Massive row with farrier!

AmiRobertson

AmiRobertson

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Sorry need to rant!
So farrier came back from holiday and we had a chat on the phone about what I wanted to do with taking dizzy barefoot. He seemed hesitant on the phone and then went into talking about all the different types of remedial shoeing that would work better than barefoot. I told him no this is the way I want to do it and it will work as long as it is done properly.
I asked him when he could come and take off the fronts and measure her for hoof boots. He told me in the next week and he would let me know and I explained I him I needed him to come on a Saturday a work is hectic at the moment and I want to sit down with him to go through X-rays etc.
Fast forward a week and he texts me to tell me he is coming on Friday (today) I tell him I can not be there then can he do Saturday he says no and then asks me to leave X-rays in stable for him! I told him no I want to be there and said if he couldn't do this Saturday can we leave it 10 days until work has settled then I can do any day. I got no response until yesterday when I received a text saying that I am wrong to try barefoot for dizzy as it doesn't work out with tbs and its cuting corners so I don't have to pay or remedial shoeing which he thinks is really unfair on the horse and I am cruel to leave the shoes on another 10days just so I can be there!!!! So angry and upset I have paid this man hundreds of pounds and he won't listen. What has upset me the most though is that I fully thought he would be onboard with this and now I am questioning myself.
Needless to say he received a mouthful and I now need to find a good barefoot person who covers the biggin hill area so please any recommendations. Sorry it long.
 
Farriers often have there own views on barefoot many just dont agree with it as it goes against everything they stand for, if your not agreeing its best you find someone else that is, I had the same farrier for years but one of my horses had a real foot issue and he just couldnt deal with it so I had to change, and the first time he was shod by someone different he went sound, I think some farriers can deal with certain issues and some just cant same with anything really.

Hope you manage to find someone that can help you.
 
Time for a new farrier, I doubt even if he had agreed to come on a saturday that he would have provided the support which you may need. Find a new farrier or a trimmer.

(learn how to remove shoes yourself too it is a useful skill especially in an emergency and it isn't that hard)
 
Oh what a shame for you :(. I wouldn't doubt yourself just based on that though... the fact that he rolled out the old 'TBs can't go barefoot' yarn suggests that he doesn't really know that much about it.
 
Just to say that your farrier sounds very closed minded. Not all farriers are like this so please don't tar them all with the same brush. My husband actively encourages barefoot where he feels both horse and owner will be able to manage it.
So my advice would be to talk to recommended farriers over the phone first to ensure they welcome barefoot. The advantage of a farrier over a trimmer apart from the training and experience is that should your horse need shoes at any point he will be able to provide that service also.
 
Find someone with whom you can work with. Whether he's got a point or not, is irrelevant, if you don't feel he is listening to you (and vice versa), then its best to look else where.

My farrier once had an issue with the method a master farrier had prescribed for a horse I had. Although, my farrier who was not as highly specialised as the expert, he agonised about it, but ultimately said he could not trim the horse that way.
I totally respected his decision to be true to himself as a professional. Although the master farrier was excellent, I decided his approach wasn't right for this horse and supported my own farrier.

At the end of the day, being confident with the professionals you use is vital.
 
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Your farrier has done you a favour. Far better to learn at the begining that he isn't on board and to take the time to find someone who can do the job properly for you. Some farriers are brilliant and some just don't get it. (or perhaps they don't want to get it. :rolleyes:)

Not very good with the geography but you could try contacting Lucy Priory on here and asking if she can help. She may know who to try or who to avoid.
 
YasandCrystal said:
Just to say that your farrier sounds very closed minded. Not all farriers are like this so please don't tar them all with the same brush. My husband actively encourages barefoot where he feels both horse and owner will be able to manage it.
So my advice would be to talk to recommended farriers over the phone first to ensure they welcome barefoot. The advantage of a farrier over a trimmer apart from the training and experience is that should your horse need shoes at any point he will be able to provide that service also.
Click to expand...

this too! they arnt all the same - time for a change!!

my lovely farrier (last year) suggested i whip my mares shoes off as she had fab feet and he would just do trims for me.... so if they were all out for money he wouldnt have said that :)



defo time for a change!! :)
 
Are you going to go with a trimmer ?
if so research carefully and get the right person.
I would not have expected my farrier to measure for boots because unless theyare very open minded types it's not their area of expertise .
However I am not suprised that a non BF friendly farrier did not what to give you priority on a Saturday when you where going off downs route that he disagrees with.
I have a farrier (two actually )and a trimmer who looks after the horses while unshod one farrier is very anti BF but it's naught to do with him so I never engage on the subject.
You now have an problem the horse is due for shoeing so presumably out of balance and you have fallen out with the farrier so you need to choose a trimmer quickly.
I would post another thread titled help BF trimmer and the area and hopefully people will advise.
If you go to the Phoenix horse forum there's a boot bible area with loads of stuff about boots and choosing the right ones my trimmer chose all my boots I have four horses and three different types of boots .
There IMO no point on trying to involve non BF friendly farriers in BF projects.
I would also get onto the rockley web site and perhaps contact them for advise.
 
Time for a new farrier!! My farrier is great with my barefoot oldie and he has deviations.

Get yourself someone who will support you and help you help your horse. not someone whose sulking as he was rubing his hands at the thought of remedial shoes for months and the money involved.
 
Thank you everyone! Yes he has done me a favour by voicing his opinion now as it means I can find someone else from the beginning. I have emailed rockley already an have a selection of numbers to call today as she really needs to be seen ASAP. Luckily she not being ridden at the moment an she hasn't been for the past 6 weeks so the front shoes she has got on are not worn down at all but she doesn't have a lot of toe! It was more that he knew before he went on holiday over 3 weeks ago that he would need to see her as the X-rays had been done then and I had told him then I would need a Saturday which he originally said wouldn't be a problem. I have had no problem with him until this point and really liked him but he can not do something properly he doesn't agree with so this is for the best.
My vet on the other hand has been hugely supportive despite her reservations and has told me I have her full support for everything I need to make dizzy as comfortable as possible and she has also told the insurance she will need to do X-rays again in 6 months time to see if dizzy's pedal bones are being corrected which is great :) onwards and upwards thank you again!
 
Good Luck with your journey, you'll find plenty of support on here and on Phoenix forums which is worth joining.
My former farrier had a number of barefoot horses on his books but also felt that TB's were not good candidates for this and that my own mare was not growing enough hoof to cope. We are just coming up for 9mths barefoot and the last 4mths have been without boots; we are hacking 3-4 times a week for 1-2hrs a time across a variety of surfaces - she's still not down to 'bleeding stumps' :D I am lucky that my horse did not have any hoof issues needing to be addressed, so its been an uncomplicated transition.
It can be done but its not for the faint hearted - you'll spend a lot of time trying to tinker with the diet, boots, exercise, treating thrush etc and many a time will question your own sanity, every step your horse takes will be analysed and your photo collection will consist of lots of hoof pics!
A good barefoot trimmer is worth their weight in gold for the support and guidance they offer so I hope you find one in your area to help you through this
 
OP I saw your other post about Clive Meers and realised you must be fairly local to me, and your story is reminding me of a farrier I used to use..... ! Where are you based? I've taken my TB barefoot so if you need any local support (depending on where you are of course!) just shout - or feel free to pm! :-)
 
Hello alsxx thank you so much for replying. I am in Downe village just outside of bugging hill if that's anywhere near you?
 
I'd say change your farrier... When my appy started doing roadwork, my farrier (been using him for 25yrs now) advised that he's got brilliant feet and that shoeing would be pointless unless he's doing enough road work to wear his feet down.

In December I was gifted what I now realise is a standardbred with "typical" TB feet. Farrier's recommendation was that I start feeding micronised linseed and leave him barefoot as we don't use the road much. He'd rather do what's right for the horse than charge me £45 for shoes I don't need. His theory is that the linseed is much cheaper so I only paid £10 for a trim
 
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