Trimming horses feet cost

£25 for a trim for each horse in Oxfordshire. My farrier hasn't put his prices up for years despite me asking every time if he has.

I got my first pony in 1974 and it was £4 for a set cold shod.
 
I think the problem is, the EPs (barefoot trimmers) do a very different service to a farrier, they spend a good 45 minutes with each horse, looking at their movement, talking about their living environment and feeding regime, so they charge upwards of ~£50 a horse. farriers have seen that they're able to get this kind of money, so have upped their prices, but they've not changed their service, they still rasp around the edges and nip a bit off here and there and you're lucky if they they spend more than 5 minutes on each horse!
 
, they still rasp around the edges and nip a bit off here and there and you're lucky if they they spend more than 5 minutes on each horse!

Crikey my lovely farrier certainly spends considerably more time than that and does a superb job, and every time we have a discussion about what is happening with them since last visit, why and what he might change if necessary and asking for walk up if he feels it is necessary. I pay €35 per trim, same for the donkeys as it is for a horse. Worth every penny for his well trained knowledge and decades of experience.

I would say if that is typical service from your farrier then it may be a new farrier is needed never mind the under qualified EP. 🤷‍♀️
 
EPs can certainly talk the talk and they big themselves up on their carefully curated facebook pages in order to faff about making it look like they’re doing a good job which is worth their inflated prices.

Cynical, moi?

My EP doesn't even have a FB page or website, I think. Or of they do, I've never seen it. I don't use them for their marketing but because my EP can trim my horse to keep him sound, straight and moving as biomechanically correctly as possible. Oh, and turn up when they say they will as I juggle my early morning appointment around work.

We hack for miles each week over a mix of surfaces including stony tracks, week in, week out so I'm happy with their work. Vet's, instructor's and equine body workers have all commented on his feet over the years.

I don't actually care if they were a farrier or an EP. If a local farrier could do all that, then I might well have never needed to look for an EP. But knowing I'm able to comfortably make my 9.15am work meeting because my trimmer as turned up on time (cheerfully is an added bonus ;) ) and my horse is sound, happy and moving as well as they can over different surfaces is worth every penny of their 'over inflated' price to me.
 
Top