Shoeing prices, gone up way above inflation.

[FairyLights]

Found a calculator of purchasing power the other day. You can input a year and an amount. In 1971 when I had my first pony shoeing was £2 thats £25.25 today. I pay £75.

http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcom...=2&amount=2&year_source=1971&year_result=2015

however during the oil crisis mid-'70's the price of hay went up to £1 a bale thats about £10 now. [ small bale].

 

[WelshD]

I would imagine that the tendancy for people to complain, have higher demands/requirements and possibly sue when things go wrong is now higher as well as the cost of insurance so its kind of fair enough

 

[lelly]

I would say its likely to be the cost of materials.

 

[FairyLights]

shoes themselves are very cheap no more than £10 a set if I remember correctly. You would think £50 would cover costs and make a profit TBH. I think the farrier makes £50 profit per shoeing and the remaining £25 is to cover costs of travel shoes etc.

 

[Clodagh]

I changed farriers as my old one was £80 + VAT a set. Fine while I was hunitng but a lot for a horse that is retired. He was though a great farrier, always punctual, and came out within 24 hours if you lost a shoe.
New farrier seems just as good and in fact encouraged me to risk unshod so he costs me very little indeed.

 

[be positive]

shoes themselves are very cheap no more than £10 a set if I remember correctly. You would think £50 would cover costs and make a profit TBH. I think the farrier makes £50 profit per shoeing and the remaining £25 is to cover costs of travel shoes etc.

Don't forget they pay tax, some will be vat registered so that adds on 20%, they need a good personal insurance in case of injury, must run a very reliable vehicle that needs to be able to access some not ideal tracks and fields, tools etc do not come cheap and require replacing regularly. I am sure they make a decent living but most will retire early with aches and pains if not worse ailments, I think most are charging a reasonable amount when everything, including the long apprenticeship, is taken into account.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

4* petrol in 78 was as I recall about 75/76p a gallon when filling my motorbike up.
A gallon is about 4.5 litres, so cost then was 16p a litre.

Ouchy, thats vastly gone up in cost then currently around £1.15/17 a litre round here.

 

[ester]

I imagine that the increase in fuel price mostly accounts for that.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

What I do wonder is why it costs me £45 to have a new set of front shoes (£50 if I want the hinds trimmed aswell!) But if I have the same 2 shoes put back on next time round it's £40 (+£5 for hind trim). It shows that they think shoes and nails are only worth £5!

 

[9tails]

As I can't shoe and need someone that's good at it, the price I pay every 6 weeks is very reasonable, I think.

 

[Lanky Loll]

Cost of fuel; cost of materials; ongoing training - farriers today do far more CPD than they used too, especially with the development of new shoes and techniques; cost of tools and equipment; maintenance of vehicles and equipment; it all adds up.

 

[applecart14]

I think the farriers have to have their own insurance which is expensive, especially given the fact that if they are kicked they could suffer broken bones and be off work for a long time. Also they have to keep up to date with training and CPD courses which I know my physio friend are not cheap.

 

[RunToEarth]

I imagine their job isn't particularly easy TBH.

And on top of everything Lanky Loll has mentioned above, perhaps we need to account for the fact that most of them have incredibly bad backs later on in their career which hinders how much they can actually do.

FWIW I pay £80 a set and I think that is absolutely reasonable taking everything into account.

 

[benz]

If you consider all costs of being a farrier including maintaining vehicle, replacing tools, fuel, insurances, taxes, pension, marketing, accountant, telephone, physio (for back), putting something away for if/when injured/too ill to work or major client up and moves and you have to find x number of horses to fill the gap etc - you will find much less than £50 profit in every set! Then consider when your horse loses a shoe and they travel from the other side of the county at the last minute for you (and sometimes ours doesn't even charge for this!). I dont begrudge our current farrier a penny, and I wouldn't do his job even if it was £50 profit a set!

 

[fatpiggy]

If you consider all costs of being a farrier including maintaining vehicle, replacing tools, fuel, insurances, taxes, pension, marketing, accountant, telephone, physio (for back), putting something away for if/when injured/too ill to work or major client up and moves and you have to find x number of horses to fill the gap etc - you will find much less than £50 profit in every set! Then consider when your horse loses a shoe and they travel from the other side of the county at the last minute for you (and sometimes ours doesn't even charge for this!). I dont begrudge our current farrier a penny, and I wouldn't do his job even if it was £50 profit a set!

Just out of curiosity - as they are self-employed, can't they offset things like fuel against their tax?

 

[FairyLights]

If you consider all costs of being a farrier including maintaining vehicle, replacing tools, fuel, insurances, taxes, pension, marketing, accountant, telephone, physio (for back), putting something away for if/when injured/too ill to work or major client up and moves and you have to find x number of horses to fill the gap etc - you will find much less than £50 profit in every set! Then consider when your horse loses a shoe and they travel from the other side of the county at the last minute for you (and sometimes ours doesn't even charge for this!). I dont begrudge our current farrier a penny, and I wouldn't do his job even if it was £50 profit a set!

Yes but back in the '70s the farrier was mobile, had a van paid tax etc etc. Admittedly petrol is dearer now. I pay £75 for a set they cost approx £10 to buy, even taking into account petrol vehicle gas for the furnace its still a big profit per horse. Trims are £25. And I pay cash. they shod for £2 early '70's thats approx £25 today how they justify
£75 I dont know given they were happy back then to shoe for the equivalent of £25

 

[Lanky Loll]

There are also things like property prices to consider - farriers need to live somewhere, and there aren't too many neighbours that would put up with someone dinging away of an evening /early am to fit up the shoes they need for the day ahead, unless my dad is just old school and newer bods don't bother to do this!
There are as in all businesses people that charge more or less depending on supply and demand, but given the costs outlaid above, plus pensions, the insurance which has shot up in recent years there really isn't as much profit as you'd like to think remember they do have to pay themselves a wage - I should know I've seen the books often enough
Back in the 70s btw dad drove a beaten up ex-post office van.. these days the chaps do like to be a bit smarter.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Not as bad as some spastic trimmer (Sorry, Equine Podiatrist) charging £60 for a trim!

lovely turn of phrase you have there. And if the cost of shoes is such a small fraction, surely trims should be £30-50 if people are paying £80 a set?


They're one of the few people that make a living out of horses and its physically tough and potentially dangerous work so I don't begrudge it (although I use a trimmer).

 

[RunToEarth]

Yes but back in the '70s the farrier was mobile, had a van paid tax etc etc. Admittedly petrol is dearer now. I pay £75 for a set they cost approx £10 to buy, even taking into account petrol vehicle gas for the furnace its still a big profit per horse. Trims are £25. And I pay cash. they shod for £2 early '70's thats approx £25 today how they justify
£75 I dont know given they were happy back then to shoe for the equivalent of £25

I wasn't about it the 70s but I would guess:

Insurance wasn't a massive "thing".
Training and qualifications weren't as expensive/important/relevant/required
People didn't treat their horses like their babies so the risk of getting booted in the head by Fluffy was a lot less

But most basically, the market price will always be what people are willing to pay, which is why you won't really find a farrier around here for less than £70 a set. I pay more than that, because I have a farrier who I like, and that is what he charges. He is reasonable and flexible and helpful and a very good farrier.

 

[Lanky Loll]

In the 70's you did your apprenticeship with an old "blacksmith" and that was it
Dad qualified late 70s / early 80s and was the first year to go through Hereford which was the only college back then.

 

[wingedhorse]

I do agree farrier charges have ridden steeply. I remember living in Bristol, around 1999, and paying £40-50 a set. My area of Surrey is about £70-105 for a set now.

The cost of a good farrier, IMO is priceless, compared to the cost, of fixing the damage of letting foot balance deteriorate.

The secondary effects on long term soundness of poor foot balance can be devastating, and hugely costly in time, rehabilitation, bodywork and vet bills.

I’ve seen too many lame horses, going through full workups and lameness treatments, where no one tackles the basic foot balance.

I’ve seen too many farrier who were good, and then take on too many horses, cut corners, and their quality of work goes down hill.

I’d rather pay more for someone who is hot on foot balance, and takes pride in their foot balance, and does a good job. Versus someone who charges less, so potentially does more horses per day, at a faster rate.

I think by the time you factor the wear and tear of shoeing on the body, the out in all weathers, the risk of being injured, the mileage on the vehicle, CPD, insurance, registration, equipment, and shoes, the margins aren’t amazing regarding being a farrier. I think farriers earn their money pretty fairly.

 

[sprytzer]

Added to which, being self employed, probably been doing it most their life, no other trade, it only takes one bad accident which happened to my ex, for them to be left physically unable to do the job any longer, and possibly unable to do any other work either !!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I can't remember what we paid for a set of shoes in the 70s but I do know that if we wanted the horse hot shod we had to go to the forge, which took all day. Nowadays every farrier that I know about has a mobile forge.

There are admittedly a few farriers that I would allow to touch my horses' feet if they paid me but I feel that the price we pay for the expertise, extra time given when necessary and occasional visits to put shoes back etc from an excellent farrier is well worth it.

 

[CBAnglo]

Also I think there are a lot less farriers now because it is a long training process/exams/CPD so to actually get on the books of a good/reliable farrier you have to pay a premium. If you work out how much they actually get paid per hour (include travel time) then they probably get paid minimum wage.

 

[BlackRider]

This is odd as I was only saying yesterday that the price of shoeing hasn't change much on the last 10 years.

My boy is barefoot, and last had shoes over 10 years ago, I seem to remember it was about £60 then, and isn't that much more now (I asked a fellow livery out of curiosity yesterday).

 

[zaminda]

I have been using my farrier since 2008, and his prices have barely gone up. I also think that the cost of insurance has risen a huge amount, and that they are probably more business savvy than they were previously. At the end of the day, it is a highly skilled job, which is physically demanding so they earn their money. They are one of the few people who actually earn money out of horses, and aren't expected to do it for love.

 

[dollyanna]

Knowing the state a local retired farrier is in now you couldn't pay me enough to do it. He struggles just to pick up the feet of his own horse these days, and is considerably limited in activity whilst being in constant pain.

 

[Tobiano]

interesting thread! OP I am sure you are right and I didn't necessarily read it as a complaint..

It makes me wonder at the state of poverty some of the farriers must have been in all those years ago - as I don't imagine any of them are millionaires now!

Like others I don't begrudge a penny I pay to my farrier as he does a good job and has (touch wood) helped keep my horses sound all the years I have had them. If all farriers were as good as mine the world would be a better place IMHO!

 

[minesadouble]

I have read this thread with great interest as a good friend of mine has a farrier husband who does my horses at a discounted rate. I am not sure how much his full price charge is ... I 'think' it is £65 but am not sure, it may be less.
He always tells me that what he charges is a fair price and that unlike other farriers in our area he is not comfortable to "take his client's eyes out".
Part of the reason that there is a shortage of farriers is that the younger professionals are not keen to take on an apprentice who may then subsequently take their clients.
My old farrier freely admitted that this was the sole reason he would not have an apprentice.
They do deserve every penny they earn, there a few older farriers who do not suffer back problems.

 

[sandi_84]

Don't forget they pay tax, some will be vat registered so that adds on 20%, they need a good personal insurance in case of injury, must run a very reliable vehicle that needs to be able to access some not ideal tracks and fields, tools etc do not come cheap and require replacing regularly. I am sure they make a decent living but most will retire early with aches and pains if not worse ailments, I think most are charging a reasonable amount when everything, including the long apprenticeship, is taken into account.

This ^ bearing mind they risk serious injury every time they get under a horse, only get statutory sick pay if they do get injured and if off for an extended period of time run the risk of losing clients for the future.

They also only get a bog standard pension from the government, so ghey need to squirrel away what they can throughout their working life for their later years.

My OH is just coming up to his diploma and when he's done he'll have done the requisite Pre-farriery course (which when he did it was a 5 day a week course for a year) plus his apprenticeship. This bringing him up to 5 years of pretty intensive and in depth coursework on top of - an above average at times - weekly workload, plus time in the forge practicing his shoemaking.

He's not long turned 25 and is already injured for the long run and is always in pain from numerous places at once. The other apprentices I know are the same. He loves it though, it's what he actually dreamed of being since he was little

There's also what area you're in to consider too, I think £70 is cheap compared to some places.

I do agree everything is getting more expensive these days though.