I don’t tip at every appointment, but I do tip at the holidays.
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Now, I tip the cost of a visit at Christmas time. When I was in college and on a tight budget, I’d pick up a $25 gift card for gas or the local farm supply store. My farrier has always been appreciative regardless.
He’s really a great human as well as a wonderful farrier - drove in late one night when I was riding after class because he saw the lights on in the indoor from the road and wanted to make sure everything was all right. Came out early in the morning on the day I euthanized my old horse to pull his shoes because he knew I wanted to keep them but didn’t want my boy to be uncomfortable overnight without his shoes if he came the day prior.
I try to do little things during the rest of the year - hot coffee or tea in the winter, a cold smoothie in the summer.
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I do not tip my farrier or my vet. They charge like the professionals they are and I pay them like the professionals they are.
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Agreed
I don’t tip business owners who set their own prices. Maybe a small gift, but that’s it. Barn staff, on the other hand, all get a nice cash gift at Christmas.
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At the cost of their bodies. There’s a reason they charge so much - when’s the last time you saw a 65 year old farrier still working? 
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i will be tipping my farrier this Holiday Season thanks to this post. I think 100$ will do.
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I love my old farrier, but I fall in with the other posters who do not tip, per se. I trust my professionals to set their price high enough to ensure they’re making money on my horse - and because I had a single horse and therefore wasn’t a high priority, I expect to be “fit in” wherever he can in terms of routine appointments.
That said, I made sure to be present for all appointments and to have the horse fly-sprayed and ready to go when he got there. I was usually first appointment of the day, and in the winter I’d bring him a hot chocolate and in the summer an iced tea. I paid promptly at the end of the visit. If he was disappointed in the lack of tip, it sure never reflected in his service. I think he mainly appreciated the fact that I wasn’t a crazy person who constantly second-guessed his work!
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I always pay a little extra to cover my guy’s gas and extra time since I just have one horse and I know it’s not the greatest deal for him. A Christmas card and 25 to dunkin is the usual holiday from me
+1.
I’m not into gift giving/receiving because my house is cluttered and I bet other people’s are too. My family being really bad at picking gifts for me didn’t help, everything either was returned (hassle) or became clutter. Oh, and a lack of Christmas spirit since my mother died on Dec 1. (not recently)
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My tip for my farrier is: My horse is always in, feet are clean, someone is holding her, and for shoeing (as opposed to a trim) she is sedated. I pay by check right after he is done. I’m an excellent customer, he is an excellent farrier.
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I definitely tip my farrier. He is the only one in the area I think does decent work and the horse’s feet have improved markedly since the switch. I am the only one in the barn who uses him so he is always coming out just for me.
If he comes to tack on a shoe I add $25 to whatever he charges (I think it’s like $20 or something, but the horse has not pulled a shoe since I first called him out to tack one on and made the switch).
Normal shoeing is $200. Lately he has been injured and came with a friend of his who physically did the work while he supervised; I added $50 because I know he has to pay his friend somehow.
Will also tip for Xmas, $100 cash with a card, and maybe some Pepperidge Farm cookies if I can get my mcshizzle together at Wegmans.
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I’ve never tipped my farrier. It’s actually never occurred to me to do so. But I have given him homemade goodies and on one occasion a gift card to a local eatery that I knew he liked. He gave me a bottle of my favorite vodka because I had referred him to two other people and thet have been using him now for years.
The farrier was out on Christmas Eve. I’m so glad for this thread - as a new horse owner I would not have thought of it otherwise. Thanks to this thread, I had a card with a GC and lotto ticket, value approx the same as a trim for my mare. I arrived and set the card on his truck while he was working - he said thanks and kept on going. He saw to three horses (one shod, two trims). It was a gorgeous day and we all stood around outside chatting for a little while after as he had no where else to go for work that day and we’re not doing much of anything due to covid restrictions. Then he packed up, said “Holiday special, no charge today ladies” and that was that. I would have felt terrible if I hadn’t brought him a card with a token of appreciation in it!
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What a nice example of people being kind. Well done all of you. 
I think we become happier people when we make an effort to be kind.
I didn’t tip my farrier on a regular basis, a six pack of beer once in a while, but always something for the holiday season.
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I’m so glad to hear this question helped other people 
THat’s worth the price of admission right there!
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