If a Farrier ends up quicking (or hot nails) your horse but they insist they didn’t what do you do? It has been going on for 6wks. and when the shoe is off for several weeks during this time the lameness starts to go away. Then said Farrier feels it is ok to put the shoe back on. Days later lameness returns. Now at 6wks the nail abscess is found and able to start treating but now I’m out a front shoeing fee from 6wks ago, not being able to use horse for over 6wks, chg. another trim fee, and also about to have a Vet fee to have x-rays done to find out how deep this nail has caused damage. Since my horse was sound prior to all of this should the Farrier be charging for services for damage that was caused at their hand?
Do you want to have any other farrier in the area work on your horse? If so, pay the bill, and take your business elsewhere.
The horse world is small, and the farrier world even smaller. If you want anyone else to work on your horses, pay up, and DON’T go on social media. You don’t want to become known (rightly or wrongly) as a client who doesn’t pay and goes ranting on social - you’ll run out of options very quickly. Definitely warn others who ask you about your experiences but do it privately and when asked.
That said, run run run from a farrier that continually quicks a horse. Once? Sure. But no more. Be honest with the next farrier but don’t go ranting about the old one, and maybe let the horse be barefoot for a bit to recover.
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Pay the bill. If it happens more than once and you have options maybe switch farriers but pay the bill…
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I would have your licensed DVM out to assess (why wasn’t this done when the first hot nail happened, and why would you allow your farrier to put on another shoe without vet assessment?), and have your farrier meet up with you (and your vet if possible) to discuss those findings. Acute lameness is part of horse ownership. Crap happens.
If the farrier has made this mistake multiple times, just pay the bill, and don’t reschedule them. But, once? We are human, and to error is human. There is always a chance that a human based service will come with a mistake. But don’t bash them, don’t harass them. This industry is small. People talk, and other farriers will find out that you don’t pay and you like to run your mouth. At some point, no one will want to touch your horse in fear of your retaliation.
I edited out this last part about insurance, because the insurance I brought up doesn’t seem to work the way I was told it would. Thanks to those who brought that up!
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You still have no proof that the farrier did anything, unless it bled right as he was driving the nail.
Horses get abcesses from any and everything.
Pay the bill. Stop using their services if you don’t like them. And stop being a Karen.
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A long time ago I got a new horse who came with racing plates. His feet were fantastic so I pulled his shoes, gave him a few months off to grow, moved across several state lines and put him into work some seven months later. The property I boarded him at had substrate that was shale and rocks; he needed shoes to be comfortable. No problem, put them on.
Suddenly the horse I had for a year with zero abscesses was abscessing nonstop. I’d used this farrier in the past with no issues. After the third hot nail and reset I pulled X-rays which infuriated my then-farrier and had him immediately defensive. To make a long story short this horse has an unusually narrow area to drive the nail. Which explained why a decent farrier kept hotnailing him.
I ended up switching farriers for an unrelated issue (he hit one of my horses), but sometimes even good farriers can run into issues.
Is your farrier charging you to come out and pull the shoe or reset the shoe? This is new to me and must be region specific - all of my farriers have come out for free to pull a shoe or reset a shoe. I give my current one money and a beer any time he’s out between appointments because I know he is busy as hell and I want him to know he’s deeply appreciated.
X-raying the feet may be shed some insight into the whys of this case. It may be he has incredibly thin soles and very little material to drive a nail into.
But to answer your question yes you should absolutely pay. It might not seem fair especially if you are on a shoestring budget, but you are paying to maintain your ability to be a “desirable client” — not because the guy deserves your money. This is one of the many areas in the horse world where the client exercises the right to “vote with their feet” and find a more appropriate professional for the services they need. The last thing you want to do is isolate yourself as a problematic client. Remember the horse world is basically a small pond.
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Even the best farriers make mistakes. I don’t know about your area, but the great farriers are few and far between. I wouldn’t want to burn the bridge if you like your farrier and the job he/she does. I’d pay the bill.
I’ve used the best farrier in the area for the last 6 years. Several months ago, he did a warm nail. The horse responded instantly when he hammered it, he removed it, flushed it with disinfectant, and apologized. Told me to watch it and responded to my texts in the next couple of weeks as the horse finally got back to soundness. Was it his fault–yes. Did he make a mistake–yes. No other issues ever. I paid my farrier and I still have this farrier. He’s human. He did explain to me that he tried to use a heavier duty nail on my horse for a particular reason, but didnt guage his swing of the hammer quite right and given the minute margin of error they have when applying the nails, he just messed up.
Pay the farrier. Or burn the bridge.
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Exactly, especially during summer when abscesses are common. Don’t crucify your farrier.
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If you have horses long enough even the best farrier is going to make a mistake. If you were not there at the time of shoeing you have no way of knowing why your horse is lame or who may be at fault.
I have had a horse of mine ( 1-2 times over the years) get a nail misplaced and it was immediately evident to me and the farrier.
I still paid him and hoped for the best.
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I am pretty sure that none of those would provide “monetary compensation in cases like that”.
- Mortality only pays if the horse dies.
- Major medical would pay part of you vet bills, after meeting the deductible, but it wouldn’t compensate for the horse being out of work
- Loss of use would only pay if the horse is permanently unusable, AND you sign the horse over to the insurance company.
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Pay the farrier, he came and he put in time. But you can definitely find a new one going forward if you’re not happy.
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Add me to the crowd that says - Pay the farrier!
Also expect to pay your own vet bill when you come to the barn and find your horse has an injury that was likely caused by some other horse in turnout.
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Wouldn’t the horse need a trim at 6 weeks regardless of whether it was being worked or not? Shod or barefoot?
It sounds like the farrier offered to put shoes back on, you took his advice and it didn’t work. That’s horses. I don’t wait to pay my vet bill to see if hock injections or ulcer treatment worked to my liking before paying up. Once you agreed to have him try shoes again, I feel like you are obligated to pay.
If you are not happy with this guy then pay up and move on. No shame there. But to not pay at all? Don’t think these guys don’t talk to each other.
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Pay the farrier. If you decide to change farriers, don’t bad mouth the old one or you may find yourself high and dry without one. Not saying you would, but the farriers around here (maybe it’s different in your area) are a tight knit group and don’t take well to such things and word gets around.
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You always, always should pay your bill. Vet, farrier or any person can always make a mistake. If you’re not comfortable with this farrier going forward, find a new one. But pay.your bill. If you have to ask strangers online, you already know the answer.
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Loss of use is not for cases like this.
With loss of use, first the insurance company will tell your your equitation horse is a mare so you could be using her as a broodmare, and secondly before you collect a penny you have to give them the horse.
At least that’s what I was told when an actual insurance agent said “Never get this insurance.”
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And, under the couple of loss of use cases that I’ve seen (with other boarders), when you “give” the insurance company the horse under the loss of use clause, the horse was immediately euthanized.
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If you’re getting x-rays anyway, I suggest going over the x-rays with the farrier to see if they can suggest doing anything differently now that they see what they are dealing with. It’s unfair to expect a perfect trim/shoe job if the farrier hasn’t seen x-rays of the feet. It’s a frustrating experience but I agree that we often throw money out the window when we are trying to figure out why a horse is lame or sick. I hope you’re able to find the solution!
Good to know!
