Farriers

They don’t get enough credit. I saw a post the other day on Facebook, someone was looking for a ‘good, cheap farrier’. You can imagine the comments that came after, most were attacking the person that wrote it, some were tagging their farriers, and others like myself kept to themselves and kept scrolling. If you’ve owned horses for any amount of time, you have had your share of this topic being discussed. For me, I believe if you have a farrier that keeps your horse sound it shouldn’t matter what they charge.
The other day a lady that I know had her gelding trimmed by her farrier and he went lame on all four in a matter of minutes. The farrier tried to blame it on everything under the sun but when it all came to the surface, they admitted they cut him too short. He’s now on bute, padded soles, and won’t be able to be ridden for weeks. What a shame. And when I asked her if she’d continue using this farrier her response was, ‘yes, it’s only $45 for a trim’. Owning a horse is expensive but there are certain things you don’t go cheap on, and their feet are one of them.
I know when I clean my horse’s hooves out my back hurts, so there is no way I could stand under a horse everyday even if it was a balmy 75 degrees with a light breeze. Even if it was the best of circumstances that is a labor of love that I’ll let my farrier take care of. I believe it comes down to being as educated as you can but also realizing your farrier has probably been under more horses than you’ve ever ridden or will ride in your entire life. With that being said, never take your farrier for granted, offer them water, bake them cookies, say thank you, and when they are there on time make sure your horse is caught, cleaned, and ready. Farriers get a bad name for being late but most of the time it’s because someone before you didn’t have their horses caught, or traffic was a nightmare driving across the county to get to you.
Thanks for coming to my ‘Ted Talk’.