teasle
Well-Known Member
Today my farrier told me that many young farriers cant find work- so is this everywhere or where are they needed?
Where are farriers needed?
- Thread starter teasle
- Start date
Britestar
Well-Known Member
North east Scotland needs decent farriers.
tallyho!
Following a strict mediterranean diet...
Be a trimmer instead 
teasle
Well-Known Member
Is there more work for trimmers ? My farrier has lots of horses he just trims and he is pro riding unshod horses . But he is sad that there are young men strugling to find work as farriers and I was wondering if there were any areas in need of farriers.
MerrySherryRider
Well-Known Member
Trouble is, that unshod horses need trims less frequently.
However, there is a growing market for experts to trim and care for laminitis ponies etc, and also perhaps they should diversify into selling hoofcare products. There's a large market for hoof boots, wraps and treatments for thrush/abscesses.
As owners are becoming more hoof aware, the farriers need to wise up and add additional services to shoeing.
Nothing stays the same, farming had to diversify, perhaps farriers need to assess the current trends too.
However, there is a growing market for experts to trim and care for laminitis ponies etc, and also perhaps they should diversify into selling hoofcare products. There's a large market for hoof boots, wraps and treatments for thrush/abscesses.
As owners are becoming more hoof aware, the farriers need to wise up and add additional services to shoeing.
Nothing stays the same, farming had to diversify, perhaps farriers need to assess the current trends too.
Spottyappy
Well-Known Member
Too many in most places due to too many apprenticeships. Horse population is not increasing in line with the large amount of apprentices being churned out, and the Farriers registration council have neither cottoned onto this, and probably couldn't care anyway.
It used to be a good, if hard, life long trade to enter. Now, farriers are largely scratching about for work, and most seem to only do a couple of sets a day this way.
Not the trade it used to be. It is,however, good for horse owners as you have more choice.
The prices are unlikely to reduce however, as farriers still have to make a living, so prices per set likely to remain static, or increase to cover overheads such as ever increasing insurance, diesel and steel prices.
It used to be a good, if hard, life long trade to enter. Now, farriers are largely scratching about for work, and most seem to only do a couple of sets a day this way.
Not the trade it used to be. It is,however, good for horse owners as you have more choice.
The prices are unlikely to reduce however, as farriers still have to make a living, so prices per set likely to remain static, or increase to cover overheads such as ever increasing insurance, diesel and steel prices.
JCWHITE
Well-Known Member
Try France!!
Welly
Well-Known Member
Devon is full of them, also they don't seam to retire mine is over 70! and still going strong.
tallyho!
Following a strict mediterranean diet...
Well what do you expect when the FRC is a stale old juggernaut that's running out of gas. Times are changing and wise farriers are moving with it... The rest will languish.
Interesting times.
Interesting times.
neep
Well-Known Member
Deffo France !!!! I had a nightmare finding a farrier for my lot and some of the farriers who came out where shocking AND charged a fortune !!! I have now found an English qualified farrier,100 times better than the ones who came out before
Skipadeedooda
Well-Known Member
Aberdeenshire has a shortage, farriers travel from Glasgow and even further afield to meet the demand. I'm lucky I have a local farrier but I'm dreading when he retires. They have so much choice of clients here, some farriers will only go to big yards so people need to travel horses to them...it's crazy! The good old boys who have been around forever are fully booked. It's not easy if one of them gets injured etc
lachlanandmarcus
Well-Known Member
Scottish Highlands and Grampian (Aberdeenshire).
The only farrier i could find up in Grampian wouldnt make appointments when he came, you had to wait 8 weeks and then ring up and then it might be another 3 weeks before he actually came and the only warning was a phone call 5 mins before to say 'hes coming up your hill'....:-(((((
He could do this as there are nOOOOOO farriers!
In the end I was forced to take semi retired chap barefoot just so his feet could get regular attention.
Very horsey area up here, decent house prices and great environment but no farriers (well not in the Aboyne area anyway!)
The only farrier i could find up in Grampian wouldnt make appointments when he came, you had to wait 8 weeks and then ring up and then it might be another 3 weeks before he actually came and the only warning was a phone call 5 mins before to say 'hes coming up your hill'....:-(((((
He could do this as there are nOOOOOO farriers!
In the end I was forced to take semi retired chap barefoot just so his feet could get regular attention.
Very horsey area up here, decent house prices and great environment but no farriers (well not in the Aboyne area anyway!)