Farrier/ Trimmer Arrangements

Flipo's Mum

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
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Perthshire, Scotland
Just nosey really, are you around when your trimmer/farrier comes to do your horse? Is he on livery and one farrier comes for all horses on that yard? Does your yo do it for you?
I had to nip out of work for 2 hours yesterday (long lunch) to drive 30 minutes home to meet trimmer, had to don trackies over my work trousers, stick wellies and big jacket on so as not to get muddy/dirty, then shove Flip back in the field and bomb back to work.
I remember when I was a kid my dad used to grab one of his employees out our shop and get them to help bring my ponies back to our house so the farrier could come while my sis and I were at school.
Just wondered, most people (I think?!) work during the day but thats when farriers/trimmers come, so we must have to do something to accommodate them. Do you invite him/ her for a cuppa? Do you always have to take the day off work?

Didn't think this was really shod/barefoot hoof topic, more just general horse care stuff but please move if its in the wrong place mods. (sorry!)
 
I'm always there, but that's b/c I'm not working at the moment. Also, his (current) farrier has now shod Kal twice and knows him, his feet and his idiosyncracies.

Fact is, though, that once I'm back at work I'll be paying YO (or calling in favours from fellow liveries) to bring him in/be there.

I'd make an exception for the vet or farrier for anything that wasn't routine . . . so lameness, illness, etc. Then I'd defo want to be with him to hear everything first hand.

No . . . we don't have one farrier/vet/dentist/chiro person . . . but we do try and double up with each other when we can. And, no, YO doesn't organize (although she does organize teaching clinics, NH demos, etc.).

Yes, I do make them tea/coffee and if I'm feeling extra generous I buy biscuits ;)

Hope that helps.

N
 
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I usually arrange Farrier for when I am there! I work nights so on many occasions get up and go to yard then back home for a couple more hours :sleep:

It is easier for me to be flexible, however if I can't be there YO will bring horses in for him but he will have to pick their feet out himself :giggle:

He has arrived before whilst I have been out riding (he was early!) and dragged the Scruffy one out and started her already so he is well trained :bounce:

I have stopped offering hot drinks as he has never accepted and has bottles of water with him.
 
As I have the horses and donkeys at home mine just rings me 20 minutes before he is going to be here so I can get them in. But he would be happy to get them in and do if I couldnt be here for any reason - BUT that does not apply to the donkeys - they all need careful catching, careful handling and I wouldnt trust him not to get a bit rough if they played up and I wasnt around to tell him off!:giggle:

When I lived in England and still worked my farrier would often get them in and do them for me - but both Solomon and Peggy were saints to handle and shoe and they knew him well.
 
Ive always been there for my farriers visits, i always arrange then on my day off. When my two were in for the summer he said it wouldnt matter if i wasnt there because he'd just get them out and do them for me and then put them back in. He has been doing them for a long time now and knows their personalities.Oh and i never pick their feet out either - i leave that to him :)
he always has a cup of coffee and biscuits though.
At my yard we have lots of different farriers, but thats useful because if any one loses a shoe the visiting farrier will put it back on for a fiver.
 
My farrier comes to me on a saturday, probably worth his while as I have four to do.

I am always there, no YO. We all have different farriers, three come to the farm.

I don't provide tea/coffee for him, be nice if he brought me one.:giggle:
 
I don't work and my horsey time is weekdays whilst hubby and daughter are at work and school so this is great for meeting my farrier.

I always make them a cup of hot chocolate and have a good old gossip about feet, familes and putting the world to rights. He gived me a 1/2 hour window in which to expect him and is NEVER late. Having said that he was once due to an emergency but he rang in good time.
 
if he comes on a saturday then ill be there but most the time im at school, unless its a monday or alternate Wednesdays when i finish at 1.05 :biggrin: so ill occasionally be there, or holidays. but other than that YO brings them in for me (we dont have to pay), minnie will stay in her night paddock to make it easier but annie will be in field

its also the YO who books the farrier as out of the 8 horses on the yard, he sees 7 of them, although saying that the YO rings him to say we would like him to visit and he will say when he can come, some days he will literally ring the day before!
 
Oh thats a point JC, is your trimmer or farrier late, early or otherwise?
Mine has been early on every occasion and calls me 45 minutes before he's coming to check that's ok and gives me time to get out there. I love it!
 
i always try to arrange for my EP to come on one of my fridays off (in the morning so that i can still have a lesson in the afternoon!). Only once in almost 3 years i have not attended, and that was because we went to Burghley Horse Trials! But to be honest he knows my horses so well now that i trust him to handle them well and that they will behave for him.

All the yard seem to be happy to have the farrier come whenever they are not there and to shoe without them or even the YO being there.

I like to be there for a catch up with Tom and also to know how their hooves are!

My EP is generally always spot on time wise, and sometimes i offer a cuppa but mostly i forget!
 
I generally take a half day off work (preference for Friday afternoons :D). Others have occasionally dealt with them when I've been on a yard, but I've always preferred being there myself - my old horse could get quite anxious about the whole thing so I didn't like asking people to handle him.

I'm used to farrier visits being either an educational hour or so about trimming and shoeing, or a very bizarre hour with some very strange topics of conversation, or a combination of the two. I wouldn't want to miss it now (not that I have a choice).

As for food - I think I've got the best deal there as my farrier has been known on a few occasions to turn up with cakes :D
 
Mmm I prefer to be there - both can be nightmares when so desired with regards to their feet. Trimmer did do them last time without me, but had a few teething issues :giggle:.

She is always within the half hour of agreed time, but we are miles away from her. I also enjoy a full hour/hour and a half of feet chat, and ask a hundred and one dopey questions!

I never remember tea etc as I dont drink it - and I dont have mains leectric so it means a flask and such :)
 
Farrier will often come on a Saturday, but if he can't then I'm happy for him to do the job without me there.

I'm always there for trims though :D
 
My original farrier has just emigrated but the new lad who's taken ove his rounds is lovely and although I don't work at present I can be there to meet him I would have no qualms about leaving him to do him himself if I couldnt be there.
 
My farrier is usually early although there have been two occasions when he didn't turn one; the first being when he was in a bad car accident, was in hospital for a few days & broke some ribs. The second was recently due to some kind of emergency & he did phone (albeit quite late) in a bit of a panic about it.

I'm not usually there when he is & I get (and pay) YO to sort Roxy out for me. Sometimes, particularly in summer or if I haven't seen him for a while, I'll take a half day off work (hopefully on a Friday afternoon & a weekend I'm not working!)

When RI was on the yard she had her horses seem him too so she would grab Roxy for me. I also try to tie in the farrier with the dentist & if so I take leave from work to see and speak with them both.

Good post FM! :biggrin:
 
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