Choose A Certified Farrier

There Are 2 Principle Keys To

 Success For Your Horse

1) Regular Farrier Care

2) Choosing A Certified Farrier

    Choosing a Farrier to provide hoof care for your horse is one of the most important decisions you will make for the well-being of your horse. Improper hoof care can lead to injury or lameness, and may reduce your horse’s chance to reach its full potential.

   You should choose your Farrier in a systematic and educated way to assure that you will obtain the services of the Farrier who will best fill your needs, and the needs of your horse. This decision should not be left until you have an emergency. The most experienced and best trained Farriers' often have a schedule of clients and have a waiting list of owners who are interested in having them provide hoof care for their horse.

  The use of only price or availability as a guideline may lead to unsatisfactory work, and is best avoided. The perfect Farrier does not exist, but you should be able to find one to fill your needs.

What Makes A Good Farrier

Education

    A proper and complete education is the key to becoming an accomplished professional. Many Farriers attend schools to increase their knowledge and skills.

    Pride

    A Farrier should be a true craftsman, one who has genuine interest and pride in his work.  He should look at each hoof that he prepares and shoes as one that will bear his trademark and demonstrate the quality of his work.  A keen Farrier wants to keep informed of the latest research and developments in hoof care technology.  A Farrier that does not stay updated is outdated.

    Good Time Management

    A Farrier must usually be the secretary, accountant, and chief laborer in his small operation, he must be a good business manager.  Time is one of his most valuable assets and it must be properly managed.  In order to be successful, a Farrier must be organized when making and keeping appointments. 

     Knowledge Of Horse's

    In order to get along with the variety of horses belonging to clients, a Farrier must understand and be comfortable using standard methods of horse handling.  Although a Farrier needs to remain flexible to the different ways of doing things at various barns, he should never consent to work in unsafe conditions or work on an untrained or unmannerly horse.  A big part of his being a good horseman is knowing when to say NO when a client presents an unruly horse for him to shoe.

    Communication Skills

    Story telling is not a prerequisite to being a good horse shoer but being able to explain hoof care principles and management to owners is important.  You should be able to ask your Farrier what thrush is and get a thorough, intelligent, and accurate answer.  Although your Farrier doesn't have the time to teach you everything he has learned, he should be able to give you a good answer and then refer you to books or articles that deal with the topics that concern or interest you.

Appropriate Skill Level

   Just as there are all levels of horsemen, there are all levels of practicing horse shoer's as well - from very basic, self-taught individuals to highly educated Farriers.  Horses with abnormal hoof problems will require the experience and skilled Farrier.  When an inexperienced Farrier is faced with quarter cracks, run-under heels, laminitis, or navicular syndrome, he may not know what to do or  what he may try may make the situation worse.
     The greater the performance demands are on a horse, the more precise his shoeing needs to be.  The backyard pleasure horse with normal hooves may get along very well with shoes put on by a Farrier who has only very basic (but acceptable) skills.  However, when that horse is headed into the barrel-racing arena, over a hunter course, or on an endurance ride, his shoeing requirements will become much more specialized.

Horse Owner Responsibility versus Farrier Responsibility

    Horse Owner Responsibility:

1. Make appointments one to two weeks in advance and keep them.
2. Have the horse caught and held in a dry, accessible area.
3. Provide a good safe place to work - level, dry, plenty of light and shade if hot.
4. Be available to hold the horse.
5. Handle the horse’s feet regularly. Keep them free of disease and teach them to stand quietly for shoeing.
6. Inform the Farrier of any behavioral or foot problems the horse may have.
7. Have the horse’s feet clean and dry before the Farrier arrives.
8. Take care of your horse. Schedule a re- shoeing before the hooves become over grown. Realize shoeing is a regular event.
9. Pay the Farrier for services rendered.
10. Be loyal to your Farrier. Remember the best Farrier available is the cheapest in the long run.

The Farriers' Responsibilities:

1. Schedule appointment and keep it.
2. Use professional language and tact.
3. Be prepared to present an invoice for services rendered. Explain fees and credit terms.
4. Look for ways to improve and become more efficient.
5. Studying Farrier Science in depth and keep posted on the trade. Educate the owner at appropriate times.
6. Be well stocked and equipped for all types of shoeing.
7. Be pleasant and non critical of others work, horses, facilities and personalities.
8. Know your capabilities. Be honest with the owner. Don't be afraid to refer the horse to a more specialized Farrier or veterinarian. Admit your mistakes, everyone makes them.
9. Make an efficient job the foremost concern, rather than profit.
10. Pace yourself, take on only what you can accomplish.

    A horse's feet never stop growing.  Therefore optimal husbandry must include REGULAR HOOF MAINTENANCE.   While this fact might seem obvious, we often encounter horses which require damage control or therapeutic farriery because they have not been receiving hoof care from a qualified professional on a regular schedule.  Each horse has different hoof care needs which are determined by many factors including;

• Living environment.
• Performance and use requirements.
• Conformation and athletic ability.
• Hoof horn quality.
• Age.
• Rate of hoof growth.

    Please note that there is no schedule frequency on the list above.  This is because the combination all of these factors SHOULD determine how often your horse is scheduled for farrier service. Some farriers work appointments on a 6 or 8-week schedule.  This arbitrary time frame is based on convenience and financial considerations.   If a horse requires farrier service on a different schedule, then what?

    What if your horse's feet begin falling apart after 4 weeks, but your farrier will only come every 6 or 8 weeks?  When the farrier arrives it is no longer maintenance, now it is damage control.  However the damage cannot be controlled because the farrier cannot get ahead of the hoof growth cycle without showing up more often.  Showing up more often might be inconvenient and more costly.  But consider the cost to the horse!  If anything we are describing controlled neglect, which only serves the interests of arbitrary ignorance.

    We provide professional trimming and/or shoeing services custom tailored to your individual horse's needs.   We do not subscribe to a particular "brand name" shoeing or trimming methodology.  

• Determine your horse's real hoof care needs.
• Design a hoof care program according to the horse's criteria.
• Implement that program on a guaranteed schedule.
• Follow up and review the results of our work.
• Adapt or change the program based on our review.

    Simply stated, we know what we are doing because we are educated, experienced, fully qualified professionals.  Enhanced Hoof Power is the result of superior quality custom hoof care for each horse according to its individual needs.