bethyboox
Well-Known Member
Mine is barefoot, the farrier does her, I would'nt even try to do her myself as shes quite feisty with him! he only charges me £18 every 7 weeks as well.
Owners of barefoot horses
- Thread starter Vikki89
- Start date
amandaco2
Well-Known Member
farrier does mine
i dont mind filing off a few chips but other than that a just leave it to the farrier.
i dont mind filing off a few chips but other than that a just leave it to the farrier.
Fransurrey
Well-Known Member
Both. Depends how lazy I am and if my back is ok. It's been fine for a couple of years, but for a while I was dependent on my farrier. I still trim them during shoe holidays in the winter and my farrier is always complimentary of the foot condition and balance!
cptrayes
Well-Known Member
How interesting! A few people who think only their farrier has the expertise to trim their horses feet, but who don't think someone else's farrier has the expertise to know when his clients could do their horses perfectly easily for themselves.
When I started there was no trimmer in this area available and my two farriers told me that one of my horses would never be able to work without shoes, so I was hardly going to use them! (The horse evented affiliated Novice without shoes - that's fences up to about 4ft/1m15). So I trim my own because once I started there wasn't any point in stopping.
It's not work for anyone with a bad back, a nervous disposition, an ill mannered horse or a horse who needs "unbalanced" feet to compensate for injury or imbalance elsewhere in the body. (A horse with hock spavin, for example, will grow a higher heel on the inside of the hind foot and needs it left there - if it was shod it would be shod with a wedge, and all the horse is doing is growing a natural wedge of exactly the right size for himself.)
When I started there was no trimmer in this area available and my two farriers told me that one of my horses would never be able to work without shoes, so I was hardly going to use them! (The horse evented affiliated Novice without shoes - that's fences up to about 4ft/1m15). So I trim my own because once I started there wasn't any point in stopping.
It's not work for anyone with a bad back, a nervous disposition, an ill mannered horse or a horse who needs "unbalanced" feet to compensate for injury or imbalance elsewhere in the body. (A horse with hock spavin, for example, will grow a higher heel on the inside of the hind foot and needs it left there - if it was shod it would be shod with a wedge, and all the horse is doing is growing a natural wedge of exactly the right size for himself.)
OrangeEmpire
Well-Known Member
I trim my mare's feet myself. She was lame when I started (reason for shoes coming off!) and comfortable now, so I'm happy.
She has odd hoof growth and even being shod every 3 weeks by a good farrier was unable to stop her feet from twisting painfully.
I nibble away weekly and this has corrected a lot of her problems. The farrier casts his eye over my work and makes suggestions every few months but other than that, I go it alone.
I did do lots of reading and research before I started though...
any horse I have in the future that can go barefoot, I will trim myself.
She has odd hoof growth and even being shod every 3 weeks by a good farrier was unable to stop her feet from twisting painfully.
I nibble away weekly and this has corrected a lot of her problems. The farrier casts his eye over my work and makes suggestions every few months but other than that, I go it alone.
I did do lots of reading and research before I started though...
any horse I have in the future that can go barefoot, I will trim myself.
Vikki89
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I always have the farrier. It's not just the trimming, he is trained to spot all sorts of foot problems before they become something serious
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Not all farriers spot these problems, i know that from experience.
I always have the farrier. It's not just the trimming, he is trained to spot all sorts of foot problems before they become something serious
[/ QUOTE ]
Not all farriers spot these problems, i know that from experience.
vicky_sut
Well-Known Member
I have a uknhcp trimmer to do my mares hooves after she was diagnosed with navicular in april this year. Between visits I tidy up any chips with a rasp but since her nail holes grew out there arent many.
Lost faith in my farrier as just before she was diagnosed he came to look at her and said she was fine then next day when vet came the first thing he said was that her bad foot needed about a cm off the outside as wasnt balanced.
Lost faith in my farrier as just before she was diagnosed he came to look at her and said she was fine then next day when vet came the first thing he said was that her bad foot needed about a cm off the outside as wasnt balanced.
e21631
Well-Known Member
After lots of reading and research I trim my own.
It's not a job for the fainthearted, it's incredibly hard work!!
When I first started I did have a farrier cast an eye over the feet, and he said I was doing a good job, carry on!
I have transformed my very flat footed horses feet; he now grows heel, much to the amazement of the old farrier.
It really isn't rocket science, but not easy either.
It's not a job for the fainthearted, it's incredibly hard work!!
When I first started I did have a farrier cast an eye over the feet, and he said I was doing a good job, carry on!
I have transformed my very flat footed horses feet; he now grows heel, much to the amazement of the old farrier.
It really isn't rocket science, but not easy either.
cptrayes
Well-Known Member
Well done SallyS, it's so satisfying seeing a flat hoof concave up, isn't it?
brucea
Well-Known Member
Well. I've been doing my own horses for quite some time now, and they are regularly seen by the farrier who used to shoe them and he is very happy with them - he takes a great interest in one of them becuase he had significant balance problems at one point and he worked hard to correct them.
The vet says they are a very tidy job and no evidence of the mess that you seem to expect!
I think maybe you've been looking at an unfortunate selection of horses!
The vet says they are a very tidy job and no evidence of the mess that you seem to expect!
I think maybe you've been looking at an unfortunate selection of horses!
TheFarrier
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Well. I've been doing my own horses for quite some time now, and they are regularly seen by the farrier who used to shoe them and he is very happy with them - he takes a great interest in one of them becuase he had significant balance problems at one point and he worked hard to correct them.
The vet says they are a very tidy job and no evidence of the mess that you seem to expect!
I think maybe you've been looking at an unfortunate selection of horses!
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh for petes sake you didnt read my post did you. I dont have much against those that trim under the eye of their farrier as you seem to be doing.
The ones that are a mess are the poeple tha decide they know what they are doing, have not a bl**dy clue and go off and butcher their horses feet. Then to ring a farrier wailing that their horse is lame.
Well done to you for not making a dogs bopllocks out of it but its still very easily done
Well. I've been doing my own horses for quite some time now, and they are regularly seen by the farrier who used to shoe them and he is very happy with them - he takes a great interest in one of them becuase he had significant balance problems at one point and he worked hard to correct them.
The vet says they are a very tidy job and no evidence of the mess that you seem to expect!
I think maybe you've been looking at an unfortunate selection of horses!
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh for petes sake you didnt read my post did you. I dont have much against those that trim under the eye of their farrier as you seem to be doing.
The ones that are a mess are the poeple tha decide they know what they are doing, have not a bl**dy clue and go off and butcher their horses feet. Then to ring a farrier wailing that their horse is lame.
Well done to you for not making a dogs bopllocks out of it but its still very easily done
Tinypony
Well-Known Member
It's obvious really isn't it? If someone is trimming their own horse's feet, or having a trimmer do them and all is well then why should a farrier become involved at all? Like many professionals, farriers get called in when things have gone wrong, and that could easily lead to a distorted view. It could be true that all the horses that had been trimmed by owners had something wrong with their feet.
No farrier is going to know how well my 3 horses do with their "bare feet" because there is no reason for a farrier to look at them.
No farrier is going to know how well my 3 horses do with their "bare feet" because there is no reason for a farrier to look at them.