Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Here at Barnstaple Equestrian Supplies we have produced a blog for you which are the Top tips to keep your farrier happy with your horses or ponies hooves. 

Top tips to keep your farrier happy Horse farriers trim hooves, shoe horses, address injuries and congenital deformities. They can repair broken hooves, correct abnormalities resulting from overuse or previous jobs done wrong, and can correct any shoeing issues a horse may be experiencing. Top tips to keep your farrier happy 

Top tips to keep your farrier happy Keeping your farrier happy is crucial for the health and well-being of your horse, as well as for maintaining a good working relationship. Here are some Top tips to keep your farrier happy and ensure your farrier is pleased and motivated to provide the best care for your horse: Top tips to keep your farrier happy

1. Timely Appointments:

   • Regular Scheduling: Schedule regular appointments and stick to them. Avoid last-minute changes or cancellations.
   • Be Punctual: Ensure you and your horse are ready at the agreed-upon time. Your farrier’s time is valuable.

2. Proper Horse Handling:

   • Calm Environment: Provide a calm and safe environment for both the horse and the farrier.
   • Good Training: Ensure your horse is properly trained to stand still and behave well during the farrier's visit. Practice picking up and holding your horse's feet.

3. Cleanliness:

   • Clean Hooves: Clean your horse's hooves before the farrier arrives. Remove any mud, manure, or bedding.
   • Tidy Area: Keep the working area clean and free of obstacles or hazards. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

4. Proper Facilities:

   • Safe Work Space: Provide a well-lit, dry, and level working area. Ensure there is enough space for the farrier to work comfortably.
   • Weather Protection: If possible, offer a sheltered area to protect from adverse weather conditions.

5. Health Considerations:

   • Sound Horse: Inform the farrier of any health issues or lameness in advance.
   • Vet Coordination: If necessary, coordinate with your veterinarian to address any hoof-related health issues.

6. Respect and Communication:

   • Be Respectful: Treat your farrier with respect and appreciate their expertise.
   • Communicate Clearly: Discuss any concerns or changes in your horse’s behavior or hoof condition. Provide feedback and ask for advice when needed. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

7. Payment and Professionalism:

   • Prompt Payment: Pay your farrier promptly and according to your agreed terms. Avoid delayed payments or haggling over fees.
   • Professional Courtesy: Show professional courtesy by acknowledging the farrier’s hard work and dedication.

8. Additional Support:

   • Assistance: Be available to assist if needed, such as holding the horse or fetching tools.
   • Hydration and Comfort: Offer water or refreshments, especially during long or difficult appointments.

The Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Top tips to keep your farrier happy

By following these tips, you’ll create a positive and productive environment for your farrier, ensuring they can do their best work for your horse. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Top tips to keep your farrier happy

To shoe or not to shoe?

The topic of shoeing horses has been one of great debate over the years, and one that will likely continue to split sides in years to come, though the paradigm is certainly shifting in the direction of not shoeing. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

From a historical standpoint, horse shoeing became popularized out of necessity. Once domesticated, horses were commonly used as a primary mode of transportation and as farm laborers, and this workload demanded some type of protection from the rigorous abuse horses’ hooves were taking on a daily basis; hence, the introduction of the horseshoe, and with it was born the need for horse farriers. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

However, the industrial revolution and technological advances have made it so that horses are more commonly used for sporting or recreational purposes which by comparison are far less taxing on the animals’ feet. As a result, fewer and fewer owners are calling local horse farriers, instead opting to go with a more natural approach to horse hoof care and allowing their horses to barefoot it, or go without any shoes at all. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Why Shoe your horse?

Allowing a horse to go without any shoes at all is a practice now known as barefooting, and many modern equestrians prefer this approach due to its natural appeal and risk reduction associated with poor shoeing or a botched shoeing job. Nothing is worse than watching a horse’s decline if forced to suffer with poor footwork. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Though the trend is certainly shifting in the direction of barefooting, there are still special circumstances that see horses much healthier, and much happier, when they are equipped with shoes. Horses with a tremendous workload, for example, or horses that reside in icy, colder climates may still need protection for their feet, and many individuals do still utilize the common horseshoe, but there are alternatives such as specialized boots, and the practice of gluing shoes on that many advocates argue is far more humane and far safer than driving nails into the hooves of their horses. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

And even though fewer people are opting for the traditional horseshoe, that by no means makes the job of the horse farrier obsolete. Horse farriers are still utilized for trimming and shaping purposes, horse farriers are still called upon to address a variety of hoof injuries horses experience in the ring or on the trail, and horse farriers are certainly sought after for their expertise and knowledge base in simply providing horses with a higher quality of life. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

How to Prepare a Horse for the Horse Farrier?

Much like trailer loading, handlers must prepare horses for their first visit from the horse farrier. These sessions need not be excessively time-consuming, but they are necessary to train a horse to set them up for success. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

The sequence and scope is essentially hierarchical, as one skill builds upon the next, skills that will naturally translate into a variety of other tasks. Of course, leading is the first skill, as a horse will need to be led to the location where he will be handled by his new horse farrier. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Tying and standing is also essential if the farrier is to be able to work on the prospect. Horses will need to have experience being tied and being capable of standing relatively still for an extended period of time. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Preparing Your Horse to Lift His Feet

There are several key considerations to bear in mind as you are working with your horse to train him to lift his feet. Of the utmost importance is patience. Like any exceptional training protocol, the process should be seamless. Horses, like humans, all learn at their own pace, and it is the handler’s job to adjust to this pacing. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Begin with desensitization, being able to stand proximate to the legs, gradually touching to placing small amounts of pressure on, to actually lifting the legs to prop the hooves on your knee or thigh. Top tips to keep your farrier happy

Top tips to keep your farrier happy