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What Not To Ask Your FarrierThere are a number of things that you as a horse owner will ask of your farrier. Primarily, showing up on time and performing the necessary work in a competent, courteous and professional manner. However, there are some things that farriers should not be expected to do. These will vary according to the individual, but generally, these "Don'ts" work to the benefit of the horse owner, horse and farrier. I would first suggest that you should never ask your farrier to work on your horse if you or someone appointed by you, with the authority to make on-the-spot-decisions regarding emergency care, is not present. Too many things can happen between the time you leave your horse in the barn, paddock or pasture and the farrier's arrival that may affect the farrier's ability to perform the work. If the horse has injured itself, gotten loose or is in the middle of an adverse reaction to a bee sting or snakebite, by not being there, you force the farrier to accept responsibility for whatever the outcome and that is not fair to either the farrier or your horse. Additionally, in case of an injury during the course of the farrier's work, who calls the vet or the emergency services if you aren't there? Anyone who has been around horses for any length of time knows how quickly bad things can happen and that not all accidents relating to horses are preventable. A fly bite, blowing debris or a ringing cell phone can all lead to disaster. Once again, you owe it to your horse and to your farrier to provide the safest work environment possible and that requires your presence. Your being there also eliminates the situation where the farrier is asked to catch and halter the horse. Taking care of a horse's feet does not start with being able to identify, locate, catch and halter a horse. You would be surprised how often someone will leave a note saying the horse to be trimmed is the brown one in the pasture. Nine times out of ten, by the time the farrier arrives, there is more than one brown horse, in more than one pasture and they all could use a trim. The result . a wasted trip for the farrier, the horse doesn't receive the care it needs and no one is happy about having to reschedule. In the busy season, a farrier may be booked as much as six to eight weeks in advance. Rescheduling can be a serious problem. A farrier allocates a certain amount of time for each appointment. Most farriers determine the amount of time to allow for an appointment based upon what the owner wants done to the horse and the farrier's knowledge of how long it takes him or her to do the desired work. A big factor in this scheduling is dependant on the farrier's experience with the horse or in the case of a new horse, the farrier's perception of the owners ability to covey exactly how well the horse is trained. Most farriers schedule a little extra time between appointments for the unexpected flat tire, cattle drive on the road or horses just having a bad day. This allows them to keep to their schedule and not be late to the next appointment and that person waiting for them to arrive on time. Asking the farrier to do just one more horse. If all is going well, then it is certainly appropriate to ask the farrier to work on a horse not on the schedule. Maybe the horse has returned unexpectedly from a trainer or boarding stable. I suggest telling the farrier as soon as they arrive that there is an additional horse needing work and seeing if there is room in the schedule for it that day. This lets you and the farrier determine what work, on which horses, there is time for and what, if anything, will have to wait. This approach is much easier than waiting until the farrier is loading up the truck and having someone ask, "Oh, by the way, Trigger needs his feet done before the show . and we're leaving as soon as you're done. So where do you want him?" If you're lucky, the farrier has enough of a cushion to squeeze in one more horse. If not the farrier has to make a choice. Stay and do this extra horse and be late to the next appointment or leave you in a lurch. This is a no-win situation for the farrier. Asking a farrier to change the way your horse travels is a normal part of what a farrier does. Toe-in, toe-out, forging, cross-firing and interfering are all common problems people face with their horses. However, one has to realize there are limits to what can be done to a hoof for corrective purposes without altering the safety and soundness of the horse. A farrier should be willing to listen to suggestions about correcting a perceived problem and be willing and able to explain why a certain technique may or may not be worth trying as well as being able to explain to the owner's satisfaction why the farrier doesn't believe a correction is necessary or would be beneficial to the horse. There are a couple of serious reasons not to ask a farrier to do something they don't want to do. It could be the farrier is reluctant to proceed because of personal experience with a similar situation that proved this technique inappropriate and/or harmful to the horse. On the other hand, it could be a simple matter of the farrier being unsure of how to proceed or how to perform certain tasks related to correcting the problem or in a worse case scenario, just not wanting to listen to someone else's opinion. Whatever the reasoning behind the farrier's decision to not do what you want them to do, the easiest solution is to find another farrier. Not because you are going to shop until you find someone who will blindly do what you want, but because asking a farrier to do something to a horse they are not comfortable doing, just doesn't make sense. Corrective trimming and shoeing is not part of every farrier's toolbox. It is a learned skill that comes only to those who actively seek it out. Asking someone to work beyond his or her capabilities is a precursor to disaster. It is better to find a farrier willing to work with you in finding a solution rather than pushing someone beyond their skill level resulting in possible injury to your horse. Disciplining a horse should be the sole responsibility of the owner. You decide if and when, what is needed and who makes the correction in response to a particular situation. If a farrier senses there is a problem that needs correcting, the owner is told and the correction is decided upon and made. It is no big deal. The important thing to remember is that any horse can be having a bad day. At some point it is easier to acknowledge this and reschedule the work rather than force the issue and possibly do irreparable harm to an otherwise well trained horse. Asking a farrier to accept certain quirks of a horse are also part of dealing with individual horses. My personal preference for what a horse can be doing during my work is pretty much anything that keeps it happy and cooperative while allowing me to complete the work. However, asking a farrier to accept the fact that the horse will try to bite, kick if the opportunity presents itself and otherwise display behavior of this nature and have the owner consider these activities unworthy of a correction is not going to help establish a long-term relationship. The same way a horse being allowed to rear and strike at the owner with no correction being made because, "He's just a little upset about having his feet trimmed and he probably won't bother you," is not going to convince any farrier it'll be worth it to try a to pick up its feet. Most farriers enjoy working with horses. They enjoy working for themselves and the freedom it allows them in how they conduct their business. And it is a business. Therefore, if you are experiencing a temporary interruption in your cash flow situation, a simple non-intrusive explanation goes a long way toward getting your horse taken care of and a payment schedule arranged. Waiting until the job is done to ask the farrier if they don't mind waiting for their money leaves the farrier with very few options. It's hard to un-trim a horse and while shoes can be pulled, most farriers would rather make a deal than be hard to deal with. After all, it is to the owner and farrier's benefit to work something out. The owner needs the horse trimmed and the farrier needs the owner's business to stay in business. Asking before the work is done, allows the farrier the opportunity to be part of the decision and not just the recipient of bad news. Asking is a very important part of the horse owner/farrier relationship. The owner asks the farrier for help in maintaining their horse's feet. The farrier asks the owner for their business. The horse asks to be treated well and for maybe a little treat now and then. I would ask that everyone enjoy a wonderfully safe riding season. Buz Riley - 2004 © Back To Buz Riley's Articles Home Page |
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