whats the difference between a barefoot trimmer and a farrier?

[MrVelvet]

Hoping to keep my 3 yr old barefoot. At the minute we have a regular farrier - I do not mind changing farriers as theres a few personal issues at the moment. Whats the difference between a farrier and a barefoot trimmer? Where can I find a barefoot trimmer? Do the costs vary?

Thanks in advance

 

[Toffee44]

I will get shot down but I dont think there is a difference other than price.

A good knowledgable farrier should be able to trim a barefoot horse.

Toffee has been barefoot for 8 years with a normal farrier.

I have friends who I regualary hack with who have never had their horses shod, including doing road work, shows, jumping.

 

[ThePony]

A trimmer doesn't have to have any training in order to name themselves as a trimmer and set up in business, so if you do decide to use this route do check out their credentials and insurance. A trimmer should also advise on diet and all aspects of management as well as trimming your horse. This is useful for some people, others aren't bothered about this as they like to do research themselves. Some farriers can have a bit of a mental block when it comes to horses working without shoes, some are excellent and supportive, and keen to work with you.

The farrier you have and the level of support you would like will affect what route you choose to go. A trimmer will cost more than a farrier as their visits tend to last longer.

Some trimmers and farriers can be a little too keen on closely spaced appointments with more rasping and 'fiddling' than might be favourable for the horse. With both of ours (one a dodle to take barefoot and the other much more tricky with more issues) we have found that the less interuption from people into the feet they are trying to grow the better.

We are fortunate that our farrier is a legend, so we stick with him. As it is we barely need him as our girls self trim, but he is there on the end of the phone if we want him out to take a look.

At the end of the day, you need the person who is excellent at trimming (including very importantly knowing when to put tools down and leave without touching the feet) happy to give advice, support and answer questions, regardless of their professional title.

 

[Mare Stare]

Barefooters don't need to have any training and charge more.

My farrier can do barefoot stylee trims and is relatively cheap - he charges £20 a trim, a barefooter wanted £35 to trim the same horse.

So I'm sticking with my farrier.

*whispers* He's better looking too!

 

[Oberon]

I won't go into what a farrier is - as I'm sure you know that

A GOOD barefoot trimmer is someone who specialises in keeping horses comfortable and able to work without shoes. They are trained to trim (obviously) but also trained to advise on diet, environmental factors that would affect the horse's hooves and to fit boots.

There are many wonderful farriers out there, who will support a barefoot owner. But there are also those who do not consider working a horse without shoes to be a viable option.

For owners who have a navicular, laminitic, tendon/ligament problem horse and for whom shoes have not helped - and the vets and farriers have advised PTS, a BF trimmer can often look in a different way and guide the horse back to soundness and work.

The problem is that BF trimmers are an unregulated profession and it can be tricky to find the properly trained and excellent trimmers and weed out the 'weekend course warriors'.

Shiny websites mean nothing - word of mouth is the only way to go.

 

[Tammytoo]

A farrier can actually make shoes of all types, shoe a horse (after 4 years training) and it is illegal for anyone other than a registered farrier to shoe a horse. It goes without saying that a farrier knows how to trim feet! The governing body is The Worshipful Company of Farriers.

A barefoot trimmer is just that, they are trained simply to trim and balance feet. As far as I am aware there is no legal requirement for them to be registered nor is there a governing body.

 

[moneypit1]

A barefoot trimmer is in my opinion someone who charges a small fortune to do the same as decent farrier (bar actually fitting shoes) but without any formal qualifications at all. Anyone can set themselves up as a barefoot trimmer as there is no professional regulating body to answer to.

 

[wench]

Decent farrier will really know what they are doing!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

A farrier can actually make shoes of all types, shoe a horse (after 4 years training) and it is illegal for anyone other than a registered farrier to shoe a horse. It goes without saying that a farrier knows how to trim feet! The governing body is The Worshipful Company of Farriers.

A barefoot trimmer is just that, they are trained simply to trim and balance feet. As far as I am aware there is no legal requirement for them to be registered nor is there a governing body.

This ^^.
There's no legal requirement for a trimmer to have any training at all. Bad farriers can be struck off the registry and be prevented from working. Bad trimmers are answerable to no one, they just move on to another customer.
Some trimmers take training seriously and have insurance, some are self taught, or do short courses and work part time alongside their main jobs.
A newly qualified farrier will have worked with hundreds of horses by the time he qualifies. My ex qualified as a trimmer after a few months and was only required to trim a handful of chosen horses.

 

[Oberon]

The difference in the quality and health of my horse's hooves with my barefoot trimmer when compared to how they were with the farrier's apprentice (ie bleeding

) means my trimmer is worth his weight in gold.

As for being qualified, my trimmer is registered with the UKNHCP, has studied in different countries and done many other courses in all aspects of equine care all over the country.

When he first came to the yard he was treated with suspicion. One of the yard's farriers was very vocal about him (behind his back) up and down the yard

But now, he is a well respected professional and someone who can be trusted to do the best for the horse (even when that means advising shoes)

He is always on time - or calls if he is delayed. Happy to spend as long as he needs to with the horses and always kind and patient. Never bitches or gossips or behaves unprofessionally and has called/emailed to ask how things are going if either of my horses have had a problem.

In 20+ years of horse ownership, I've never had this level of service before.

People who thumb their noses at BF trimmers have never had a good one

 

[Holly Hocks]

The difference in the quality and health of my horse's hooves with my barefoot trimmer when compared to how they were with the farrier's apprentice (ie bleeding

) means my trimmer is worth his weight in gold.

As for being qualified, my trimmer is registered with the UKNHCP, has studied in different countries and done many other courses in all aspects of equine care all over the country.

When he first came to the yard he was treated with suspicion. One of the yard's farriers was very vocal about him (behind his back) up and down the yard

But now, he is a well respected professional and someone who can be trusted to do the best for the horse (even when that means advising shoes)

He is always on time - or calls if he is delayed. Happy to spend as long as he needs to with the horses and always kind and patient. Never bitches or gossips or behaves unprofessionally and has called/emailed to ask how things are going if either of my horses have had a problem.

In 20+ years of horse ownership, I've never had this level of service before.

People who thumb their noses at BF trimmers have never had a good one

I've got my first one coming on Friday - I hope she's as good as yours! She's registered with UKNHCP so I'm prepared to be suitably impressed.
My farrier who I have used prior is supportive of me getting her to have a look especially as my horse has navicular and he hasn't pressured me into having any remedial farriery.

 

[maggiesmum]

it's because bare foot trimmers do normally a 6-8 week course /QUOTE]

Depend very much upon the course they doing, most reputable training courses are far longer than 6-8 weeks.

A farrier can actually make shoes of all types, shoe a horse (after 4 years training) and it is illegal for anyone other than a registered farrier to shoe a horse. It goes without saying that a farrier knows how to trim feet! The governing body is The Worshipful Company of Farriers.

A barefoot trimmer is just that, they are trained simply to trim and balance feet. As far as I am aware there is no legal requirement for them to be registered nor is there a governing body.

No, and its about time there was! The bad trimmers out there are giving the good ones a bad name, having said that there is a legal requirement for farriers to be registered and a regulating body for them to answer to but it doesn't necessarily stop the bad ones from practising. A farrier may not be legally able to fit a shoe until after his 4 years but I know of a few farriers who think nothing of sending their apprentices out unsupervised to do trims, or who are there with them but aren't supervising the trim.
Good trimmers are also trained in anatomy, diet, horse handling and often saddle fitting or other factors that can affect movement.

Decent farrier will really know what they are doing!

The hard part is finding a decent one. :-/
Whether you choose a trimmer or a farrier ask around and see who's really happy with what their hoof care professional does.
Check whether the farrier has any working barefoot horses on their books or whether he just does paddock trims - equally ask how many working horses the trimmer has - if either one is worth having they'll be more than happy to answer your questions.

 

[maggiesmum]

I've got my first one coming on Friday - I hope she's as good as yours! She's registered with UKNHCP so I'm prepared to be suitably impressed.
My farrier who I have used prior is supportive of me getting her to have a look especially as my horse has navicular and he hasn't pressured me into having any remedial farriery.

Sounds to me like you're lucky enough to have a good farrier too!
Now if you could just get the 2 of them together you could play a part in bridging the great divide. ;-)

 

[AmyMay]

A trimmer needs no formal training or qualifications. However a farrier does - and trains for several years to gain his qaulifications.

Would not touch a trimmer with a barge pole.

 

[Zimzim]

Personnally a decent farrier should know all about keeping your horses feet in good order whether they have shoes on or not.

My farrier is great and both of mine are barefoot (my mare goes barefoot all autumn/ winter) and Ive never had any problems.

 

[tango'smum]

i got my first barefoot trimmer coming this week... shes insured, trained in canada, and is registered..