I would just like to defend Farriers if i may

[Chestnuttymare]

My farrier is brilliant, love him to bits. He is normally a bit late, but like you say, things happen which is outwith his control. It is only 20-30 mins usually, no big deal really.
He does a brilliant job and my horses like him. He is also a great laugh and makes his visit a real pleasure. His name is Scott Rose by the way.

 

[BBH]

I honestly hear your points and think it was well written.

However, we live in an area where farriers are like gold dust, charge an arm and a leg, are frequently late / don't bother to turn up. [ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto, he's a lovely guy but totally useless at keeping me informed about when / if he's coming. If there were available farriers in my area I would change.

 

[Eye_Spy]

My farrier is ace! Been shoeing my ponio for the last 8 years after the previous two both got disqualified for drink driving (kind of a problem when you need to travel to the middle of nowhere)
He's always early, is very sympathetic to my mare who is missing her right eye and can become jumpy, very patient and has her roll tops prepared all for £45 a set.
Bargain!

 

[Patches]

I think my farrier is great!!!!

That said, he's an hour late at the moment and I've not heard from him at all.

 

[M_G]

My Farrier is fantastic he is rarely late, does a fantastic job, and bless him lets me have the 8am slot most times & I have a nice cup of tea & a clean dry horse waiting for him.

I did have one who sometimes wouldn't show up on time if at all however we came to an agreement he would do the horse on his own and fetch her from the field (trim) and I would leave money under water bucket so he could come when ever suited on x day again he was great too

Sadly Farriers get tarred with the same brush all the ones I know are keen to be on time and will text to say if they are going to be late.

 

[happyhaffie]

well said thefarrier, ive never complained about any of my farriers even the ones i have thought were bad, i tend to either find a new farrier or talk to the one i have, my current farrier is brilliant we used to use his dad before he retired and i think hes even better, hes never on time (either early or late!) he came out twice free of charge when my pony had a abscess, hes done a fabulous job with my haflingers feet they were horrendous when we got them, he also give me tips on how to keep them in good shape in between visits, hes got a good sense of humour, hes young so hopefully has no intention of retiring soon i cant speak any highly of him, i think people need to realise yes their are some bad farriers out there but its also the owners responsibility to find a good one as with everything they should be doing their research about them, also they cannot guarentee the exact time horses can be un-predictable, every horse can have his off day no matter how quite they are

 

[Fransurrey]

My current farrier is priceless and phones if he is going to be late, but that's happened only once. He turns up on time and is professional.

In return, I give him a drink (non-alcoholic!), pay him immediately, ensure that Henry is ready and waiting (or has headcollar on ready to quickly attach a leadrope and wash legs whilst farrier sets up) and I make sure he is trained to stand on three legs (typed two at first, but that's not desirable, ha ha!).

I have had appalling service in the past, though and lateness has been a huge problem, despite me being the first job of the morning. These are the ones who have not had a second chance - I was becoming a farrier-whore!

One guy had me down as his second job of the day and turned up more than 2hrs late. No phone call to say so and I had actually given up and left (I work for a living!). I passed his van on the A25 (more than 20 mins from my field) so turned back round, as Henry really did need re-shoeing. In total he was nearly 2.5hrs late, because he had done THREE extra horses at a previous job. Now, I understand that you want to keep clients happy, but if you can't fit extras in, say so. Needless to say that one got fired as well, particularly as I was still working after 8pm that evening in the lab as a result.

Not sure what I've missed (has there been some farrier bashing?), but I have no problem with lateness, as long as I am told about it and given an opportunity to reschedule, as we aren't all 'ladies who lunch'.

I dread my farrier ever retiring. He's the longest serving one I've ever had, but isn't really a spring chicken anymore. Eek!

 

[Rana]

More praise for farriers

Mine is fab. He turns up when he says he will (usually late, but it's a running joke now and he does always call if more than 10 mins or so) and does a brilliant job with my mare who isn't always 100% perfect. He's always been flexible with timings (I work and mare isn't easy to catch, so first or last thing works best). I moved to a new yard a while back and went with the yard farrier. As soon as I moved, I called him again and he slotted us straight in with no problems (and he's always busy so doesn't need the work). He gives me a "long term client" discount of £10 per set (he's been shoeing my horses for nearly 10 years).

In return, I pay him by cheque on the day (or bank transfer if I forget/OH borrowed the cheque book), make sure horse is in and ready to go with clean legs, get him a little pressie at Christmas, and offer coffee when I can (no kettle at current yard).

He's not allowed to retire!!!!