hmm... and that makes a good farrier???

Queenbee

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Now Im not starting a barefoot vs shod debate, or certainly that is not my intention... but I just came across this wonderful little nugget on fb... it is a comment in response to a request for good and reliable farrier recommendations. - This poster seems to think that because her farrier (whoever the hell he is) put shoes on her TB when every other farrier recommended not shoeing and using boots (says enough in itself) that she has a gem there.

- edited to clarify - down here it is bery rare that a farrier recommends BF.

Honestly - I truly despair of some people :(

" I'm not sharing mine unless your desperate mine put shoes on my tb when I was. told by farriers down here to put boots on him he has had 4 shoes on 2 wks after he came to see him"
 
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Lyle

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Urgh! I see this all the time, comments like "mine is the best, my horse never pulls a shoe off (read, farrier leaves no heel support) and the shoes last aaagess, easily over 9 weeks!". I put it down to total ignorance and penny pinching, and laziness on the farriers part.
 

silv

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Yep, often here it seems to be the longer the shoes stay on the better the farrier. Never heard of having regular visits ie every 6 weeks. The amount of horses going around with collapsed heels and mega long toes is horrific. Plus anyone can set themselves up as a farrier, no qualification needed, have seen some horrendous sights.
 

wills_91

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I recently recommended my farrier to someone new to our area. She was horrified that he was out at my barefoot horse every 6-8 weeks. Apparently her old farrier made shoes last 12 weeks 😑
 

horselady

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My farrier sends us a reminder to have my mare's feet done every six weeks he doesn't put it off despite the fact she didn't give him an easy time of it.
 

tallyho!

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Well, I'm sure I'd have them fainting because I have to trim my mare every 4 weeks.

12 weeks? I'd hate to see those feet :(
 

Goldenstar

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I just have get away when I get told my farriers great my horses never lose shoes they stay on x weeks .
 

Flicker

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I don't understand how people go 8, 9 weeks between shoes. My farrier has a rolling 6 week schedule so when he does my horse he texts me the date of the next appointment.
 

meleeka

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I see loads of ads "recommend me a good cheap farrier". If they are good they are unlikely to be cheap imo. Mines good, and not wildly expensive, but he's not cheap either. I would also take his advice because I trust that he knows his stuff. If he advised me not to have shoes on, I wouldn't!
 

glamourpuss

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Uuuuuurrrgggh! I can't bear this.
'Recommend me a farrier, must be cheap & good' [bangs head]
I now have 'No foot, no horse...you get what you pay for' saved in my notes & just copy & paste it into the comments, not surprisingly this doesn't go well.

My farrier recommended 3 of mine went without shoes! One of them was for a period of time as part of a rehab plan he worked with me & my vet on for a horse who was injured & things looked pretty bleak for.
Horse then went into remedial shoes (just couldn't be worked without shoes even in boots) & when he was rescanned the vet was amazed, there was no evidence of the injury! Horse is now back in normal shoes 100% sound & team chasing!!
That said I am under strict instructions that this horse MUST NOT go more than 4 weeks without farrier coming to see him! It's funny that people always comment on the fact he hasn't got collapsed heels & long toes like 'most TBs' yeah funny that.....
My eventer he orders in the 'Eventer shoes' & he is seen every 5 weeks. He trims the other 2 every 6 weeks.
My farrier bill is immense, but I don't begrudge a penny.

I used to be on a yard with a girl who used to moan if she couldn't get 12-13 weeks out of a set of shoes 😩
 

pennyturner

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Mine mostly self-trim, but I do them myself when necessary. One has been out of work all winter, so I did him again a couple of days ago, and I can tell you that anyone who isn't happy to pay a good farrier clearly has no idea of just how hard the job is.
 

Sukistokes2

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I see a good farrier as one who is on top of his game ( gender may vary) who knows about horses feet inside and out. Who is interested in the horses he works on, who continues to expand his knowledge, even if close to retirement. Who shoes ( or not) depending on the horse. Who listens to the owner, quizzes the owner to get the information he needs to do the best by the horse and the owner.

Luckily I found have that

It's a bonus that the shoes always stay on, that the horse doesn't rip them off, is sounder with the specialise shoes he wears ................or is it.

My other horse is bare foot

I don't care about ease of booking , timings , how long it takes, having shoeing lectures EVERY time. Having to drop everything because he rings the night before or even the morning he wants to come because he forgets I don't live there :D
 

Pinkvboots

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I can't stand this its one of my pet hates I know plenty of people that think it's acceptable to leave there horses feet for 12 weeks, mine are done every 6 weeks in winter and 5 weeks in the summer, I know my farrier won't entertain people that are willing to leave the shoes on for that amount of time how can a farrier do a decent job with feet that are left for that time.
 

JenTaz

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I don't understand people who can leave their horses 12 weeks till the next set of shoes, my horse is done every 6 weeks in winter and every 4/5 weeks in summer, luckily my farrier will fit us in whenever taz needs doing as the amount of hacking we do over summer theres times we need a new set every 3/4 weeks.

All i want in a farrier is someone who is respectful to my horse, turns up reasonably on time, or messages to say they will be late, and that they do a good job on my horses shoes and don't think im crazy when i ask for specific shoes due to what he usually has on. I only have once more set of shoes to be done by my current farrier before we move to a different county, will be gutted to have to change farriers
 

YorksG

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I do wish that people would see the false economy of using "cheap" farriers. Someone local to me changed from a good, but perceived to be expensive, farrier, to a much cheaper one and then proceeded to spend a fortune on vet visits and bute as the horse had recurrent, intermitant lameness, she changed back to the "expensive" farrier and lo and behold, the horses lameness issues resolved within weeks. For quite some time we had two unshod, one shod on the fronts only and one fully shod, we took the shoes off the two with shoes last year and are still using the sympathetic and helpful farrier we have always used. As an aside I was really pleased yesterday that when the one who had shoes on all round, made almost as much noise with her feet on the road, as she did when she had shoes on!
 

Kaylum

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Good Farriers make their own shoes which is unfortunately not taught at college so apprentices unless being taught by their boss are not carrying this out as it s hard skilled work. Go to the big shows and they do shoeing comps for making shoes which is really good to watch. Fit the shoe to the foot not the other way round.
 

tallyho!

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Fit the shoe to the foot not the other way round.

This is a good way of seeing it, but also, skilled farriers can also see when the foot is not good enough to shoe and makes recommendations. I've only met two farriers in whole of Somerset that have done this and good on them. The priority is balance and providing enough support for the hoof to function as well as it can when shod and that means providing enough for the heel and sole to work. Too many shoes are fitted to hooves that have run forward and long in the toe - this the most common mistake as a good farrier will tell you and needs addressing or the other one is when the foot has contracted and then you get the navicular/boxy foot syndrome and no-one ever says "you might need a break from shoes". 12 weeks? That hoof is going to be very long indeed causing unnecessary tension on the tendons as the breakover must be way out there. If the hoof hasn't grown much then I suppose it isn't much of a problem - but then as GS says... the diet could be awful for it not to grow?
 

tankgirl1

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I once asked my farrier to shoe my barefoot mare on the front as I started worrying about what other liveries were saying, and he refused as she didn't need them.
 

pansymouse

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Well, I'm sure I'd have them fainting because I have to trim my mare every 4 weeks.

12 weeks? I'd hate to see those feet :(

Our loan pony came back having been trimmed every 12 weeks (or longer) - his fronts were so unbalance they were 1/2 inch wider on one side; they're hardly more than 3 inches wide overall. He went out in September with perfect feet :(
 

pansymouse

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Good Farriers make their own shoes which is unfortunately not taught at college so apprentices unless being taught by their boss are not carrying this out as it s hard skilled work. Go to the big shows and they do shoeing comps for making shoes which is really good to watch. Fit the shoe to the foot not the other way round.

My farrier makes his shoes and teaches his apprentices to make shoes and judges at competitions. I would say he's at the top of his game. My mare is not shod and he's equally supportive of unshod horses and in fact recommended she was not shod as she has lovely strong feet and doesn't need shoes. I have him out every 8 weeks basically to do a hoof health check and a bit of a vanity tidy- the horse essentially self maintains.

He turns up on time and uses an electronic booking system that sends you appointment reminders too. All hail St. Cliff :D
 

Casey76

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I've seen and heard some proper gems on the yard recently:

1) When asking one person when her farrier was coming "but he still has both shoes on?"

2) Oh, she doesn't grow any hoof, so she easily goes 9-12 weeks between shoeings

3) I have no idea when she was last done. It was the responsibility of the previous YO.

*headdesk*

I have to say that the farriery in France is pretty grim, you hardly ever see nice neat pairs of feet :/
 

emmad96

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I hate seeing horrid feet. I'll admit, there have been times when I've had to push my mare out to 8 weeks without a trim, but that is due to not being able to get the farrier (none are local). A set of shoes can last all winter if we aren't doing a heap of hacking, but she is trimmed every six or seven weeks, more in spring as her feet grow faster, and shoes are re fitted.
 

Luci07

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To the farrier who could put back shoes on my horse when my previous one couldn't - and my horse didn't go into meltdown
to the same farrier who has the knowledge to watch a horse being trotted up as a precursor to vets and is spot on

No he isn't cheap but he is patient, well trained, will come out to replace a ripped off shoe, does rebook at the time and is happy to discuss foot queries and placement.

He is also a rider (never had that before) - and I do think that makes a big difference as he is he first farrier I have ever had who does look at the entire horse and not just the foot in front of him.

I don't think being a farrier is always the best job. It is physically demanding, genuinely all weather for all of us who moan that the farrier is late, they equally have clients who don't show or forget which then throws out the rest of the day (and the other clients)
 

Clannad48

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We seem to have been really lucky with the farriers we have had - to the old one who on seeing one of ours for the first time told me 'I hope you don't expect me to keep those feet like that', and spent a lot of time getting them perfect, the one who worked with our vet when our young mare was diagnosed with 'navicular syndrome' and ended up with giving us a sound barefoot horse, to the one we have now who works with our very stroppy old mare and puts up with her quirks and who got her through a very extreme bout of laminitis with sensitive remedial shoeing and taking an inordinate amount of time letting her get comfortable on her sore feet before shoeing each one. Yes over the years there have been times when an appointment has needed to be moved at very short notice due to an emergency elsewhere but all in all I have been very very lucky with the farriers we have had. I have always made sure that the horses are in, ready and clear for the visit, feet picked out, legs dry and free from wet mud, a suitable place to work (under cover when necessary) tea/coffee/biscuits/cake available, gate opened and shut for them. Paid in full on time and treated with respect. Without good farriers we, as horse owners would be lost.
 

jokadoka

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I've seen and heard some proper gems on the yard recently:

1) When asking one person when her farrier was coming "but he still has both shoes on?"

2) Oh, she doesn't grow any hoof, so she easily goes 9-12 weeks between shoeings

3) I have no idea when she was last done. It was the responsibility of the previous YO.

*headdesk*

I have to say that the farriery in France is pretty grim, you hardly ever see nice neat pairs of feet :/

I left Alsace last summer having lived there for 9 years. My farrier was definitely the best farrier I've ever had. Don't know which 'end' of Alsace you -re at but if you're not happy with your farrier and you're within 'range' I would highly recommend Romuald Pfeiffer, you'll find his website on Google.
 

Merrymoles

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I'm slightly on the fence in terms of intervals here - our yard is owned by a farrier and we are usually bottom of the list and slotted in when he's got five minutes so it is not uncommon for the horses to go up to eight weeks.

However, I do believe he is very good and he has worked wonders with my friend's horse who has had dreadful feet and tendon issues by suggesting he went barefoot for the winter. He's now wearing front boots for hacking but generally much improved all round.

Both he and my horse are barefoot and do a fair amount of roadwork so the farrier's view is that they are self-trimming to some extent. However, he will always "have a look" if we have any concerns.
 

horselady

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I'm slightly on the fence in terms of intervals here - our yard is owned by a farrier and we are usually bottom of the list and slotted in when he's got five minutes so it is not uncommon for the horses to go up to eight weeks.

However, I do believe he is very good and he has worked wonders with my friend's horse who has had dreadful feet and tendon issues by suggesting he went barefoot for the winter. He's now wearing front boots for hacking but generally much improved all round.

Both he and my horse are barefoot and do a fair amount of roadwork so the farrier's view is that they are self-trimming to some extent. However, he will always "have a look" if we have any concerns.
I think 8 weeks is ok. There was a woman who moved on to the yard and was asked if she wanted to go on to the program with the yard's farrier. She said "OK, every 13 weeks yeah?" to which the reply was "no, six or eight. Your last farrier was clearly incompetent." The YO made the second remark which did not go down well!
 

Casey76

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I left Alsace last summer having lived there for 9 years. My farrier was definitely the best farrier I've ever had. Don't know which 'end' of Alsace you -re at but if you're not happy with your farrier and you're within 'range' I would highly recommend Romuald Pfeiffer, you'll find his website on Google.

Thanks, but I'm right at the other end of Alsace, beside Basel!
 
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