Preparing for the Farrier??

leanne1988

leanne1988

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Hi Guys,

the farrier is coming for the frist time tues, how should i prepare my pony for him?
Should i wash/pick out her hooves etc? or just let him get on with it.
also where do you have ur pony shod? Im on a farm, i have a large cow-shed which is her stable, should i let him do her in there? or is out in the open better?
 
Somewhere clean and dry with no bedding on the floor is best.

if the feet are muddy then i would wash them off.

Yes pick the hooves out.

Lou x
 
and have a bucket of water for him if he's hot shoeing
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See I was talking about getting horses ready for the farrier the other day with a friend. Her horse had dry muddy legs. And farrier was due up in about 5 minutes. I turned round and said are you going to brush his legs. She looked shocked and said no.

I was quite shocked that she was quite happy to take him round without feet picked out and mud on legs. I have ocd and I always have to make sure legs are clean and feet picked out. Am I mad lol.
 
I have clients that only bring in the horse when i arrive and normally the legs are caked in mud etc feet definitely not picked out.

Its actually much easier for us to do our job if the owner is on time and the horse is in and waiting as this prevents us from bieng late for our next client

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And a clean horse is actually important as our job is so much easier to do if we can see the horses legs and feet (and not have to wipe the feet ourselves with our only jumper as the owner never even has any rags to wipe the feet with)

If your horse is hot shod having a bucket of water waiting is a nice touch as it gets tiring having to ask for one every shoeing even though we needed one the last time.

Tea and
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etc is actually not high on my priority list
having somewhere safe to shoe is. A clean horse is, a clean place to shoe is, a flat level place to shoe is, having the owner there to hold the horse if the horse is difficult/nervous or naughty.
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Am I mad lol.

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No
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How can you expect your farrier to do a good job and be on time if you present a horse with wet muddy legs?
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Pretty much everyone in the horse industry works damn hard for sod all,so the little things go a long way to making people feel valued.
 
Well I like to make the effort, I just feel it is common courtesy having my horse clean for them. I know I wouldnt like a dirty horse to shoe.

But then again I would be embarrased bringing my horse toa farrier like that.
 
I make sure that my horse's feet and legs are clean and dry and that feet are picked out. However, I will admit that I don't bother grooming him throughly before hand usually - a bit of mud on his face/neck and so on isn't going to make a difference! I also make sure he's wearing his Dually halter rather than his bog standar headcollar- as he's had a bad experience with farriers in the past and is very nervous of the whole experience and I make sure I book appointments when the yard is quiet, so there's nothing else to distract or upset him. He also gets a shot of calmer pre-farrier as well.

As it's a two person job to hold him - one to hold him and one to reassure him and feed him, I make sure that one of my two experienced and trusted helpers is there as well!

I also make sure I'm there at least 45 minutes earlier than the appointment is booked for, as I possibly have the only farrier in existence that is early or on time for appointments!

It is a bit of a faff, especially as he is trimmed every three-four weeks at the moment for educating him that a trim by a farrier isn't the end of his world as he knows it - but, I'm very lucky with my farrier as he's patient and so, so good with him that I do everything I can to make his life easier.
 
Thanks guys, esp the farrier, haha!
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I will do all of those, i dont know what shes like to shoe, previous owner said she was fine - but who dosent! she is normally a bit figgity when tied up, is it a good idea to have a haynet to keep her busy?

Also, dont really have anywhere for her to be shod, all the flat ground is covedred in cow muck :S would just out in the open yard be fine?

1 other Q, can u ride straigh after shoeing?or should you give her a day or two?
 
you can normally ride straight after and if there is any reason you need to give her a day or two the farrier will let you know, or should.

Can you not clear a space for her to stand just in case the weather is bad and you cant shoe outside?

Def go for the haynet if she fidgets when tied up.
 
I just held my horse out on the yard - he can't be tied up anyway (another bad experience before I got him) and I don't like to hold him by his stable as it all has an over-hang and being a big lad he's prone to panicking and hitting himself on the head, which makes him even more worried! If you're worried - feed usually helps most of them. I usually use a bucket of food as I have no where to hang a haynet when holding him.

As long as it's clean, tidy and relatively level I'm sure it'll be fine on the yard.

I don't ride the day of a farrier visit - but more because he gets stressed and I don't want to ask too much of him all in one day. I know people that ride the day of being shod though - and have never had problems.

ETA: My horse is actually better in a bigger space, as if he is getting stressed it's usually easier to resettle him down when you don't have to dodge walls or anything!
 
lol, my farrier won't do the work if the horse had muddy legs - quite rightly too
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he prefers to shoe outside rather than a stable, but basically we'll hold/tie up our horses wherever he wants them. he likes to see them walked up before he shoes and then watches them walk awayafterwards. be prepared to answer lots of questions - as ours says, he's not really interested in what we spend out time doing with the horses, he's trying to find out how the horse is going and what we're expecting of the ned
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i felt bad last week when my farrier came out, he was to arrive at 8am and i got to the yard at 7.45am to bring in,pick out feet etc, farrier was already there
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so it was muddy feet and legs for him, did rub them down with a towel though
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this is a subject close to my heart, my husband began training as a farrier but had to stop.

i agree that you should present the horse ready for the farrier, you wash /brush your hair before going for a haircut/perm etc don't you?
the farrier has to wear his clothes all day, and be in his vehicle so why should he be expected to spend all day like a muck heap on legs?

on another point, if the horse has any minor injuries then a muddy leg will hide them until the farrier gets hold and then it may cause the horse a bit of pain, now that 'aint gonna help your horses confidence is it?

1 more point.... don't lie to the farrier, if your horse is a kicker/ striker/ nervous nelly whatever be truthful, they can leave a bit more time in their diary for it if they know, saves the farrier having his day scr*wed up time wise and may save either the farrier or the horse from risk of injury.

I joke not... i have heard people lie when the farrier has asked if its good with its feet, then the poor farrier is expected to wrestle with a loonie,

does anyone know the main cause of farriers having to retire?............................back problems,........ guess why?

P.S a towel and a bit of soap with the bucket of water for when the farrier/vet has finished is a good idea too.
bye
 
Last time the farrier was out to us he trimmed 8 altogether and took the shoes off 1 and I was the only one who picked out the feet for him
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I never gave it any thought - just did it automatically
 
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