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Post by Pauline on Dec 22, 2008 18:54:16 GMT 1
kanga
Where do you live theer is sure to be a forge somewhere near you.
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Post by wabuska on Dec 22, 2008 18:58:34 GMT 1
West Waterford, Ireland. Land of the horse and the complete lack of equine professionals with respect for their clients! I'm going to call my wonderful inside track man, Bernie, tomorrow, regarding a forge. Surely in Ireland, there must be one in every county? I want some control back. It's like having a badly behaved boyfriend or something. Argh!!
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Post by sunnylynn11 on Dec 22, 2008 20:03:45 GMT 1
My farrier is VERY unreliable, BUT very good, it actually suits me TBH as Zico has really good feet and so can go 7-8 weeks+ between shoeing, he books me in for every 6 weeks but hardly ever turns up on time!, he wont work in the rain or if its really cold , but like I say this actually suits me (saves me money ). I dont work during the day so can be flexible, if he turns up, great, but if he doesnt I havent wasted a day off waiting for him. He will shoe if I cant be there & will even turn ponies out in the fielld for me afterwards . If I really needed him in an emergency I know that he would be there straight away, I had Zico's back shoes removed a while ago & Zico really couldnt cope without them, called farrier, he came back out first thing the next day to put them back on.
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Post by loullou on Dec 22, 2008 20:33:53 GMT 1
kanga-i feel a change of career coming on!!! did he turn up in the end??
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Post by julz on Dec 22, 2008 20:34:41 GMT 1
Our farrier is sometimes there before us...lol!
We dont get invoices from him, we pay when he's there 9it's also easier for him, and he doesnt then get clients who "forget" to pay) we make the next appointment while he's there, he has a diary and so do we.. either privately or in the tack room.. All the farriers that visit our yard do the same....
If you make a point of arranging a next visit with your farrier, then he wont be in a position to stand you up, without good reason.
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Post by wabuska on Dec 22, 2008 20:35:03 GMT 1
I would say my guy would come in an emergency. If really think he would. I'm going to try to get him to come more often so that there is no chance of a shoe coming off in week 7. I'll expect him in week five and be thrilled to get him week 6. Flynn's feet are in super order and I can't fault his work. I have a bottle of Jameson here for him, which despite nearly blowing my head off my shoulders this afternoon, I will give him IF he shows. Sigh.
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Post by wabuska on Dec 22, 2008 22:48:38 GMT 1
He's due tomorrow morning.... hmmmm. The trouble with me is that once the guy's here I'm so overcome with relief and joy I forget to be peed off with them!
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Post by julz on Dec 22, 2008 23:01:18 GMT 1
LOL, Kanga!!
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Post by gemmamarygold on Dec 22, 2008 23:10:00 GMT 1
Poor you - I feel for you.
Our appointments are actually booked right through to the end of 2009! We're always the first ones to be done on our day so in the spring, summer and autumn he comes the night before and pitches a tent in an empty field. So often by the time the first owner gets there he's done the first couple of trims LOL.
The flipside is that in the winter he's much less reliable and can be over an hour late. The other problm we have is that he lives in Wales and splits his time between there and East Kent - one week in each. So if you're unlucky enough to lose a shoe during one of his Wales' weeks, you may have to wait. But on the rare occasion that does happen, he will send one of his mates over (who also happens to be an excellent farrier so it's not all bad).
All-in-all, I'm pretty happy with my farrier. Marygold's feet look EXCELLENT and I never have any problems with them. Because of that, I'm prepared to overlook occasional lateness.
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Post by ladynowak on Dec 22, 2008 23:22:02 GMT 1
I love my farrier! He is nothing short of an absolute saint. Always on time, if I am running a few minutes late he will help me catch in. I have rung him up when I was been desperately struggling with one of my horses if they have an abscess and I can't get them in/need help and he has come out at 9pm to sort it out for me/mum, doesn't charge anything for it either.
I rang him up in tears a few weeks ago as my very old arab was hopping lame and as he tends to be rather dramatic about such things I couldn't tell if it was an abscess or not. He was there within half an hour. So yes my lovely farrier.. you are obviously one of a kind ;D
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Post by nich on Dec 23, 2008 9:50:32 GMT 1
I love our trimmer. she never lets us down, is knowledgeable, friendly, so caring. one of the best things about being barefoot IMHO is the trimmer! plus no shoes to lose, they always trot your horse up and check their way of going, pics taken. I would hate to go back to farriers!
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ms
Grand Prix Poster
Billy Two Rivers
Posts: 2,898
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Post by ms on Dec 23, 2008 10:03:28 GMT 1
Our farrier is wonderfull, his work is top notch and he has changed my little horse from being a nervy bundle to being a chilled out chap who is a doddle to shoe . He is always on time, or will ring and let you know if hes running late, we always book the next appointment when hes there and he will do his best to help in emergencies. Over the years I've had unreliable, rough, incompetent and rude farriers, and I am so glad to have finally got on his client list, I can't praise him highly enough...Thanks Andrew !!!!:-)
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deniseluvscobs
Advanced Poster
In the home for the bewildered.
Posts: 291
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Post by deniseluvscobs on Dec 23, 2008 10:16:02 GMT 1
Farriers are one of the reasons I turned to barefoot. I was fed up to the back teeth of the attitude of most farriers, looked into barefoot realised that most horses are better without shoes so gave it a go, haven't looked back, it is now 3 years. For some reason barefoot trimmers just don't have the attitude of farriers, they turn up on time, are very helpful and informative and don't leave you in the lurch. Reading various threads there are obviously somme good farriers out there but they seem very hard to find. We do think its O.K to leave your horse without a shoe, and to leave you hanging around waiting for them. Sorry for the rant, but farriers make me angry .
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Post by Amanda (S Yorks) on Dec 23, 2008 10:50:00 GMT 1
Not all farriers are bad, just as not all barefoot trimmers are all that reliable. Experienced both ends of the spectrum from both camps over the years.
My mare is back in shoes and I was really concerned about losing the flexibility that being a trained owner/trimmer gave me, e.g I always knew if the trimmer was going to be on time or not as I was the trimmer. Not to mention the rest of the horrors I convinced myself would befall my horse when shoes went back on.
It's early days but I seem to have found a very good farrier who's not only good at his job but also appreciates that we're not all loaded and some of us even work full time and can't drop things at a moments notice. He even beat me to it at the last appointment, though only by 10 mins thankfully!
I've always booked a full trim/shoeing cycle ahead, so 4-6 weeks in advance. I provide hot/cold drinks and biscuits too, and present a clean & tidy horse who's well behaved. I pay cash at the time of shoeing also. Even so, that's not always been enough in the past to guarantee a reliable farrier, and that's before you even evaluate the actual trimming and shoeing job you're getting.
I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that current farrier stays as reliable and continues to trim and shoe as well as he's done to date.
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Post by wabuska on Dec 23, 2008 11:48:29 GMT 1
He came at 7.45am today!! I was so thrilled I forgot to get narked with him, and even gave the rogue a Christmas kiss and a bottle of whiskey. I did work myself up to saying that I only get upset about his not coming when I don't know and never to be afraid to call if he's too behind to make it, but CALL EARLY PLEASE! Had a super ride after two weeks off. Flynn hacked out like we had had no break at all. What a star.
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