keeping, .
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I would and I have - it shows lack of respect for you as a client, unless of course there is a very good reason and in this day and age he has kept you informed. What other business person would be so cavalier? It feeds into that egotistical attitude prevalent in very many farriers, and I need one who will listen to me and discuss with me.
 
TBH I would not ditch a farrier who was not laming the horses over time keeping unless I had another very good option lined up.
My farrier is always early it some getting used to .
 
My farrier was awesome. Timekeeping not great, but only forgot once in 10+ years. He did a great job and my horses never had a problem with their feet. I always put in a good word for him.

However, all that being said, I texted him shortly after my horse was put to sleep, thanking him for his good work over the years, and I got nothing back (over a month now.) I just felt a bit sad. Maybe I was wrong to expect a quick 'sorry to hear that' kind of reply, but nothing. Thanks for that then. ☹️
 
You need to look at this from a different POV, OP.
If your horse needed an emergency visit from your farrier, would he come out?
Is he patient when your horse is having an off day and takes a bit of extra time with him?
Is he the farrier that local vets ask to look at laminitics etc?
If the answer to those questions is yes, put up with his timekeeping and cross your fingers that you never need to be the reason he is late for his next customer.

I do know how you feel, though. In the days long before mobile phones my horse was kept on a farm, nowhere near the farmhouse//phone. The excellent farrier, who did all the RS horses in the district and many other large Yards, often failed go turn up during the school holidays. I am sure that he fought it didn't matter, as I had nowhere erlse to be.
 
Sukistokes2 said:
I would never lose a good farrier over time keeping. Let's face it when you work with animals it takes as long as it takes. My farrier is impossible to book. You text him the weekish before you need him and he rings the day before. I've dropped many a thing to be there and yes I think he thinks I live there :D . However he is the best farrier in the area and I will put up with it to keep him.
Bear in mind my horse came down with an abscess on Christmas Eve and my farrier came out , Ill and sorted him for me.
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Thats OK as long as its feasible. If you have to take days off from work, or arrange to meet farrier at the field, it'd be impossible to have a poor timekeeper. Once off maybe, but they should phone if they are cancelling.
 
Wouldn't leave my farrier for that.... Mines went through a spell of not answering texts and being a pain to get a hold of and I really thought at that point should I dump but truth be told all good farriers have their flaws it's just I we can learn to love them!
 
Well at risk of being shot down in flames my experience of farriers is of a race who have many members who seem to think they are god's gift and all knowing. People hang around for hours waiting for them, and then let them bang on a set of shoes without really understanding what they are doing, or how well. I'm sure there are exceptions - reliably on time, involving the client, holistic...but I haven't actually met one so far.
Yeah, I'm barefoot brigade...but I've never known a barefoot trimmer mess people about like most farriers seem to.
 
I dumped a farrier who never arrived on time, he would come about an hour early when I was still at work and be really stroppy because I wasn't there, even although I told him each time that I worked until x time! My current farrier is usually late but he will text me to let me know what's happening and I know he will come quickly if I have a problem!
 
I always book ours for the first visit of the day and he still manages to be up to an hour late, this wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't such an egotistical ............. feel free to add your own BUT he is good with the horses and their feet have all improved, if I could gaffer tape his mouth I'd happily put up with two hours late and smile about it.
 
Fjord said:
This thread just makes me so pleased that my farrier is so good!
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Me too. My farrier is awesome. Always on time. The one time he was going to be 10 minutes late he rang me. He even dealt with my horse when she was pts with laminitis. I luuurve my farrier.
 
Love my farrier. Always on time and if I lose a shoe or have an abscess he comes asap. Have rung him on Christmas Eve when hunting and he has come to put shoe back on and checked the other hunters just in case. He is a star!
 
Thanks all. Still in two minds, It could be out of the pan and into the fire. I think I am going to give him one more shoeing and if he messes me about again that will be that. I also have the issue that 2 out of my 3 are a bit of a pain, not terrible but will snatch or get board. So some farriers may not put up with them.
 
Personally, as someone that works full time & has their horse a reasonable distance from home I couldn't put up with a farrier just not turning up. I often have to negotiate time off work or use annual leave for horse appointments, so I couldn't just re-arrange everything at the drop of a hat.

I get that emergencies happen from time to time & that's fine but it seems more persistent than that in this case.
 
Fjord said:
This thread just makes me so pleased that my farrier is so good!
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Me too, ours always comes out when booked, he will ring or text ahead if the time changes (earlier or later), he'll grab the horse out of a nearby field/stable to do if he comes before you can get there, will come out or let you go to his farm even over the week he's off at Christmas/first thing in the morning (early) before a show/camp just to pop a shoe back on. And he'a always cheerful and very kind to the horse
 
Once my horses have been shod I book the next visit for 6 weeks time. I can't understand why other farriers aren't as organised? On the day of shoeing he texts when he is on the way & will also let you know if he's running late. He's a very good farrier, he was fitting shoes at the London Olympics & I've used him for last 13 years. He will return to fit a thrown shoe normally within 24 hours, not that we lose many.

The service offered by my farrier is a professional service, he does quality work & his fees are the same as other farriers in the area. Phoning to arrange a visit a week before shoes are due is ridiculous, I can't understand why they do this? It's poor service & unprofessional. It's a wonder those farriers have any clients.
 
T-Z, I'm the same, we book 2 or 3 appointments ahead as mine are all a 6 week visit.
We book 1st call in the morning, he texts if he's stuck in traffic and likely to be 10 mins behind. never a problem - he's ruddy great with nervous ones & also is a damned good farrier who never advertises. If he's on hol and I have a problem, then I would travel to the local forge for a re-fit of shoe etc, or forge will come out but at a steep cost in afternoons.
I've only had current farrier for just over 3 years, as my previous farrier had to retire due to long term injuries catching up with him. He'd been doing ours for over 30 years and never a missed appointment unless he notified me in advance (I an only think of one occurrence when he got royally bashed about 10 yrs ago the night before he was due).

Really appreciate mine, and make sure mine are kept in overnight if its wet, so legs & feet are dry. Plenty of coffee on tap & also biscuits too :)
 
LD&S said:
I always book ours for the first visit of the day and he still manages to be up to an hour late, this wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't such an egotistical ............. feel free to add your own BUT he is good with the horses and their feet have all improved, if I could gaffer tape his mouth I'd happily put up with two hours late and smile about it.
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I wonder if you have the same farrier as the others at my yard do lol I tried him for mine but they couldn't cope with his loudness.

My old farrier went abroad but did recommend someone who would be happy to take my lot on but I found someone else who was more local and although I've only used her a few times on the one occasion when she was held up at an earlier client she text me and let me know and apologised.

i always book the next visit before she leaves but when I contacted her and asked for a visit between appointments for my new one as he was slipping quite badly and needed road pins she was out within two days.
 
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I think I'm lucky with my farrier. He has been known to be early but just grabs my horse out of the paddock and gets on with it. He is always cheerful. We very rarely loose a shoe and if I don't see him he will text or call to say all okay or advise of any concerns. It was also his idea to take my mates back shoes off.
 
I recently had to let my farrier go, he has shod my horses for years; but over the last year or so has changed/ not turned up to appointments at least once every booking before acctually coming out. I dont mean texting a few days before i mean texting to say he'd be out tomorrow at 1, so i'd let the yard know to bring her in for that time, only to get down in the evening with no sign of new shoes then get a text saying sorry he'd come another day, every single time with one excuse or another.

The day after an event last year the shoes weren't sounding great and she was nearly due so i asked for an appointment, stressing that they needed to be done before her next event in a fortnight. The appointment got moved 3 times until the Friday (2days) before at which point he text to say he'd broken down and couldn't come out, and that was it. I frantically called round every farrier i could and luckily one nice guy came out at 7pm on the Saturday to fit her in. I get breaking down makes it impossible to come out i just felt completely left high and dry, no offer to drive her over there to put some on, no giving me contact details for someone that may do it, nothing. Got a text on the Monday asking if i'd sorted it!

After that it continued in the same vain and last cycle i noticed one of her fronts seemed to have been put on wonky, pressed for an explanation and was fobbed off the first time so queried his answer and the excuse changed again. After that I decided i'd had enough, my loyalty wasn't worth the effort so called the other guy to book her in for the next round. Unfortunately Horse decided to pull a shoe between not using the old farrier and having the first set with the new one, i felt bad asking the old farrier to come out as I wasn't going to be using him going forward and bad for asking the new one to come out as they weren't his shoes! Any way messaged the new guy explained the situation he came out the next day, was early so sorted her before i got there and then didn't charge me. I feel bad for ditching the old one but felt the loyalty was only one way in the end which was sad as we'd had a really good relationship up until then.
 
Spiritedly said:
I wonder if you have the same farrier as the others at my yard do lol I tried him for mine but they couldn't cope with his loudness.

My old farrier went abroad but did recommend someone who would be happy to take my lot on but I found someone else who was more local and although I've only used her a few times on the one occasion when she was held up at an earlier client she text me and let me know and apologised.

i always book the next visit before she leaves but when I contacted her and asked for a visit between appointments for my new one as he was slipping quite badly and needed road pins she was out within two days.
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I've pm'ed you
 
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