How long would you give a farrier to respond?

Kitei

Kitei

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As above, really. Wondering how long you would give for them to respond after trying to contact them. Am in dire need of someone to come out and either shoe Obie or take off the other, as he only has one on currently, so that I can get him moved ASAP. Moving requires a 2 mile walk so not something he can do without farrier attention. Obie has unfortunately become the target, it seems, so need him off as soon as possible, and our new yard has an empty stable waiting for us.
 
Not sure how long you normally wait for your farrier but if you need to move asap have you got a friend that possibly has some hoof boots you could borrow just to get him to the new yard?
 
48 hours at most. If by "respond" you mean call you back. Could you beg, borrow or steal a pair of hoof boots for the trip to the other yard? As it's not that far, how about binding horses feet with vet wrap for something just to get you there.
 
Mine always gets back to me within 24hrs - but he has shod for me for over 10yrs and as much a family friend as a farrier now….

I would give 48hrs to one I wasn't so familiar with, then would start to get 'grumpy'!
 
With people who are inclined to be unreliable (none OF COURSE in the Scottish Highlands! :)) I tend to drop them a polite note stating what I want done and ending with "…and if I don't hear from you by **/**/**** I shall take it that you won't be available and I shall get someone else". If I don't hear, not only do I get someone else but I put the first person's name on my list of unreliable bar stewards only to be contacted in an extreme emergency.

If he treats you like this, how will he treat your horse?
 
I rang mine three weeks ago, left two further messages and Sis has plagued him for a week. He rang back tonight! He is however a bloody good farrier, and this is normal!
 
Mine comes out the next day if horse has managed to throw a shoe (though this has only happened once...touch wood). But then he is exceptional and stuck a new shoe on for free and said if he'd done it correctly it would have stayed on :) Bless him, he is good and a fab farrier!
So maybe my expectations are high when I say I'd like a farrier to be able to come out within 2/3 days if an emergency.
But I agree with the others who have suggested hoof boots, either borrow or buy one yourself - it's nice to have a back up plan for situations like this.
 
My brilliant farrier, was phone phobic and refused to carry a diary, it normally took at least three phone calls before he would get in touch, it got very tiring, the last straw was when my TB's shoe twisted half off, phoned the farrier, told him the situation and NOTHING, Oh managed to get the shoe off and I found another farrier.
 
My Farrier is fab and will normally call me back that evening. I once rang him as my horse had pulled his shoe off being a twit whilst being ridden and then stood back on it and he was at my yard within 15 minutes to sort it out. He will normally come out the next day if I need him to.
I would wait 24hrs on a weekday and then try to ring once more. If no answer, I would find someone else.
If you don't have hoof boots, do have you anyway of fashioning your own? When my sensitive boy throws a shoe, I will put on a dry poultice bandage wrapped in duct tape to give him some padding so he doesn't bruise his sole until my farrier can get to him, but he can still walk around my enclosed yard. You could do something like this. It may look a bit silly and not really an ideal solution but if you are desperate it could work.
 
Thank you very much for your answers. ^^

Unfortunately I don't have hoof boots or access to any; no horsey friends, I'm afraid. I can try a dry bandage though, if it comes to it.

I shall give him another bell this morning, and if no response by this evening I shall probably put some feelers out for another farrier. It comes as a package deal of 3 horses and a pony, so is plenty of work, haha. Sort of think it might be a good idea to swap anyway, as I'm trying not to use anyone in common with current place.
 
I don't know where you are but there are often recognised times to phone people in the country. Up here this will be 9am, 12.30, 1.30, 6.30, 8pm, and (finally) 10pm. Personally, I won't answer the phone after 10pm but there was one idiot who used to ring at 2am (he worked nights) until I finally lost my temper and he never phoned again!:)

Oh, and once had to put the farrier off because of a brush fire next door and blinding smoke. The wind changed so I phoned him again -- and got all four farriers on their way home (to trim a dozen ponies, not just one). Job done.
 
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For a lost shoe I would expect a call within 24 hours. For an emergancy I would expect a much quicker response.When my horse was lame I rang the farrier he called me back within the hour and came to see the horse after work that evening and it was an abcess.
 
Kitei said:
or take off the other, as he only has one on currently
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Do learn how to remove shoes. IMO every owner who has a shod horse should know how to do it and have the tools to do so (if there's an emergency like a twisted shoe, you want to get the shoe off NOW, not even wait for the farrier to come asap).
 
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