New Farrier - What do you ask?

[LadyB]

When you’re looking for a new farrier, what are some questions you ask?

I’ve looked up their work, which to me looks really good, but I am of course no professional.

My current farrier, I have to chase down to even get a scheduled date, usually starts with a pre-week text to him, then many follow up texts. Chasing your farrier is rather irritating, which then I don’t know a time until the day of. This does not work for my OCD need for scheduling. I’ve managed to make it work for 2 years, but just can’t when the foot itself starts to constantly look like poop. I feel like the horses are slightly treated like science projects. Two years in, we shouldn’t still be needing to make drastic changes.

The new farrier I am interested in, I’ve googled, he is part of the American Association of Professional Farriers. I have requested his price list. He offered to come by and just chat and discuss the horses needs, which I really liked the idea of that.

What else would you be asking?

[EventingMaff]

Things that matter to me:

1. scheduling in advance
2. minimized no-show / rescheduling
3. online invoicing and billing
4. philosophy on partnering / collaborating with vet or other practitioners

I ask how far in advance they schedule, how often they typically need to shift their schedule around, and how they do their invoicing / billing. I also ask which vets they typically work with most often or have the strongest relationships with (I also ask my vet if they know the farrier / have worked with them before)

My farrier sends me an invoice within 24 hours of shoeing and in that invoice is the date and time of my next appointment. Occasionally she moves the time around on me, but always within that day and typically with several hours notice by text message.

As for the vet relationship - any farrier of mine needs to firmly believe that collaborating with a vet is the right approach. My vet and farrier share and discuss foot xrays and come up with a game plan together on any shoeing changes. I wouldn’t work with a farrier that doesn’t take vet input and I wouldn’t work with a vet that tries to dictate to a farrier…both have an expertise and should recognize the expertise the other brings to the table.

As for quality of work…I know very little about feet so I rely on word of mouth and others who know more (e.g. vets) to tell me who is good vs bad quality of work.

[Amy3996]

Definitely make sure they’re willing and able to work with your vet (and vice versa). Sometimes your vet can have helpful insight if they’ve worked with other clients who use the same farrier, so it may be worth a call to your vet as well.

I also ask what their usual turnaround time is in the event of a slipped/lost shoe. Are they so busy that it could be a week or more before they can come out to attend to something like that, or are they generally pretty flexible?

Do they work with glue-ons in the event they were necessary?

[JB]

I never thought about asking their willingness to work with a vet - good question!

I would ask for references.

Does he have a website? Look at pictures. Not just “see what this horse’s feet look like now”, but before and afters of some challenging feet. Lots of farriers can maintain feet, especially when they are genetically good to start. Lots of those can’t fix feet that need more than basic corrections.

100% advance scheduling. I still am shocked there are farriers who just want you to call them when it’s time. No.

[punchy]

If you’ve got thoroughbreds, I would ask if they do thoroughbreds. I’ve learned the hard way there are some farriers that may be perfectly fine for some but can’t deal with TB feet.

[SharonA1]

I would ask yourself, and then ask the farrier, how much conversation is within both your and the farrier’s comfort zone, vs. powering in and out without alot of talk.

I like to hear reports on how my horse’s feet are doing, what the farrier (or hoof trimmer, as Himself is barefoot) has to say about this trend or that trend, thoughts on diet, comments on any particular ridges or flares, etc. So, I feel happier with someone who is willing to chat with me, vs. a farrier who just leaves the invoice with no comments. Others prefer someone who just gets the job done, without any conversation.

[Spudsmyguy]

I’m always there when my farrier comes out so if there’s anything we need to discuss or questions I may have he’s more than willing to chat. He is very on top of things and if he’s going to be late (or early), I get a text. Also, we always schedule the next appointment when he’s finished and I pay on completion. He shoes a lot of competition horses so I’m sure he and the vet(s) have collaborated. He deals with my less than enthusiastic TB who has to be sedated to do his hind feet. I swear he has the patience of Job.

[candyappy]

Scheduling for the next appointment ( before he leaves) is the only thing I asked my farrier about when he started working on my horses.

I am always there for my horses getting done , I pay in cash at the time of service so any issues/ concerns ( if there are any) are taken care of during the visit.

[JB]

@punchy

If you’ve got thoroughbreds, I would ask if they do thoroughbreds. I’ve learned the hard way there are some farriers that may be perfectly fine for some but can’t deal with TB feet.

For me, if he “can’t do TB feet”, I don’t want him. There are plenty of non-TB horses who end up with “TB feet” either because of a large % of TB blood (lots of papered QHs who might as well be TB, lots of WBs with high % of TB, etc) or who drew the genetic short-straw

Breed shouldn’t come into play, unless it’s a draft as some farriers just won’t work on drafts out of principle (or minis)

[LadyB]

Thank you all!

I’ve been asking around to see if anyone has heard good or bad news about this farrier. So far only good news coming back. Found a fellow rider who is also using this farrier and asked about their experience. Luckily very honest person.

I did ask about scheduling as this is my biggest issue with my current farrier.

I am 98% of the time there for the appointment. I love to ask questions and learn during the appointments. I am told he likes to explain what he’s doing, and will show you how and why, which is absolutely perfect.

My current farrier, 2 years in, we seem to still be “adjusting” and that just seems odd to me at this point. My horse is a TB, not the best feet, not the most growth, 2 years to me, seems like a long time of still working with a foot. He had a heel in April, now its completely underrun and long in the toe. Frustrating and time to move on.

[LovieBird]

Just chiming in to say I’m currently going through something similar- can’t get a concrete day or time from my farrier! His work is ok, but I don’t fully trust his work. I feel like he’s dismissive of my concerns.

Side note: I’m always there to make sure my horse is at in the crossties at the time of service, make sure my horse stands still, fly spray my horse so he doesn’t fidget and pay immediately. Not sure what else I could do to get better service.

Glad to hear I’m not the only one who gets this kind of treatment.

[Weezer]

I’d ask where they trained and how frequently they attend clinics to stay current on new developments in the field. If they are not attending clinics at least once a year, they are not keeping up. I would also ask some questions to determine their motivation to be a farrier - do they have a passion for helping horses, or are they just out to hose riders who know nothing about hoof care? I think it also helps to have a farrier who rides or is somehow involved in watching horses move. Many farriers never see the horses move more than a few steps. My farrier has been known to ask a horse be tacked up and ridden so she can see how the horse is moving.

[Weezer]

Good comment about the policy on lost shoes. My farrier comes out ASAP to nail back lost shoes and doesn’t charge for it because she believes that if she did her job properly, a shoe should not come off.

[trubandloki]

@Weezer

or are they just out to hose riders who know nothing about hoof care?

I can so hear this conversation:
Horse owner: Why did you become a farrier?
Farrier: I could not think of a way to hose riders who know nothing about hoof care that did not involve back breaking work that risked my life on a daily basis, so I picked being a farrier.

[LadyB]

The amount of farriers with no education behind their career in my area is insane. It’s scary. Hard to find the really good ones.

My current one is actually very decorated and continues to educate himself. I’m sad it’s going downhill as there has been definite improvement, but the wheels are really starting to fall off. I’m also just tired of fighting scheduling. I try to be extremely accommodating, horses are in, clean, fly sprayed or mud wiped off. Getting a text the night before or the day of with the time, while I work an office job is not easy to just say, oh hey I need to leave work because I got a last minute appointment. That’s not acceptable and unfair to everyone.

[cnd8]

Bingo. My farrier calls my 16.1, 1400 lb AQHA gelding a TB because there’s so much racing blood in him, he might as well be one, as far as feet are concerned. He has also completely transformed my horses feet and they look incredible.

[Spudsmyguy]

My farrier has about 6 horses of his own and rides a fair bit. He also has a full time job working for a large aerospace manufacturer so being a farrier is not his main gig. He went to the Oklahoma School to become a farrier and is very good at his job. He watches the horse move before and after shoeing is careful and I’ve never seen him lose it on a horse (like someone I could mention who used to be the show farrier for the Nat’l Horse Show when it was still at the Garden).

[gallop_jump]

A lot of the things I would ask are already here (lost shoe policy, payment, scheduling, vet relationships, training). I’d also ask their policy on holding vs. cross ties. I’d also make sure their view on turnout and horse care aligns well enough with yours.

[MsM]

For me, a willingness to work with a vet and to explain things to me (but not endlessly!) tops my list. You may not need it now, but you never can tell and I think it says a lot about a farrier if they can collaborate with other professionals.

I have known my farrier off and on since he began (I used to board at his family’s farm) so I knew his character. Over the years he has become highly skilled educated and sought after. Still, the first thing I asked my vet when I found out my horse needed corrective shoeing if he had successfully worked with this farrier. Happily, they have successfully worked together many times and have mutual respect. The only thing I dont like is that he doesnt schedule much ahead so I always have to send text reminders. My horse is often off-schedule from the others at the barn so I am grateful to get him to come and take great care of just my horse at times. He does have assistants who can also come and usually are very quick about thrown shoes.

I learned with a previous horse that it can be a major roadblock if the professionals dont work well together and get into the blame game. Both the vet and farrier were difficult personalities. I ended up changing both in order to get a coherent plan and progress!