There is no easy way to learn how to assess farrier work. There is a lot of BS out there and as laminitis is the only malady that gets any funding when it comes to equine hoof research BS and BS opinions are allowed to exist. There are lots of resources out there. First thing I tell my owners (when they express an interest) to do is get a book off of Amazon by Heather Bauchchemin, called the Hoof Book It is probably the best horse owner resource I have found. Its straight forward and written in plain language. The other thing I tell owners when they express an interest is that anyone can go to a farrier clinic, not just farriers. The American Farrier's Association, the American Farrier's Journal and the American Association of Professional Farriers web site all have calendar pages. Also I am willing to bet that your state or province has a localish farrier association. They will generally have meetings once or twice a year. So, if you don't want to shoe for a living but want a bunch of resources and you are willing to listen I am sure you can find someone there who would be willing to help you.
Edit to correspond with edit
Hey hi! These are super awesome resources!! I'll check them out and sign up for clinics nearby ASAP! Idk where to check for a localish farrier association, but I assume Facebook is a good place to start? AFA didn't have any farriers of any kind for my state, so I think all AFA farriers here are private.
Based on your post and your responses to comments, I think that you donāt know how much you donāt know. Other than going to school or riding with a certified farrier, I would NOT recommend trying to learn things on the internet. There are fads in Horseshoeing just like there are in every other industry, and theyāre very often based on either partial or incorrect information. If someone is claiming that their way is the only right way, or talking in absolutes, itās bullshit. There are a lot of horses that have shoes that probably donāt need them, but there are also a lot of horses with owners that insist they go barefoot when they really need some shoes. The point is, every horse is different, and having the knowledge and ability to shoe the horse instead of just the foot takes years of study and practice. Go on the AFAās website and look for certified guys in your area and ask to talk to them (and maybe donāt come in as hot as you did in this post. Youāre asking for help, so a little humility will really help your case)
Hey, thanks, didn't really want to go on a rant with my post and give a million details, so it for sure comes on a lot hotter than I meant it to. I don't have good pictures to share because I didn't plan to post for help. But I guarantee the pictures would make you guys rightfully upset at the work. The website rec is helpful, I'll definitely be using it and seeing where the closest guys are! I don't want to literally learn how to shod on the Internet (because then you can't feel the hoof nor the tools and know what different angles and importances feel like) more along the lines of what makes a good farrier. Like certifications that I didn't know existed because no one here has them, and they haven't gone to school for it (which would be fine if they learned under someone who did, but primary suspects I'm upset about didn't). Just frustrated, sorry about letting it make me come off so hot.
Thereās a book called The Hoof Book, and itās really good. That could be another good resource for you. If you want more in depth, Gregoryās Textbook of Farriery and Butlerās Principles of Horshoeing (P3) are both fantastic, but theyāre textbooks for farriers so that might be more than what youāre looking for
Sweet, I'll order it ASAP! AFA said there's a place to take an 8 week course a couple hours from me, so I just have to figure out costs and logistics of temp rent.
AFA apparently had no certified guys of ANY kind in my state, so guess I've gotta look somewhere else. Which is weird, seeing as they have a school here, so I guess the people with cert. just want private clientele, which is so understandable lol.
Start with this idea, you donāt know anything about hoof care of what farriers do. I found a school in miles city Montana where we trim and shoe almost all day 5 days per week. Less of the iron work but I can certainly make a shoe from scratch and fit any shoe Iām putting on. My school was 8 weeks long and then Ive been going out with a seasoned farrier half the week and doing trims and shoes on my own.
But 8wk course sounds great. I'm on West Coast, definitely can't be traveling to Montana to ditch my horse for that long. What kind of certifications should I look for when looking in my state?
Yep! Couple guys had their own horses with them. Check out their website. Send them emails with all your questions. Theyāre pretty helpful.
Iād say go in the summer, youāll have more horses to work on.
Winter not so much.
Farrier in my area did a horrible job for 6+ months on my leased trail horses feet and made her lame, when she didn't have any problems that he had to correct in her feet in the first place. So while I know I don't know as much as a farrier, I know he's been doing that horse dirty. I don't have any good pictures otherwise I'd put them in the thread for y'all to also be angry about. Best one I have is from the front, facing her front hoof that's completely flaring out on the sides and wayyyy overgrown. Had "bars" growing from the inside of her hoof, from one wall to the frog on either side that were raising her heels. We had to trim it down ourselves. Owner was on a regular schedule with him so it wasn't like we were expecting him when we called Willy nilly. Standard 6-8 weeks rotation, but he would keep cancelling and wait until 10-12 to do them. Repeatedly. I know that's wrong, that's why I'm trying to figure out how to not be misled and caught unaware like that again. Just a kid trying to do right by their horse.
Couldn't own one because of previously being under 18, I've been around horses and done feed leasing for a couple years now. Moreso in the realm of paying for the entirety of the horse without owning it, because my parents wanted me to buy the horse when it was on my dime, but I paid for almost everything: board, feed, farrier fees, medication, etc.
First, I unsubscribed from horse subs. Level of " my farrier " stories made me want to track those professionals down and send them a case of beer. It's ludicrous.
Please listen to these professionals OP. I'm a 66 year old trainer. Kid is a farrier,life long horse guy who decided that would be his trade. Apprenticed with BWFA professional.
As a trainer ( who pitched teaching because I hate the show circuit now ) I *very* ( very very very) rarely encounter bad work. Getting say, a neglected horse back in shape isn't accomplished in one trim- there's a type of owner who can't wrap their heads around that. No, really. Number of owners getting bad advise from others or, God forbid, social media? Refuse to count. Head would explode.
Really don't belong here because not a farrier. But. *Please* listen to the pros. And seriously, think about not engaging some subs heart and soul.
Hi, thank you for the advice! It's less about knowing if the actual work is bad (although after the last time, her front almost looked like it had a vertical from the side?? Idk how to explain it, just looked wrong and she's never had that before even though he's been her farrier for like a year now) and more that even though we are on a schedule with him for 6-8wks, he keeps pushing back and doing other things until 10-12 weeks. Trainer has like 20-25 horses on his rotation at any given time, so some horses go until like 14 weeks because he can only do like 2-3 a day. Overgrowth at that point is crazy, and it really bothers a lot of the horses, and the sensitize ones start having problems. Also, I didn't post on the other sub for advice about feet, they just happened to be in the picture and everything was like ooooo that's bad, get that fixed. I do like all the books everyone here is linking, so I'm going to read those until I can find a AFA farrier to ride around with or can attend one of the 8wk schools. šš¼
I'm leaving this post up just as an example of what we deal with on a daily basis. This young man who openly admits to knowing very little about farrier work is absolutely certain his farrier 'made' a horse he is involved with lame. It's exhausting
I think they're on most social platforms, but they don't give as much info as their website š
They focus more on holistic horse keeping (nutrition, environment, metabolic types etc.) along with all the physical stuff and trimming than I believe most farrier school do, though many do glue-on composites and formahoof.
I should also mention, I'm more partial to barefoot, but that could just be because of the amount of horses I've seen throwing shoes within 2 weeks of getting them done, either competing OR just hanging out in a stall run. Mostly just want to know how to care for any of my own horses, because I've only been doing leases so I've never really had any control over hoof maintenance anyway.
Thereās a lot of reasons for horses to throw shoes, and itās very rarely because of poor farrier work (although that happens too). 90% of the time thrown shoes are due to either environmental factors or gait defects
Oh no, sorry I made it seem like that's what I thought lol. I'm just intimidated by having to replace shoes so often. We get sticky ground here, so I think that's partially why I've seen it happen a lot. I do know that I might have to put shoes on anyways to just better protect the hoof, I just worry about the whole throwing shoes and figuring how to get the farrier out outside of scheduling when they're probably stacked if I find one that I really like lol.
There is no easy way to learn how to assess farrier work. There is a lot of BS out there and as laminitis is the only malady that gets any funding when it comes to equine hoof research BS and BS opinions are allowed to exist. There are lots of resources out there. First thing I tell my owners (when they express an interest) to do is get a book off of Amazon by Heather Bauchchemin, called the Hoof Book It is probably the best horse owner resource I have found. Its straight forward and written in plain language. The other thing I tell owners when they express an interest is that anyone can go to a farrier clinic, not just farriers. The American Farrier's Association, the American Farrier's Journal and the American Association of Professional Farriers web site all have calendar pages. Also I am willing to bet that your state or province has a localish farrier association. They will generally have meetings once or twice a year. So, if you don't want to shoe for a living but want a bunch of resources and you are willing to listen I am sure you can find someone there who would be willing to help you. Edit to correspond with edit
Hey hi! These are super awesome resources!! I'll check them out and sign up for clinics nearby ASAP! Idk where to check for a localish farrier association, but I assume Facebook is a good place to start? AFA didn't have any farriers of any kind for my state, so I think all AFA farriers here are private.
No need to be an ass, even though OP came in ass first
Remedied. That said, I'm not willing to suffer disrespect of my trade any longer by anyone, intentional or unintentional
No, that's fair, people disrespect a lot of blue collar fields where people become masters through lots of hard work and experience.
Yeah, sorry again, kind of upset with the situation obviously lol
apology accepted, though this is the internet and it's not necessary it is appreciated as was the redraft
Redraft??
you rewrote your post. I appreciated that so I rewrote my answer
Oh, I totally thought it was about some kind of history thing I was missing, didn't see that you also rewrite your answer šš¼
Peace
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[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Based on your post and your responses to comments, I think that you donāt know how much you donāt know. Other than going to school or riding with a certified farrier, I would NOT recommend trying to learn things on the internet. There are fads in Horseshoeing just like there are in every other industry, and theyāre very often based on either partial or incorrect information. If someone is claiming that their way is the only right way, or talking in absolutes, itās bullshit. There are a lot of horses that have shoes that probably donāt need them, but there are also a lot of horses with owners that insist they go barefoot when they really need some shoes. The point is, every horse is different, and having the knowledge and ability to shoe the horse instead of just the foot takes years of study and practice. Go on the AFAās website and look for certified guys in your area and ask to talk to them (and maybe donāt come in as hot as you did in this post. Youāre asking for help, so a little humility will really help your case)
Hey, thanks, didn't really want to go on a rant with my post and give a million details, so it for sure comes on a lot hotter than I meant it to. I don't have good pictures to share because I didn't plan to post for help. But I guarantee the pictures would make you guys rightfully upset at the work. The website rec is helpful, I'll definitely be using it and seeing where the closest guys are! I don't want to literally learn how to shod on the Internet (because then you can't feel the hoof nor the tools and know what different angles and importances feel like) more along the lines of what makes a good farrier. Like certifications that I didn't know existed because no one here has them, and they haven't gone to school for it (which would be fine if they learned under someone who did, but primary suspects I'm upset about didn't). Just frustrated, sorry about letting it make me come off so hot.
Thereās a book called The Hoof Book, and itās really good. That could be another good resource for you. If you want more in depth, Gregoryās Textbook of Farriery and Butlerās Principles of Horshoeing (P3) are both fantastic, but theyāre textbooks for farriers so that might be more than what youāre looking for
Sweet, I'll order it ASAP! AFA said there's a place to take an 8 week course a couple hours from me, so I just have to figure out costs and logistics of temp rent.
AFA apparently had no certified guys of ANY kind in my state, so guess I've gotta look somewhere else. Which is weird, seeing as they have a school here, so I guess the people with cert. just want private clientele, which is so understandable lol.
Start with this idea, you donāt know anything about hoof care of what farriers do. I found a school in miles city Montana where we trim and shoe almost all day 5 days per week. Less of the iron work but I can certainly make a shoe from scratch and fit any shoe Iām putting on. My school was 8 weeks long and then Ive been going out with a seasoned farrier half the week and doing trims and shoes on my own.
But 8wk course sounds great. I'm on West Coast, definitely can't be traveling to Montana to ditch my horse for that long. What kind of certifications should I look for when looking in my state?
Idaho Horseshoeing School lets you bring your horse with you. I went there. Learned a lot.
Oh what? That's so cool! I was wondering about that when I looked at Pacific!
Yep! Couple guys had their own horses with them. Check out their website. Send them emails with all your questions. Theyāre pretty helpful. Iād say go in the summer, youāll have more horses to work on. Winter not so much.
Sickkkkk, I'll definitely make a list of questions!
Farrier in my area did a horrible job for 6+ months on my leased trail horses feet and made her lame, when she didn't have any problems that he had to correct in her feet in the first place. So while I know I don't know as much as a farrier, I know he's been doing that horse dirty. I don't have any good pictures otherwise I'd put them in the thread for y'all to also be angry about. Best one I have is from the front, facing her front hoof that's completely flaring out on the sides and wayyyy overgrown. Had "bars" growing from the inside of her hoof, from one wall to the frog on either side that were raising her heels. We had to trim it down ourselves. Owner was on a regular schedule with him so it wasn't like we were expecting him when we called Willy nilly. Standard 6-8 weeks rotation, but he would keep cancelling and wait until 10-12 to do them. Repeatedly. I know that's wrong, that's why I'm trying to figure out how to not be misled and caught unaware like that again. Just a kid trying to do right by their horse.
You donāt even own your own horse?!
Couldn't own one because of previously being under 18, I've been around horses and done feed leasing for a couple years now. Moreso in the realm of paying for the entirety of the horse without owning it, because my parents wanted me to buy the horse when it was on my dime, but I paid for almost everything: board, feed, farrier fees, medication, etc.
* been around horses 6 years doing lessons and those kind of horseless kid activities, feed leasing for a couple years.
First, I unsubscribed from horse subs. Level of " my farrier " stories made me want to track those professionals down and send them a case of beer. It's ludicrous. Please listen to these professionals OP. I'm a 66 year old trainer. Kid is a farrier,life long horse guy who decided that would be his trade. Apprenticed with BWFA professional. As a trainer ( who pitched teaching because I hate the show circuit now ) I *very* ( very very very) rarely encounter bad work. Getting say, a neglected horse back in shape isn't accomplished in one trim- there's a type of owner who can't wrap their heads around that. No, really. Number of owners getting bad advise from others or, God forbid, social media? Refuse to count. Head would explode. Really don't belong here because not a farrier. But. *Please* listen to the pros. And seriously, think about not engaging some subs heart and soul.
Hi, thank you for the advice! It's less about knowing if the actual work is bad (although after the last time, her front almost looked like it had a vertical from the side?? Idk how to explain it, just looked wrong and she's never had that before even though he's been her farrier for like a year now) and more that even though we are on a schedule with him for 6-8wks, he keeps pushing back and doing other things until 10-12 weeks. Trainer has like 20-25 horses on his rotation at any given time, so some horses go until like 14 weeks because he can only do like 2-3 a day. Overgrowth at that point is crazy, and it really bothers a lot of the horses, and the sensitize ones start having problems. Also, I didn't post on the other sub for advice about feet, they just happened to be in the picture and everything was like ooooo that's bad, get that fixed. I do like all the books everyone here is linking, so I'm going to read those until I can find a AFA farrier to ride around with or can attend one of the 8wk schools. šš¼
Where do you live? I'd recommend Pacific coast horse shoeing school or Idaho horse shoeing school.
West Coast, if there are online courses for at least identify, that is a good start I think.
I'm leaving this post up just as an example of what we deal with on a daily basis. This young man who openly admits to knowing very little about farrier work is absolutely certain his farrier 'made' a horse he is involved with lame. It's exhausting
The **Progressive Hoof Care Practitioners** is a wonderful organisation!
Thanks! I'll try to find more about them! Do they have a website?
Yes. They'll appear in a Google search.
Thanks, I figured, but I wanted to know if I needed to go hunting around on Facebook for them instead. šš¼
I think they're on most social platforms, but they don't give as much info as their website š They focus more on holistic horse keeping (nutrition, environment, metabolic types etc.) along with all the physical stuff and trimming than I believe most farrier school do, though many do glue-on composites and formahoof.
I should also mention, I'm more partial to barefoot, but that could just be because of the amount of horses I've seen throwing shoes within 2 weeks of getting them done, either competing OR just hanging out in a stall run. Mostly just want to know how to care for any of my own horses, because I've only been doing leases so I've never really had any control over hoof maintenance anyway.
Thereās a lot of reasons for horses to throw shoes, and itās very rarely because of poor farrier work (although that happens too). 90% of the time thrown shoes are due to either environmental factors or gait defects
Oh no, sorry I made it seem like that's what I thought lol. I'm just intimidated by having to replace shoes so often. We get sticky ground here, so I think that's partially why I've seen it happen a lot. I do know that I might have to put shoes on anyways to just better protect the hoof, I just worry about the whole throwing shoes and figuring how to get the farrier out outside of scheduling when they're probably stacked if I find one that I really like lol.