Just lost our farrier,

Skhosu

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Some may remember I've never been particularly happy with out farrier but family ties and all that.
Tonight he was a day late to begin with. A bit grumpy, and was busy telling me how my big lad was quirky to shoe (???) when he stands very well.
Got onto the youngster. Lots of flies around, all the horses were stamping. He pulled his back leg up and the horse pulled away and stamped. Cue shouting and walloping the horse under the belly several times until I said that's enough. So I got the reply 'then I'm not shoeing him'.
So I paid him for work done and let's just stay did not encourage him to stay. So I think he'll know why he won't be invited back.
Am I out of order? This is only the second time he's done this horse, who is slow to pick up his feet, although with us is no problem, and I would have expected him to at least try again rather than going straight to smacking the beastie. Settled the horse (how the hell did he think he would shoe him after that?) and picked up his feet ourselves, no bother.
I was not amused and was shaking afterwards I was just so cross. I'm not averse to on the odd occasion giving a horse a reminder of his manners, but I don't like it and this was not necessary. Thankfully we have another contact we have used once before who is very good with the horses and turns up in better time too... It wasn't just me either, it was my younger sister holding and this isn't the first time he's lost his temper with them, it's the worst though.
What would you have done?
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Not out of order at all in my opinion, if he had done that to my horse, he would have been shown the door!!
How can he expect a youngster to stand still and relaxed after being laid into like that.

I think you are best to start with the new farrier and hope that he respects baby horses and the fact that they all have the reaction to being bothered by flies!!
 
i would have done exactly the same thing, im considering changing my farrier, as last time he came to shoe bear and trim buddie, he only trimmed 3 of buddies feet?? and since then the other foot looks a bit odd, i dont think he takes enough off his dinky feet to be charging me £15!!!
and he's quite a sloppy farrier, luckily bear has got good feet but friend owns bears dad and he's tbX and his feet aren't too good and he does an awful job 9/10.
ive found another farrier who is still only charging £40 a set!! whereas im paying £60 ATM

bloody farriers! i think we should all learn how to DIY!!!!
im going to start doing Buddies myself, my friend sells files and rasps and snippers
 
forgot to say bear is a baby and farrier is patient with him when we're all bouncing round the yard with bear on 3 legs!! he's not always naughty being shod but he has his bad days, the farrier did smack him last time but he was VERY naughty and bears alot bigger than me, farrier always tells me im too soft on him but he's only naughty with him!!!

he's my baby i cant be hard with him!! as long as he's a gentlman with me i dont really care!!!
 
Other farrier has done us once, did the baby and had no problems, neither did this one really first time round, although at that stage he wasn't terribly keen on picking up feet but does it and there is no badness in him.
The other farrier has no problems with any of them so he will hopefully be decent enough to use.
 
My mare gets fidgety with flies so she gets smothered in repellant before my farrier comes. He would rather smell of citronella than accidently get stomped! I do think yours lost it a bit there though and you did the right thing in stopping him walloping your horse. Sometimes horses need reprimanding but his actions did seem a bit excessive.

Mind you my mare lashed out once and caught my farrier in the hand. Fortunately no damage was done but it did make me stop and think a bit. If he had had his hand broken he would have been stuffed work wise for a few weeks and that's not good when you are self employed. That's the only time he's been physical with my horse in 9 years and she did deserve a smack.
 
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im going to start doing Buddies myself, my friend sells files and rasps and snippers

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Are you serious?
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Sophie I don't want to drag up what's happened in the other threads, but I really don't think you have the knowledge to trim your own horses feet
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I'd have given the farrier a wallop - see how he liked it!! No, seriously, you did the right thing, not his place to discipline your horse IMO. If he was really struggling he should have talked to you about it and agreed how to carry on, not just lost the plot. You are best off not using him again I'd say.
 
you did absolutely the right thing; after years as a kid watching my dad beat up the horses he was shoeing for daring to flinch while he had hold of their feet, i will never be against telling any farrier where to go if he mistreats my horse!
 
One of my youngsters, in an early encounter with the farrier in the field, decided to lie down rather than have her feet trimmed!
Needless to say she was somewhat strongly 'encouraged' to rise again...and hasn't done it since...
I'd get rid of a farrier I didn't trust...but if my horses are naughty I don't expect my fragile farrier to stand and take it either.
S
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Interesting the replies you have been given here. I criticised someone on this forum a month or so ago because they told us that they just stood there and said absolutely nothing whilst the farrier hit their horse with a hammer. A number of posters disagreed with me for saying that this was totally out of order and that the owner should have stood up and told the farrier to stop immediately. However your post has shown the other side of the coin - and all are agreeing with you that you did the right thing. What a fickle forum this can be at times.
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Anyway, just to say, yes of course you did the right thing. No-one has the right to hit anyone else's horse and in some circumstances you are the only person that your horse can totally rely on to be kept safe.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
im going to start doing Buddies myself, my friend sells files and rasps and snippers

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you serious?
crazy.gif


Sophie I don't want to drag up what's happened in the other threads, but I really don't think you have the knowledge to trim your own horses feet
crazy.gif


[/ QUOTE ]


BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
 
i would have given him a right earful (and maybe left ear)lol then kicked him into touch - a farrier you expect to have patience - no horse is a saint.
 
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BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

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OK does someone want to explain this baa thing to me? Not been around here long enough to understand all the jargon, don't you know.

And for goodness sake, please let's not get into DIY Farriery. It is something of a skilled task. Mind you, as our farrier says, you can't expect a lot of sense from a bloke who spends most of his life with his a*se higher'n his head .....
 
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i
bloody farriers! i think we should all learn how to DIY!!!!
im going to start doing Buddies myself, my friend sells files and rasps and snippers

[/ QUOTE ]

smile.gif
smile.gif
Ah, you're winding us up, I see.
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I know people can buy the book/watch the video do the one day course and call themselves a trimmer over here (where I know to my cost that farriers are few and far between) but I have no idea of the legality of it in the UK.

I can take shoes off, and do pasture trims, but I would rather pay a professional to do a proper job myself.
 
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