Why is it so difficult to get an engaged farrier?

[Casey76]

I'm growing seriously disillusioned with the farriery, or rather trimming, available from my "local" farriers.

I had the same farrier for almost 10 years, but he retired after he was injured in a car accident, and I haven't been able to find anyone who is as engaged, or cares about doing a decent trim when they're not going to put a shoe on it.

I've been using a Swiss farrier for about the past year, and at first he used to spend a decent amount of time doing them. Now he does my two horses in 30 mins, hasn't seen them trot up for months and my horses feet are running increasingly forward. Blitz always high heels, and his feet always (solar aspect) always look "full"

So... I tried a different farrier, who one of my older acquaintances uses. I was really impressed with the trim under the shoe he did on my friends horse. So I contacted him and asked if he would be able to do an evaluation and to see if he could work with me. When he came to the yard, I probably should have guessed how things would go when I was discussing my concerns about their front feet and he said "that is the shape of their feet." And "you want to keep them without shoes?" Anyway... (against my better judgement, and in hindsight...) I let him do a trim. He took the growth of Blitz's toes, but nothing off the heels, so now Blitz is completely on his toes, and his coronet bands are now almost horizontal, and he is not a happy bunny walking on the stony yard. There is no difference in height at the toe between the sole and the wall, but at the heel, there is a good 4-5mm, where there is peripheral loading only and the frogs are still off the ground. The hoof walls were dressed to all get out, and almost to the coronet band too.

I decided the same day that I wouldn't have him again - not for a trim - the work he does with composite shoes and general shoeing is really good, but I'm really getting the impression that being unshod is like being a second class citizen :/

 

[BethH]

I feel your pain. I took my horse barefoot after a master farrier absolutely destroyed my horses feet in 3 shoeings, toe 1st landing, heel a good inch underrun, heels higher one side than the other so he was leaning inwards on both back feet, huge concussion through his back end - made sense of why he was so sore through the pelvis!!!

Took him barefoot 3 years ago, fantastic podiatrist who has a really good thought process and I have really interesting conversations with him as when he sees changes it corresponds to how he feels ridden, I have learned so much, but horse has been on and off lame. Vet has injected hocks 2yrs back, although I'm not convinced that's the problem and he is still on off lame, keep arguing with vet that it isn't his feet but he keeps telling me to shoe as is footy. I keep telling him he is footy because he is too lame to work. Upshot is that he is being shod again on the 8th Sept and I could cry. A really good farrier has been persuaded by my vet to take him on, but just from 1 phone call, I have a feeling it will be his way or no way. There are so many terrible farriers in my part of the world, I was excited at having this chap help me but now am worried that he won't listen to my concerns. It's my horses's last chance before retirement and I want to be able to have a decent dialogue with my farrier but I'm already pretty certain that won't happen. I'm having sleepless nights over my horse getting badly damaged again, bad farriery has caused him so may problems but the vet wants his feet to be numb so that if it is a problem higher up it will show himself.

I know he's right - but I don't have to like it do I!? I feel so guilty putting something so clumpy and inflexible on his feet and I'm going to be charged £90 a set for the privilege. No more horses for me!!!!

 

[FfionWinnie]

Learn to do them yourself.

 

[paddy555]

but the vet wants his feet to be numb so that if it is a problem higher up it will show himself.

not sure I understand the logic of that however to rule out the feet why not boot him? If he is a lot sounder you will have a good idea he is footsore.

 

[BentleyBelly]

I feel your pain. I took my horse barefoot after a master farrier absolutely destroyed my horses feet in 3 shoeings, toe 1st landing, heel a good inch underrun, heels higher one side than the other so he was leaning inwards on both back feet, huge concussion through his back end - made sense of why he was so sore through the pelvis!!!

Took him barefoot 3 years ago, fantastic podiatrist who has a really good thought process and I have really interesting conversations with him as when he sees changes it corresponds to how he feels ridden, I have learned so much, but horse has been on and off lame. Vet has injected hocks 2yrs back, although I'm not convinced that's the problem and he is still on off lame, keep arguing with vet that it isn't his feet but he keeps telling me to shoe as is footy. I keep telling him he is footy because he is too lame to work. Upshot is that he is being shod again on the 8th Sept and I could cry. A really good farrier has been persuaded by my vet to take him on, but just from 1 phone call, I have a feeling it will be his way or no way. There are so many terrible farriers in my part of the world, I was excited at having this chap help me but now am worried that he won't listen to my concerns. It's my horses's last chance before retirement and I want to be able to have a decent dialogue with my farrier but I'm already pretty certain that won't happen. I'm having sleepless nights over my horse getting badly damaged again, bad farriery has caused him so may problems but the vet wants his feet to be numb so that if it is a problem higher up it will show himself.

I know he's right - but I don't have to like it do I!? I feel so guilty putting something so clumpy and inflexible on his feet and I'm going to be charged £90 a set for the privilege. No more horses for me!!!!

Why not just nerve block the feet for the purpose of examination?

 

[Michen]

Or... Nerve block the feet!?

I feel your pain. I took my horse barefoot after a master farrier absolutely destroyed my horses feet in 3 shoeings, toe 1st landing, heel a good inch underrun, heels higher one side than the other so he was leaning inwards on both back feet, huge concussion through his back end - made sense of why he was so sore through the pelvis!!!

Took him barefoot 3 years ago, fantastic podiatrist who has a really good thought process and I have really interesting conversations with him as when he sees changes it corresponds to how he feels ridden, I have learned so much, but horse has been on and off lame. Vet has injected hocks 2yrs back, although I'm not convinced that's the problem and he is still on off lame, keep arguing with vet that it isn't his feet but he keeps telling me to shoe as is footy. I keep telling him he is footy because he is too lame to work. Upshot is that he is being shod again on the 8th Sept and I could cry. A really good farrier has been persuaded by my vet to take him on, but just from 1 phone call, I have a feeling it will be his way or no way. There are so many terrible farriers in my part of the world, I was excited at having this chap help me but now am worried that he won't listen to my concerns. It's my horses's last chance before retirement and I want to be able to have a decent dialogue with my farrier but I'm already pretty certain that won't happen. I'm having sleepless nights over my horse getting badly damaged again, bad farriery has caused him so may problems but the vet wants his feet to be numb so that if it is a problem higher up it will show himself.

I know he's right - but I don't have to like it do I!? I feel so guilty putting something so clumpy and inflexible on his feet and I'm going to be charged £90 a set for the privilege. No more horses for me!!!!

 

[Red-1]

Goodness me, when I read the thread title I thought you had an issue with farriers throwing themselves romantically at you, and proposing... thus you wanted one who was engaged already!

Now I have read the whole post, I would not discount doing some trimming yourself, you sound as if you have a good eye for what is right and wrong. I am lucky that when Jay went barefoot my farrier got me a rasp, taught me what to do, and then was very supportive to take a look whenever I was not sure. I found that if I trimmed every week, so it was only a bit at a time, and took proper photos so I could have a critical eye on angles etc, that it was not too hard.

Alternatively, I found that good farriers do not advertise, so to find mine I contacted all the local vets, and looked at the farrier's register. We actually travel 1 1/2 hours on the box each way for each shoeing, but it is worth it for me. He is not only very good, but will listen to my thoughts, and allow me some input, as I know the horse and how he feels. 3 hrs travelling in total is a small price to pay. He has some nice hacking at hs forge, so sometimes we make a day of it!

For the poster having shoes on.... I agree with doing diagnostics using nerve blocks, although to do two feet that would take 2 days. Shoeing may not make the horse any sounder at all. BUT... Mine is returning to work after doing a suspensory, and i have chosen to shoe up. It was so I could clearly monitor and changes in his comfort levels without having to worry that he was footy through hard ground, soft ground etc in the field, or a grass flush. Once you have done the month of testing with shoes, they can come off again.

If you really don't want shoes, then as another poster has said, boot him.

 

[BethH]

Thanks for posting. Red sounds like we are shoeing for the same reasons, good luck. My horse has always been a long story & with lots of things already tried, this will either solve the problem and confirm he can't cope barefoot with the environment he's in or when I start to work him harder in shoes he'll become lame & sore after a few days and then I ride him at the vets where he'll be nerve blocked until he feels as powerful from behind as he used to. His lameness comes and goes in waves depending on the weather, I don't want to drag him back to the clinic unnecessarily as he's been a few times now! He isn't a fan of boots so I wouldn't feel confident given his attitude when he's scared, of riding out in them. He has had wraps a few times, but sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I think it's a touch of arthritis in the stifle which boots won't help, the vet can't find anything conclusively and his bone scan last year didn't solve the problem. I'd love boots to work but I'm now 3yrs in to this and I don't want to put him through anymore tests unneccessarily, he had KS as a baby and is very sensitive/reactionary so I need to find a long term solution that works so that he can be comfortable. If the shoes don't work, they'll be taken off and he'll most likely be retired.

Just to add I absolutely adore this horse having owned him for 13years, he is just a lovely person. He has been a struggle to keep 100% sound the whole time I've owned him after genetic ks was diagnosed as a youngster, to be honest it's been exhausting but he's been an absolute pleasure to be around & I've learned so much.

Sorry to OP, think I may have slightly hijacked the post unintentionally!