Farrier Costs

[Lord_Helpus]

I have 5 horses:
3 of them have front shoes (nothing special about the shoes),

1 has “special needs” (careful trim and a wedge pad with a full round shoe that supports his suspensory, with a similar height shoe on the other hind foot so he moves evenly…

The 5th one has perfect feet, goes barefoot and requires minimal filing of his toes.

I have been paying $840 a month He comes out every 4 weeks

3 of the 4 are good citizens. The 4th gets a little antsy and needs to be held (as opposed to being crosstied.). We are always ready to handle him, so he is not a PITA.

I live in a horsey area, so travel time is negligible,

He spends 3+ hours doing my horses.

I am now paying $10,300 per year for my horses’ feet.

I am currently looking for another farrier and I want to make sure that my expectations are realistic.

[HiJumpGrrl]

Using a farrier that serves your area, I have paid:
$85 for front shoes only
$50 for a trim
$135 for 4 shoes with hinds drilled/tapped

She is not currently hot-fitted, but has been in the past. She is on a 4 wk schedule for the summer (we often go 5 in the winter). Horse is low maintenance and does not require special handling. Hope that helps.

[luvmyhackney]

When I boarded in the Raleigh area I paid:

40.00 barefoot trim - pony
85.00 for front shoes
160.00 for front shoes with pads and reg shoes on the back

On a 5-6 week schedule for 1 or 2 horses.

I have paid as much as 375.00 for a horse that needed special stuff all the way around every 5 weeks.

The farrier I used also went to the Southern Pines area.

[TCA_Arabians]

Here in SoCal, I pay $30/trim; $90 for four shoes, more for pads, etc. And, he’s a therapeutic farrier. Unless you’re doing something corrective - a four week cycle seems quick to me. We go 6-8 weeks. My guys are no longer in performance.

[candyappy]

4 weeks would barely give any time for much growth? If your farrier is punctual and can be scheduled so you keep them on time it might be more to your benefit to lengthen the time between visits-- not try another farrier.

Trims are $ 35-$ 40 here

Fronts-$ 50-$60 and I don’t know about all 4 in shoes or special needs. Prices depending on the farrier ( some are more) and I am lucky to have found an excellent one at a affordable price.

[EventerAJ]

For a really, really good farrier, I would estimate spending about $600-700 for what you describe. Perhaps you can still use him for the special needs horse, and see if he has an apprentice or associate to do the (cheaper) horses for less?

[tabula_rashah]

If I paid full price ( so love having a brother who is an awesome farrier), it would be $120 for each of the fronts, $45 for the trim and probably around $250-$300 for the other if you’re doing all the way around. I live in a fairly pricey horse area.

[NO-CTRL]

How on earth is that broken down?!?
Not much comparison as I’m in a different country but mine seems similar / slightly higher than some listed here
60 for a trim
120 for fronts
200 for all four with some pads or special shoe requirements.

840 for that is crazy expensive!

[WNT]

At various points in my last horse’s hoof maintenance routine, he ran anywhere from $40 for a trim, to $100 for basic fronts, to over $250 for bar shoes and pads up front and drilled and tapped all around.

This is is a nice little reminder that expense-wise, the odds of having a horse again, and possibly a pony, are slim to none.

[Peggy]

Southern California. I am currently paying $260 for four shoes, two of which are imported from France and come in their own individual plastic wraps.

[TMares]

It’s hard to break that all down, because you need to say what you’re paying for each horse. I paid $40 for a trim, 70 for front only 85 for all the way around, nothing special on any of them. 6 week schedule

[Simkie]

I have what I consider exorbitant farrier costs but it’s still under what you’re paying. We had a thread not that long ago “what do you pay for the farrier” (or something ”‹”‹”‹like that) and that might help provide additional perspective.

Using someone else for the four simple horses could be a great place to start, then decide if that person is suitable for your more complex horse.

[Amy3996]

I pay $140 for four standard shoes, $110 if just a trim and reset. Snow pads are an extra $20 in the winter.

[2DogsFarm]

I’ve had mine barefoot for so long - ~30yrs - with one exception for a 3mo round of front glue-ons & that was over 10yrs ago, I cannot quote shoeing costs.
I pay $30 for simple trims, every 6-8wks. Midwest pricing, but also discounted for being a longtime client.

Is there a reason the front-shod horses need shoes?
Could any of them go barefoot too?

IIWM, I’d probably keep the problematic horse with the present shoer & either lengthen the interval for the others or be honest, tell farrier he’s stretching the budget & ask for alternatives for the simpler jobs.

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹If you have a good working relationship that shouldn’t be bad form.
When my TB needed that round of glue-ons, my farrier (I’d been a client around 15yrs) suggested another guy as he was not proficient in that process.

[MoonWitch]

I just switched from my long time farrier (11yrs) who has been doing my horses as well as my boarders. He recently increased his prices from already higher than the average in the area, and I said enough is enough. He was good, but got a bit spoiled if you as me. We have a barn full of pleasure riders that have all barefoot, well behaved, no special needs horses. He was charging me (15 horses of my own and being the BO) $55 for trims. He was charging my boarders an average of $70-$125 depending on the horse for the same service. He told us a few months ago that he was increasing his prices and we warned him that we would have to look for a new farrier. He stated he wouldn’t since we are his biggest client and treat him well. Three months later, he starts to slowly increase the prices without any notice and we had to tell him that he just priced himself out of the barn.

I’m lucky that my area has an abundance of good farriers to choose from, so it was boggled my mind that he felt he could overcharge and get away with it. I’m now saving over $200 every seven weeks for my horses alone, plus my boarders are thrilled that I found a way to save them all between $30-$50 per visit.

[kande04]

@MoonWitch

I’m lucky that my area has an abundance of good farriers to choose from, so it was boggled my mind that he felt he could overcharge and get away with it. I’m now saving over $200 every seven weeks for my horses alone, plus my boarders are thrilled that I found a way to save them all between $30-$50 per visit.

I suspect that at least some farriers do that when they’ve taken on more than they can actually do and need to decrease their client base. Or at least that’s how I’d do it if I was a farrier with too many clients. I’d just keep the ones who were willing to pay more and let the rest go.

[MissAriel]

@MoonWitch

I just switched from my long time farrier (11yrs) who has been doing my horses as well as my boarders. He recently increased his prices from already higher than the average in the area, and I said enough is enough. He was good, but got a bit spoiled if you as me. We have a barn full of pleasure riders that have all barefoot, well behaved, no special needs horses. He was charging me (15 horses of my own and being the BO) $55 for trims. He was charging my boarders an average of $70-$125 depending on the horse for the same service. He told us a few months ago that he was increasing his prices and we warned him that we would have to look for a new farrier. He stated he wouldn’t since we are his biggest client and treat him well. Three months later, he starts to slowly increase the prices without any notice and we had to tell him that he just priced himself out of the barn.

I’m lucky that my area has an abundance of good farriers to choose from, so it was boggled my mind that he felt he could overcharge and get away with it. I’m now saving over $200 every seven weeks for my horses alone, plus my boarders are thrilled that I found a way to save them all between $30-$50 per visit.

@kande04

I suspect that at least some farriers do that when they’ve taken on more than they can actually do and need to decrease their client base. Or at least that’s how I’d do it if I was a farrier with too many clients. I’d just keep the ones who were willing to pay more and let the rest go.

Or he has a bunch (too many) specialized clients with a higher profit margin, or he just likes that type of work better
Or he is downsizing his client base and work load for personal reasons
Or you are a fair distance from the bulk of his other clients

There are other reasons for him to raise the rates, knowing you’d leave besides him being “spoiled” and “overcharging” you.

[MoonWitch]

@kande04

I suspect that at least some farriers do that when they’ve taken on more than they can actually do and need to decrease their client base. Or at least that’s how I’d do it if I was a farrier with too many clients. I’d just keep the ones who were willing to pay more and let the rest go.

He was totally shocked when we told him. I would be too if I were facing loosing a $16k a year barn that paid on time and had nice horses to work with. I would have kept us and gotten rid of all the small clients that were a pain to deal with but that’s just me. I know that he’s lost other accounts and he’ll probably loose more if he doesn’t want to adjust his prices to the going rate for the area.

[TMares]

@MoonWitch

He was totally shocked when we told him. I would be too if I were facing loosing a $16k a year barn that paid on time and had nice horses to work with. I would have kept us and gotten rid of all the small clients that were a pain to deal with but that’s just me. I know that he’s lost other accounts and he’ll probably loose more if he doesn’t want to adjust his prices to the going rate for the area.

Agreed. If he wants to drive more between clients, rather than set up shop for a day at your barn, that’s his prerogative. My farrier hasn’t raised my rates in a long while- he’s admitted to me that it’s the ones who get mad and run him off then hire him back? Their rates are a good bit higher than mine

[SonnysMom]

@MoonWitch out of curiosity who is your new farrier and who was your farrier? PM is fine or just initials for the old farrier. I just like to keep mental track of who is good in the area.