# Farrier Just Quit!



## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

Ubelievable. We used to be friends many moons ago. She pushed from from an 8 week to a 6 week schedule, I told her that was ok but I couldn't go any closer than that. So she tells me all the time that they need a 5 week schedule. I told her again I can barely keep my head above water as it is, 6 weeks should be fine as we agreed. She was due to come out today.

Last night I sent her an e-mail and just warned her that Buddy is looking AWFUL, lost a ton of weight, etc so that she wouldn't be overly shocked. I told her that when I got a few $ together I needed to get the vet out for a full blood work up, teeth floating, etc and I even outlined what I was doing for him now; graining with Sr grain, wormer, hand grazing gradually. She comes back with "I can't make it out tomorrow. You need to find a cheaper farrier and feed your horse. I cannot be your farrier any longer." And goes into a rant of how I am not a responsible horse owner because I let 6 weeks go in between trims, and how I am "financially dumping" on her by insisting on keeping the 6 weeks schedule instead of moving them together. Etc and so forth. She had quit on my neighbor a few months back because she was trying to get HER to do 5 week trims as well, and my neighbor couldn't afford that either. PLUS she said she was going to raise her prices even more (she already charges $45 a trim) on top of the more frequent schedule (she hadn't told me that, she had told the neighbors beofre she quit/they fired her). The first email I returned was a "What on earth are you talking about" and an apology for whatever she thougth I did wrong...then I thought about it and shot off a second one telling her that cancelling on me the day before the appointment and expecting me to find a new farrier in a day or two AFTER I had already told her Sunny's feet were flaring was unprofessional, and if she cared that little for my horses or for me she had no right to lecture ME on my animal priorities. I told her I was sad to see the death of a friendship and I was sad to lose a good farrier. I wished her luck in the future.

I know what it is all about, it is all about $$. The saddest part is my boys needed this trim, badly, and now I am stuck looking in Craig's List or wherever. She has found a group of yuppies that she can convince to trim once a month or whatever and charge $50+ for a trim. Saddest part is, when she first started her business, I supported her and hired her on, gave her more clientele around here. I figured it was a matter of time before my piddly 4 horses and ordinary finances would be too much.

I am so aggravated...here in MD you cannot find a farrier that is sober and dependable, and has a good way with horses and won't take you for a ride. :grit:

I really thought "quitting" the day before the appointment was absolutely unprofessional. I NEVER didn't pay her, NEVER told her she was too expensive, NEVER did anything but tell her I could only afford every 6 weeks. She complained because in the winter I moved them back to 8 weeks. She is always saying she has a full schedule, I guess I just didn't fit into it anymore. She was waiting for an excuse, I suppose. Too bad she couldn't honor her appointment and THEN tell me.

Frustrated and flare-y. And hurt (so much for friendship) and angry (so much for professionalism).

Well, I am off to search out a new farrier. One that can get out here in the next week.


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

Chin up. things always seem to happen for a reason. some where out there is someone how NEEDS the money more the she does and maybe you will be "god sent" to them and their family.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

The thing is she has me doubting myself! My boys all are barefoot, good feet. When I had the navicular guy, I was all about more frequent trims to get him into shape. Once I rehomed him, I fail to see the NEED for constant 6 week trims, much less push to 5 weeks; their feet simply don't grow out that quickly and I have some rocks etc in the field; they are pasture kept 24/7. Maybe only in the early spring? Am I wrong here??


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

Hard to judge here..since..while from the outside, it DOES look like she may want more $$..but Ive also encountered some horses who need trims sooner then alot of people "feel" is nessccary.

my pony could go every 5 weeks on her fronts..she grows them LIKE CRAZY.

What the farrier did SEEMS unprofessional to say the least..outside of that..hard to comment.

Find yourself a new farrier and move on..water under the bridge, you know?


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## mink (Feb 10, 2005)

you were getting ripped off. get yourself a rasp and rasp the edges . i have 2 drafts and they only get it twice a year and their just fine.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

spinandslide said:


> Find yourself a new farrier and move on..water under the bridge, you know?


Yup. Do this.

I've been dumped by clients and have dumped clients for a myriad of reasons. It happens.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I trim every 7-8 weeks, my two are out of work broodmares, trims only. Sounds to me like she wanted to replace you with higher paying clients. Just remember- karma is a "female dog" :heh:


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Sounds like extortion to me. Do as mrpink does, get a rasp and tune them up once a week, and call a farrier twice a year.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

If they're flared at 6 weeks to the point it's a concern then you either do need more frequent appointments or the trim job isn't up to par to begin with. It's wrong for her to cancel on you the night before regardless, but maybe it's just the straw that broke the camel's back? If the horse really does need 4-5 week trims and he's on a 6 week schedule she's fighting a losing battle and I can see how that can be frustrating. That horse speaks about her work to whomever sees his feet. If you take him out at week 6 and he's flared out and someone asks who your farrier is and then writes her off because of the appearance of his feet that's a loss of business that she cannot control. 

If you've mentioned on a number of occasions that you can't afford more for the horses and she views the horse as needing more to be healthy and then you emailed her saying the horse is in bad enough shape she should be forewarned so as not to be shocked and then say you can't fix it for now because of finances... it doesn't necessarily look good. Maybe she just doesn't feel like she wants to be a part of the situation at this time? 

Sorry you lost a friend and farrier you liked. It sounds like a stinky situation all around no matter the reason.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

olivehill said:


> If they're flared at 6 weeks to the point it's a concern then you either do need more frequent appointments *or the trim job isn't up to par to begin with. *


This.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

But keep in mind there is no way to know which it is without seeing the hooves. Because the farrier seems to want most horses on a 4-5 week schedule I'm inclined to believe that Tinknal's bolding is warranted, but we can only get one side of the story here. So reserving judgement seems prudent. 

Now, if you have photos of the hooves both before and directly after a trim, taken on a flat, hard surface with the horse standing square and the camera held at the appropriate angles... that could change...


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I don't think Beccachow was talking about hoof flares... she has Lyme's Disease (iirc) and when you're experiencing symptoms it's called a flare up or flare.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

She did say Sunny's feet were flaring.

There is no way to tell if the trim job is up to par or not over the internet without photos of any sort.

Most horses who live on the east coast need more frequent trims than horses that live here in the midwest, or in arid or rocky areas.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Both quotes from the OP:



> expecting me to find a new farrier in a day or two AFTER I had already told her Sunny's feet were flaring was unprofessional





> The saddest part is my boys needed this trim, badly


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

malinda said:


> She did say Sunny's feet were flaring.
> 
> There is no way to tell if the trim job is up to par or not over the internet without photos of any sort.
> 
> Most horses who live on the east coast need more frequent trims than horses that live here in the midwest, or in arid or rocky areas.


Oops,  missed it. Flares do need special attention, most of them anyway.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

olivehill said:


> Both quotes from the OP:


I was responding to this from the OP: "Frustrated and flare-y. And hurt (so much for friendship) and angry (so much for professionalism)." 

Missed that the gelding had a flare(s).


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

Irish Pixie said:


> I was responding to this from the OP: "Frustrated and flare-y. And hurt (so much for friendship) and angry (so much for professionalism)."
> 
> Missed that the gelding had a flare(s).


Oh, ok. I was wondering what she might have meant by "flare-y".

I had Lyme's disease also, way back in 1987/88 when doctors were just beginning to discover what the disease was.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

olivehill said:


> But keep in mind there is no way to know which it is without seeing the hooves. Because the farrier seems to want most horses on a 4-5 week schedule I'm inclined to believe that Tinknal's bolding is warranted, but we can only get one side of the story here. So reserving judgement seems prudent.
> 
> )


Maybe with one horse, but the farrier seems to think all 4 need it. Sounds to fishy to me.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

While her rant was unprofessional, if they are 'desperate' at six weeks they likely should be seen at 5 weeks.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

Tiempo said:


> While her rant was unprofessional, if they are 'desperate' at six weeks they likely should be seen at 5 weeks.


Yes, though I'm wondering just how likely it is that it just happens that _all_ of your horses have hooves that grow at such a rate ... or, and I'm thinking this is more likely, they are desperate because they are not getting good trims in the first place.

Isn't this the farrier that was pushing the expensive shoes and plates for your barely ridden horses? I'm thinking you're better off with someone else.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Tiempo and Malinda- is it common for horses to need trims at 4-5 weeks? Even when the old gelding and the other show horses were on the circuit they didn't need to be reset, or new shoes, for 6-7 weeks. My mares aren't in work at all, but trims every 7-8 weeks keep them perfectly- it's usually 8 weeks in the winter and 7 in the spring and summer.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Tiempo said:


> While her rant was unprofessional, if they are 'desperate' at six weeks they likely should be seen at 5 weeks.


Her 4 horses and all the neighbors horses too?

No way.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

I wouldn't say common, but not rare either. I have horses on everything from 2 week to 12 weeks, and a handful who do ok with even less.

The 2-4 week crowd are mostly chronic founders or have deviations that cause them to grow imbalanced quickly etc..

Otter, could be either way.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

When I worked with 3 different farriers in Wellington, FL, horses were re-shod every 4-5 weeks and sometimes the owners even wanted them done sooner than that. The handful of trims were done at the same intervals. These same farriers worked up and down the east coast during the summer for all the same clients who winter in Wellington, and the horses were still on a 4-5 week schedule. A horse who went 6 weeks was considered way past due for a trim.

My farrier friends in Wellington get $50 for trims and $200 for a full set of plain shoes and are turning away work all the time.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

> I am "financially dumping" on her by insisting on keeping the 6 weeks schedule instead ....


Missed this part without my reading glasses, not cool at all, hope you can find someone better Becky.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

malinda said:


> When I worked with 3 different farriers in Wellington, FL, horses were re-shod every 4-5 weeks and sometimes the owners even wanted them done sooner than that.


Yes, but (I lived in Fl) in FL you've got your sand and you've got your swamp. Both very bad for hooves. From what I've seen of horses that do the FL circuit, they leave FL for a heavy work/show schedule and then come back to sand/swamp. Just because those horses NEED the attention of a farrier so often doesn't really relate any more then saying because working cowhorses in Wyoming see a farrier 3x a year - maybe- that that's all _any_ horse needs.

Without seeing pictures there's no way of knowing, but from following the OP's posts about middle aged horses in MD who are basically pasture pets I'd be inclined to think it's overkill.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

Otter said:


> Yes, but (I lived in Fl) in FL you've got your sand and you've got your swamp. Both very bad for hooves. From what I've seen of horses that do the FL circuit, they leave FL for a heavy work/show schedule and then come back to sand/swamp. Just because those horses NEED the attention of a farrier so often doesn't really relate any more then saying because working cowhorses in Wyoming see a farrier 3x a year - maybe- that that's all _any_ horse needs.
> 
> Without seeing pictures there's no way of knowing, but from following the OP's posts about middle aged horses in MD who are basically pasture pets I'd be inclined to think it's overkill.


I did say in an earlier post in this thread that horses on the east coast _generally_ need to be trimmed more frequently than horses in the Midwest or West. I never said ALL horses need to be on a 5 week schedule - but 5 weeks is not outside the realm of possibilities for horses in Maryland.

Wellington is not "real" Florida. There are no swamps (at least that horses are turned out in). The horses live on rubber matted stalls with 12"-16" of shavings, walk and stand on rubber-bricked aisles, and are worked in arenas with rubber or fiber footing. They are bathed or at least rinsed nearly every day. Turnout is generally 1-2 hours a day or less. These horses are worked/ridden/shown 5-6 days a week for the Wellington winter, and then go home for the summer to where ever that may be and continue to be worked/ridden/shown 5-6 days a week.


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## CTFarmGal (Mar 26, 2011)

I am very lucky to have a wonderful farrier. My horses are both barefoot as well...and I do 10 weeks in the winter and 8 in the spring/summer. They always do well on that schedule and my current farrier has never complained. My horses are fat-n-happy. I cannot imagine a horse, let alone one in poor condition, needing more than mine, but who knows. 

Once upon a time, I lost a friend/farrier in a very similar way. My advise, don't hire your friends. I prefer keeping business and pleasure separate...it's much easier overall. If finances are tight, you should consider investing in a rasp, a hoof knife and nippers. With a little online research, you can get all the info you need to do the job yourself, at least every other time, and while it is backbreaking, it is "do-able".

Best of luck to you. And have a glass of wine...that's what I would do.:buds:


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## Witterbound (Sep 4, 2007)

Buy a knife, rasp, and a hoof stand, and trim 'em yourself. I just took a 12 evening course taught by farriers, and learned how to do it myself.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Becky- where in MD are you again? I am close friends with Chesapeake Forge's owner and he can tell me of anyone he'd reccommend near you...


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

Ha, Sunny and I are BOTH flaring, lol. Sunny is just getting to the point he needs a good filing, the other two still look pretty good.

I have a rasp...do I have the patience??

I wouldn't have really been bothered at all had she honored the appointment and THEN quit. 

Buddy is looking pretty scary right now, he usually drops weight every February but this time he didn't put it back on. I started a gradual feeding program and am hand grazing him, etc, but since she has known both Buddy and I for 9 years I didn't want her to be overly shocked at him, he looks wretched. the other two look fantastic, so obviously it is something that is just with him. I wanted the Vet to be able to do everything at one visit, so I was waiting til my next pay to get him out. I explained all of this to her; I think she was looking for an excuse to replace my poor guys with people willing to pay more money, too. I shouldn't be shocked, she left the neighbors over the exact same reason ( wanting 4 and 5 week trims on both their big guys and all the minis as well). When they told her they couldn't afford to push the schedule any more than the 6 weeks, she quit.

It is so hard to find a reliable farrier here in MD. Maybe I will start researching, a simple file shouldn't be so hard to do, right? I have a rasp already.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

jill.costello said:


> Becky- where in MD are you again? I am close friends with Chesapeake Forge's owner and he can tell me of anyone he'd reccommend near you...


I am in Woodstock/Granite/Marriotsville area (my area goes by all three of those names, we are so small!). I am off Route 70 near Ellicott City. I'd surely appreciate that!


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I have 40+ years experience with horses and would never ever try to trim my own horses. Good farriers just make it _look_ easy.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

I doubt I would have the patience...


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

I have dated farriers and watched them for my entire life (not in that order), and my back would break and the sweat running off my brow would blind me half-way through the first foot.....


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

jill.costello said:


> I have dated farriers and watched them for my entire life (not in that order), and my back would break and the sweat running off my brow would blind me half-way through the first foot.....


LOL! I can see your personal ad!

"Sexy horse owner seeks brawny farrier. Send pic of your forge."


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

tinknal said:


> LOL! I can see your personal ad!
> 
> "Sexy horse owner seeks brawny farrier. Send pic of your forge."


eeek...my current BF already has a complex about my ex's....I think he feels inferior because he doesn't have CF or CJF behind his name!


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Photos of your forge... LOL

The farrier I have now, I tend to go through a few until I find one that really knows what they are doing and willing to work with me. 
I took a course on basic hoof trimming way, back when. So I know what my horses need.

Mine all do fine on a 8 weeks schedule. Only once did the Farrier say he should come at every 6 weeks, I said ok.... I asked him if they would have anything to take off on that shorter schedule, as I am watching him trim and he goes..... well, not really. So I ask why then shorten the schedule that has worked so well. And I get,, well.... ah.... OK he said, they do seem to do best on the 8 week schedule, lets stick to that. (rolling eyes) I know times are tough for many Farriers but shorting the schedule when the animals don't need it.... not kosher in my books.

As for trimming your own horse, take a certified course because I have seen many people really mess up their horse's hooves bad.
Take Stjarna for example, rescue mare, when she did get trimmed, maybe once or twice a year the person doing it didn't know what they were doing. She came to me with her right hoof so small(2 sizes smaller than her other hooves, a man made problem), Farrier wasn't sure we could get to grow a normal size. But after 2 years of proper trims and care, it is almost the same size as the rest of her hooves. 
So in this case, I am very lucky!

Becy, you might check out a few of the Farrier sites like this one.... 
http://www.americanfarriers.org/


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

I have never had issues with farriers..honestly and truly. When we lived in NJ..we used two..a master farrier from PA and then one of the better certified farriers in NJ..he shod my horses from the time I was a teen all the way until I was an adult and getting ready to move to Texas. he was always fair and did a great job.

Down here..we've had the same farrier for 10 years..he is now a good family friend and I am happy with his work. When we started having slideplates put on our horses, he had his mentor come out the next few months and teach him how to put them on.

I guess Ive been extremly blessed.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

I never had issues with farriers in the 30-plus years I had horses in MT, not ever. They were competent, they came when you wanted them to come, they could trim, shoe and handle ranch horses that got shod/trimmed in the summer and turned out during the winter.

I have had nothing BUT trouble with farriers in KY. The only one I found that did a decent job and could/would come to do just trims ended up hurting his back after a year, getting hooked on pain pills and that went bad quickly!

One of the big problems here is that a big majority of the horses that are stabled and shod regularly in this area are gaited Tennessee Walking Horses that require special shoeing and a set of shoes runs from $100 up depending on what is being done. A farrier can go to one stable and do half a dozen at that price in one place ... if he comes here he does half a dozen trims at $25 per horse. You can't really blame them if they have a choice between those two options ... but I do wonder if they have enough of the 'expensive' horses that they just don't want to bother with the trims.

DH and I are both capable of trimming the average horse that doesn't need corrective trimming so we pretty much do our own now. At our age, with bad backs ... I hold the feet, DH does the trimming and we pretty much do it two feet at a time, but it gets done. Not the best option I'm sure ... but better than not getting it done at all.


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## starjj (May 2, 2005)

Here's my take on it. Farriers get tired of being called when the feet are bad. Maybe with regular closer together trims they wouldn't need to feel like she only calls me when nothing else works. By also telling her how bad your horse looks even though your only try to warn her it is really not her problem. Maybe she is starting to think can you really afford to do what needs to be done to keep your horse in the best shape. It is a sad sad fact that horses are money pits and everyone can not afford to keep one. Now I will say it is TOTALLY unprofessional to cancel on short notice. She should have come out done the trim and explained to you that she can no longer keep you as a client.


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

Becky, I'm sorry that the trimmer waited to tell you that she wouldn't be working for you anymore until the night before she was due out at your place.
That is just beyond tacky and unprofessional!

I have a wonderful trimmer now. Had a shoer/trimmer who was the nicest guy in the world and also the flakiest before this current one. I finally fired him when he stood me up for the umpteenth time. We're still friends, but I need my hoof trimmer to show up on a regular schedule.

My trimmer just moved my guys from 6 to 5 weeks because they both tend to have issues with flaring a bit if left too long to their own devices (both OTTB). He charges $40 a trim, which is a steal in my opinion.

Forgot to mention, my current trimmer also happily does our donkey's feet, which in my experience is not a popular job for farriers, lol.


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## NorCalChicks (Dec 7, 2007)

We have a heck of a time finding someone who will come out to our area, especially right now when we are down to just Hot Rod - I guess it's hard to justify a 80 - 100 mile round trip just to trim one horse! On a side note I've always been impressed with the wild horses farrier (Mother Nature!) She does a fabulous job! Wish I could get my boy's done that easily!


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## txplowgirl (Oct 15, 2007)

Our horses always went barefooted. My daddy taught me to trim with a trimmer and a rasp. They got their "manicure" or would that be a "pedicure"?, lol, ever 4 weeks and never had a problem.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I've had my farrier for 12 years and he's never stood me up, when I first started using him he'd call if he was going to be 15 minutes late. Now, he's usually 30 to 45 minutes early (I'm usually his first client of the day) so we have time to gab after he's trimmed the mares. :grin: If he thought my mares needed to be trimmed every 4-5 weeks I'd definitely do it but I'd absolutely know it was because they needed it. We'll start every 6 weeks after his next visit, in the winter it's 6 and the spring/summer it's 7. The older mare (TB) has a small flare on the left hind and the younger mare (Hanoverian/TB) has a tendency toward surface cracks on both fronts so we like to watch them.

I treat him good with cookies near his birthday and a gift certificate to his favorite restaurant at Christmas. He deserves it- when the old gelding was so sore he couldn't lift his hind legs well JC got on his knees to trim him. He even trimmed my goat years ago but swore me to secrecy. He's definitely a keeper.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Becky- just heard back from my MD farrier; PM'd you a bunch of names, etc...


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

Thanks, Jill!

Irish Pixie, I would tip an extra couple of bucks per horse just to show appreciation. Still not enough to motivate farriers to be decent around here :grump:.


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## saanengirl (Apr 7, 2009)

I have had the same farrier for two years and it has been great. I know that he "fired" one of my friends as a client though because of her driveway, her dogs, and the fact that she never had her horses up and it took an hour to catch them. He simply stopped returning her phone calls when she would call for an appointment. She found another farrier when she couldn't get in touch with him. My farrier has pretty much told me that I don't need to go fewer than 8 weeks between trims as long as I do touch ups. He doesn't have a problem with trimming one of my horses every 3-4 months because the horse really doesn't need to be trimmed more frequently than that. He doesn't mind doing trims instead of more expensive shoes if the horses are well-behaved, and never has pushed me to do anything that wasn't necessary. He tends to take a conservative approach to shoes and other corrective treatments, preferring to use regular trimming unless there are major problems.


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

After having problems with several farriers, I learned to do it myself. If I let it go too long, I trim. When I stay on top of it, I just keep it rasped every couple weeks. That is so much easier. You can do a little at a time and then have a look. I even knew of someone that would sit on a bucket with the horse's hoof in her lap because of her back. You can make it as easy or hard as you like. 

I don't have a hoof stand. I either have it across my leg or use a piece of 4x4 and keep my feet on either side to help balance it. If you're handy, you could probably cobble something together that would work.

I have seen a rasp in one of my horse supply magazines for a rasp that is hand sized and made to do the bottom and outside at the same time. Next time I need a rasp, I want to try this. It looks like it would be quick and easy.

My mare isn't really a hard keeper but just stays a tiny bit thinner than I like. If I increased her grain, she decreased how much hay she would eat. She was very frustrating. So, I decided to make things very simple. Once a day I fill a 5 gallon bucket about half full with alfalfa cubes and throw in a pound of oats (so the chickens will break up the poo) and cover with water for about half an hour. Then I divide this between my two horses. I've been doing this for about 2 months now and she's never looked better. 

It's inexpensive compared to all the grain she was getting and is a forage so you don't have to worry about over feeding it. It's something you might consider for your gelding.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

It's definitely possible they need to be trimmed that often. Years ago mine looked bad in two weeks. Finally after better minerals they can go a normal schedule. They just splatted every little bit of growth before. Now I trim them every 4-5 weeks. 

If you are truly looking to do top notch work, keeping every hoof on your books in the best of shape (which may be what she is doing) then someone who won't keep the schedule you feel is needed isn't going to be a job you want to keep. Some are looking to build a reputation of excellence, because people are going to think poorly of you as a professional if a horse you trim has poor looking feet- whether or not it's your fault or the owners. This is why I don't let clients call me when they "think the feet look bad". By then, damage is already done. I set a schedule. But I'm fair about it and if a horse owner wanted to try and stretch it, I would be willing to show them how to renew a bevel that could give us a little longer schedule. 

Just the other side of the coin.

If a person is going to DIY, I highly recommend Under the Horse: http://www.hoofrehab.com/underthehorse.htm

But it takes a certain mindset. You kinda have to enjoy it. :teehee:


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

beccachow said:


> The thing is she has me doubting myself! My boys all are barefoot, good feet. When I had the navicular guy, I was all about more frequent trims to get him into shape. Once I rehomed him, I fail to see the NEED for constant 6 week trims, much less push to 5 weeks; their feet simply don't grow out that quickly and I have some rocks etc in the field; they are pasture kept 24/7. Maybe only in the early spring? Am I wrong here??


We've had one who trimmed them every eight weeks. Our current farrier trims every six weeks in the summer and every eight in the winter. I can't imagine needing them done more often than that. I'm not sure if things are different for breeds other than QH/Paint types.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

I actually will stick with 6 weeks if this guy thinks they need it. At $10 cheaper per horse, I will be making out better and if it keeps everyone happy and healthy, ok. Especially in the spring, with the increased risk of founder.


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