Testing a New Farrier?

[Equkelly]

@luvmycabanaboy

I’ve also never known a farrier who is particularly amenable to criticism from the owner

In fairness, if you think you know more than your farrier, you probably need a new farrier. I’m not saying that you don’t know more than the farrier, but if you find yourself in that boat either 1) you really do know more than the farrier which means your farrier sucks and you need a new one. Or 2) you don’t know more but have such little trust in their skills that you feel you need to correct them. In either situation, it’s not a good fit. Same thing with trainers, or vets, or doctors, or lawyers or any other skilled profession.

That’s not to say I don’t discuss things with my farrier. For example if my horse is forging I’m definitely going to tell them about it for next time so he has all the info he needs to fix the problem.

[Obsidian_Fire]

Have you asked your vet for recommendations? Who do they use for corrective work? Find the farrier supply closest to you, call them for a list of names and numbers. That is how I found my current guy. I got several names, some I was able to find an online presence for, I called them all, and I interviewed them - at my barn. I had them come out and look at my mare, talk with me face to face about what I was seeing. I also had films to back me up. I had them give me their thoughts on how to proceed and I wasn’t shy about pressing them about working WITH my vet.