Sweeping up after farrier has visited

Birker2020

Birker2020

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I was picking out my horses feet on Sunday morning getting him ready to take him jumping when I found a nail in his of hind foot, going through the sole next to the frog. I was horrified and left the nail in and rang the vet whom came out and charged me approx £120 for the privilege of removing the nail (which turned out to be a clench) and supplying me with copious amounts of vetwrap, masking tape and antibiotics! My horse was incredibly lucky to have escaped without the clench going through any major structures in his foot and he is lucky that following two days of box rest and poulticing there is no infection present.

The farriers all tend to tie up outside my stable and leave all the horse clippings and clenches lying around so when my horse is tied up outside his stable later he stands a chance of picking up a clench in his foot. Of course this might not be what happened but two visiting farriers tied up outside his stable on Friday. Whilst I picked out his feet on Saturday he may have picked it up later.

Only three months ago I picked up a clench in my trailer tyre which caused an instant puncture to my tyre whilst towing my horse across the yard.

I really think farriers should sweep up after themselves. This time we have been incredibly lucky, but the reality is that my horse could now be in hospital with a very serious if not fatal injury had the nail penetrated the vital structures of his feet deeply or if infection had got into the coffin joint.
 
i used to make the owners of horses when i was on a yard as they were always done when raining outside my stable really annoying. So dont miss that part of being on a yard anymore. Make ask YO to make sure its all cleaned up after each time by owner or farrier?
 
Dont the owners of the horses being shod clear up after their horse has been shod? We do at our yard, personally I dont think its up to the Farrier.

Glad your horse was ok. Do you have a notice board where you could make other owners aware of your close shave and the vet costs you incurred? Maybe they would take note and show consideration when their horses are tied up to be shod outside your stable.
 
sorry but i dont think its the farriers job to sweep your yard! who ever is being shod should sweep as they go in my opinion. hope your boy is ok.
 
Our farriers (about 5 different ones come to the yard) always sweep up. They may not put it into a skip bucket but it is always in a neat pile out of harms way.

I have known a horse have a similar injury to yours and the YO had a word with the farrier next time he came - this was on a previous yard.
 
I wouldn't expect my farrier to sweep up the trimmings no, but I would hope they wouldn't leave anything such as clenches on the floor with the potential to cause damage.
 
If you know there is farrier trimmings outside your stable, surely you sweep up yourself before you stand your horse there? Given that you know there is going to be clenches there?
 
I don't expect my farrier to sweep up after shoeing but I always do it myself and I am surprised that others wouldn't! If I were you I would have a word with the other liveries that are tying up outside your stable and ask them to sweep up after their horses have been shod. I would hope that once you explain the near miss you have had they will be only too pleased to do this and avoid the possibility of the same happening to their horses.
 
I would always sweep up myself after my farrier has been, that way i know its done properly.
Unfortunately not everyone is the same at our yard but i think if i was tying my horse up i would make sure it was done.
 
I feel it's up to me to sweep up after the farrier has been. My horse = my responsibility. I am surprised that you didn't check the area around your horses stable, particularly if you know that other liveries are perhaps not as careful as you would wish.
 
We always sweep the yard as soon as the farrier has finished and the rubbish always goes into a bag and then into the dustbin - too risky for the horses and dogs not to.

I don't think it is the farrier's responsibility but I really think whoever is dealing with the farrier at the time (eg owners, yard owner, etc) should tidy up and not leave a mess on the yard!
 
Quite often at my yard one of the farriers does other peoples horses while they aren't there, guess who sweeps then? No one or me, generally its me!

I'm always there when mine are done, so obviously I sweep up afterwards, but I know if I ever can't be then the sweeping won't get done.

I think we would have a real hard time getting the farriers to sweep up after they are done - not really in there job description is it!
Although I do think if they are shoeing and the owner isn't present they should at least sweep trimings etc into a pile so they can't be picked up by any horses feet!
 
I've never seen a nail or anything lay on the floor (not saying that it can't happen though of course!) but the dogs do a pretty good job of erm, "disposing" of the hoof clippings. Apparently fantastic cheap dog treats! :p
 
My farrier shoes my horse in his stable and always puts clenches etc in his wee wooden tool box thingy so as they cant cause any harm! Another farrier at the yard throughs shoes and clenches etc in the bin (which is beside were he shoes) and i wouldnt expect my farrier to brush after him lol
 
The horses on my yard are all shod in the same undercover tie-up area and I always sweep up between each horse being done. However my farriers will have a quick sweep up themselves if there is a broom handy and I am on a tea run!

I agree however that it is not the farrier's job to sweep up. Also it is easy for a clench to get accidently dropped. I would be very cautions about having a horse shod in the stable as there is a good chance of something getting dropped.
 
tangoharvey said:
we always sweep up after our farriers, that way we know the yard is clear
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We do the same after a similar thing happened to a horse at a yard we used to be at. Like yours OP that particular horse was lucky not to have had any major structures damaged so we just don't risk it now.

Your YO should be having a word with the farriers AND the owners of the horses being shod though telling them what happened and requesting they sweep up. Don't rely on them doing so though, that's the only thing.

Glad your horse is okay.
 
Farrier was out to Murph yesterday, he dropped a clench and then spent ages with a magnet on the end of his hammer searching for it in the grass until he found it and picked it up. I do always check there are none when he has gone, and the dogs then clear up all the trimmings. I don't think its the farriers job to sweep up but definitely think the owners of the horses being shod should do so.
 
I would always do it myself, and have done, but if the point outside your stables is being used for all the shoeing then you can either ask the other owners to make sure it is thoroughly swept, or (and if they dont do it) ask YO to ensure they do it.

TBH where we are farriers are in such short supply you are grateful to have one turn up at all, you def arent going to start asking them to sweep up...
 
My farrier if he's there by himself will get a broom and sweep all the stuff into a pile out of the way but if any of us are there with him whilst our horses are being shod we do it and I have no objection to doing it if he hasn't. Mine's always shod with 3+ others so never shod outside my stable so I make sure I go round and clear up outside the other's peoples stables if that's where they've been done and the others aren't around. What makes me more annoyed is other liveries who can't be bothered to do it after their horse has been shod...like this morning, feeble attempt had been made to wave a broom over it but still bits of nail shavings and nails left all over the concrete where people tie up their horses every day before riding. The Can't Be Ar*** Fairy had obviously landed...
 
I always sweep up after the farrier and count the nails I find too! I wouldn't normally expect him to do it unless I wasn't there to clean up after - there is no way my farrier would leave nails lying about
 
I would expect the farrier to be careful in disposing nails, clenches, etc. and I would sweep up after him.

Glad to hear your horse escaped without injury, it could have been nasty!
 
I always sweep up straight away after the farrier - not least because my beloved lab has a taste for trimmings :eek: I have never seen a farrier sweep up after him tbh, and wouldn't expect him too (as he'd probably charge more in the first place).

seriously, a good sweep up is essential as god knows what comes out of the foot of other horses - e.g thrush/nails/clenches. sm x
 
JoG said:
If you know there is farrier trimmings outside your stable, surely you sweep up yourself before you stand your horse there? Given that you know there is going to be clenches there?
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I am not always at the yard when my horse is tied up outside the stable so I cannot physically sweep up if I am at work. I am on an assisted DIY. As it happens this is not what happened in this instance but there are innumerable times when my horse has been brought in from the field and will have been tied outside his stable to remove rugs, boots etc before put back in his stable following a farriers visit.

Again you can't always rely on other owners of horses being shod sweeping up as when the farriers visit most DIY people are at work. The farriers on our yard help themselves to the horses, tie them up themselves and put them back in the stables themselves.

I personally get fed up having to sweep up other peoples horses feet trimmings from outside my stable.
 
can you speak to YO and arrange that the horses are shod elsewhere - maybe mention that your horse's injury is down to this problem, and you may have to claim on their insurance ? sm x
 
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