Has anyone successfully complained about a farrier to the farriery council?

[SpottyTB]

Yes, it has improved since the conversation I had which was approx 2011. Sadly the requirement doesn't appear to be retrospective so Farriers that trained before the rule came in don't have to do the regular training.

Yes - it's an easy way out for those ones. My husband qualified 2 years before the rule came in but enjoys attending seminars and gaining his cpd points. He's also done a few evening talks for horse owners about basic "good" shoeing practice and what owners can do to help their horse.

 

[Regandal]

A fellow livery complained about a local farrier a few years back. She had video evidence and a vet report. He did disappear for a while, but I’ve seen him recently and he is on the list of registered farriers.

 

[meleeka]

Round here there has been a flood of newly qualified farriers. I’m not sure why as I’m sure the numbers of horses is going down. They can’t all be excellent, so the chances of getting an average one have gone up I think. My farrier, who I trust implicitly has noticed a drop in clients, not because he isn’t very good, but because a lot of the new farriers are cheaper or can come at short notice. Is anyone else shocked by the amount of “Need farrier to come out today to put a set of shoes on” posts that appear on fb lately? These newly qualified ones can do that, and then get recommended because of it.

Back to the original subject. I’m fairly sure my carrier wouldn’t go on record as criticising another farrier’s work. It’s just not something they do i don’t think.

 

[Chianti]

I think a lot of the problems may relate to how farriers are trained. Years ago I was on a yard and several of the liveries had the same farrier. He was quite a 'name', I think was on the Farriers Council -and was allowed to have apprentices. In reality when horses were being shod he was rarely there and horses were shod unsupervised by the apprentices.

 

[Snowfilly]

Round here there has been a flood of newly qualified farriers. I’m not sure why as I’m sure the numbers of horses is going down. They can’t all be excellent, so the chances of getting an average one have gone up I think. My farrier, who I trust implicitly has noticed a drop in clients, not because he isn’t very good, but because a lot of the new farriers are cheaper or can come at short notice. Is anyone else shocked by the amount of “Need farrier to come out today to put a set of shoes on” posts that appear on fb lately? These newly qualified ones can do that, and then get recommended because of it.

Back to the original subject. I’m fairly sure my carrier wouldn’t go on record as criticising another farrier’s work. It’s just not something they do i don’t think.

Re the ‘can someone do a set today?’ Thing - when you’ve booked a day off work and then the farrier cancels again, I can see the appeal. There was a farrier round this way a few years back who was in the habit of waking up still too drunk to work and a few of his clients ended up asking that question. And there’s a few really flaky ones who keep switching days and times and drive people mad.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I had a master farrier who will remain nameless, for 6 years, damaged my horses with imbalance 4 horses here were under run unbalanced all over. No proof so we cannot do anything as we dumped him 8 months ago two were walking on the outside branch, one underrun one. You put so much trust in them.

 

[meleeka]

Re the ‘can someone do a set today?’ Thing - when you’ve booked a day off work and then the farrier cancels again, I can see the appeal. There was a farrier round this way a few years back who was in the habit of waking up still too drunk to work and a few of his clients ended up asking that question. And there’s a few really flaky ones who keep switching days and times and drive people mad.

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think I’d want someone who was available at a moments notice putting shoes on my horses. Good farriers generally have full books. I suppose there’s the occasions where a client cancels last minute, but my carrier would be grateful of the extra tea break and definitely wouldn’t be volunteering to do someone’s horse who was that unorganised.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think I’d want someone who was available at a moments notice putting shoes on my horses. Good farriers generally have full books. I suppose there’s the occasions where a client cancels last minute, but my carrier would be grateful of the extra tea break and definitely wouldn’t be volunteering to do someone’s horse who was that unorganised.

It’s not always being disorganised. I’ve had farriers just not turn up and had things planned. No text no call just not there. Once I ended up having my dad pull the remaining shoes and I went without. Started me loving barefoot if I’m honest. Farrier was told To sod off and I moved to being barefoot.

So now I have no real issues if a farrier doesn’t turn up and I’ve learned to keep the feet tidy myself. Plus side to everything i suppose lol

 

[PapaverFollis]

I've had 5 farriers to my horses since we moved up here. 1 retired. 3 eventually did the no show/no contact/last minute rearrange one too many times, only 1 of those was I really happy with his work and he only visited a few times so it might have been different longer term... the last one I was happy at first, and he was lovely with the horses, but not happy with how their feet went over time. And 1 was an arrogant that who mocked us for not having shoes on then proceeded to chop her frogs basically off making her footsore and fulfilling his prophecy that she would get footsore! Currently completely given up on them and are trimming ourselves. I just don't feel like we can trust anyone any more.

I hate doing to trimming ourselves as I do believe in professionals and qualifications being best as a general rule but it's just reached the point where I can't face the uncertainty of whether a new person is even going to be polite and nice with the horses, never mind actually good at their job. And their feet seem to me to be going in the right directions under our care so that will do for now.

 

[Marigold4]

Just to say though, they're not all bad. My EPA trimmer is always on time, writes a mini report and score for each horse so you can see if hooves improving etc. Very patient and helpful and will pop in at short notice if there's a problem. I hope he never retires!

 

[AandK]

Just to say though, they're not all bad. My EPA trimmer is always on time, writes a mini report and score for each horse so you can see if hooves improving etc. Very patient and helpful and will pop in at short notice if there's a problem. I hope he never retires!

Same here, I must be lucky reading some of these posts. I have a farrier for my 23yo who is retired but still shod in front, he has been shoeing him since I moved to West Sussex in 2012, always turns up and will let you know if running v late. I also have a trimmer for my working 7yo, since his shoes came off about a week after I got him in March last year, she is the same and sends a report after each visit and asks how he is between visits. I've only had one farrier go AWOL over the years, didn't turn up one day (of course it was a day I'd taken off work), turned out to be some personal issues I think, but found a new farrier who shod my boy for about 6/7yrs until I moved counties.

I think it is shocking there is no real way to report someone who is doing a bad job. It's not like doing a bad plastering job, the consequences of doing a bad job as a farrier/trimmer can be so damaging, there should be a lot less 'old boys club' and more accountability. As well as an onus on the average horse owner to be able to recognise poor shoeing.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Just to say though, they're not all bad. My EPA trimmer is always on time, writes a mini report and score for each horse so you can see if hooves improving etc. Very patient and helpful and will pop in at short notice if there's a problem. I hope he never retires!

That sounds great, and is more what I was expecting when I changed to an EPA trimmer from a farrier, but my trimmer never gave me a report or score of any sort. He didn’t even watch them move before or after trimming after he’d been a few times.

When I told him one of them was really sore after his previous visit (she hobbled out of the stable and I put her straight back in), he wasn’t much bothered. I’d expected him to be a bit shocked and to review what he’d done to her before, and learn from it.

ETA

I hate doing to trimming ourselves as I do believe in professionals and qualifications being best as a general rule but it's just reached the point where I can't face the uncertainty of whether a new person is even going to be polite and nice with the horses, never mind actually good at their job. And their feet seem to me to be going in the right directions under our care so that will do for now.

Good for you. I’ve invested in decent farriery tools for trimming and will start trimming my own too if anything happens to latest farrier (though I hope it doesn’t, he’s good).

I can’t go through all the trying to find a decent/reliable farrier thing again.