Natural Balance Farriers

http://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/findafarrier.asp?page=findafarrier

All farriers are fully trained, registered and attend regular continuation training. If you are looking for a farrier who will fit Natural balance/centre fit shoes specifically you should go for an AWCF- most DWCF farriers are capable at this shoeing method but you know for sure if they have this qualification, it's like a masters degree for remedial shoeing.

Also, I'd be inclined to go for an AWCF even if I want barefoot....
 
You have just managed to completely degrade th DipWCF.

When doing the Dip they do look at remedial farrier, and they do have experience of it.

Okay so they have not been to college and done the specialist training advancement of the AWCF but that is not to say that they are any less competent!

I'm not even sure NB shoes could be classes as remedial as opposed to a diffrent style of shoeing...

All farriers could fit NB shoes.. just some people dont like to. Gosh im so annoyed that you think so little of the DipWCF.. grr

Lou x
 
Actually I don't think I did that at all- If I'm not recommending a farrier personally and someone is specifically looking for a type of shoeing that is not as common as some then I would say to go for someone who definately knows and has done further work. All registered farriers are capable of shoeing in this way, some better than others and as I mentioned- they all do regular continuation training. If you are simply looking through a list of people that you don't know, how will you know who is good? Now I'll get off my high (well-shod) horse again.
 
Aha! Ok, that was actually a bit harsh! What I meant to say was that I would get a FARRIER if I wanted barefoot, not one of them "barefoot trimmer" lunatics. Should I edit that post or will that make us all look mental? :o
 
Can't edit it anyway now :( apologies to all DWCFs out there- I guess you may have trimmed one or two horses at some point in your 4 years of training.

Don't get me wrong- I love most Farriers! ;)
 
A natural balance farrier encouraged to keep my youngster barefoot, after her feet had been wrecked by a non natural balance farrier, and after much work and heartache all came right. So far so good.

This horse worked very hard and did very well. Every so often the natural balance farrier would turn up and comment on how good her feet were and rarely if ever actually trimmed them.

It took me years to realise that the reason the feet were so good was because of the (largely road) work the horse was doing and that it had nothing to do with the ability of the farrier. When circumstances changed and he had to trim her he made a complete hash of it and two others I had at the time. His approach was so barbaric I started to wonder if he had trained with Strasser*. So I fired him and now do my own horses myself. Never looked back and never regretted it.

There are a lot of barefoot shysters out there, but it doesn't mean they are all bad (but like everything else, do your research). Anymore than having a farrier qualification makes you a good farrier. Unfortunately bitter experience has taught me that qualifications are no guarantee of proficiency.

*There is a type of barefoot trimming known as Strasser. Negativity seems to focus on the barefoot bit and ignores the fact that Strasser is a vet. Personally the 'Strasser trim' is not for me. But I still find it odd that the fact that she is a vet is ignored. Although of course very conveniently so for the vet community.
 
One of my horses came to me with NB shoes on - he had a history of overreaching badly and they'd started using NB shoeing to try and stop/reduce this. But he still overreached in deep going to a scary extent.

He doesn't overreach at all now - but that's because he's barefoot and he knows where his feet are!
 
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