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  Discussion on Trainers opinions on Farrier
Author Message
Member:
Clover35

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2004 - 9:16 pm:

I am in a rough spot between my farrier and trainer and would like some advice on what to do... my horse pulled a shoe about a month ago while I was on vacation, I was called by the owner of the barn and immediatly called the farrier to come put a shoe back on. I was told that my horse was a little "off" after pulling the shoe. After the farrier came back and put it on the trainer says the horse got worse but he is now getting better, he says the farrier put a nail too high causing the horse to be lame. I have used this farrier for over a year and have not had any problems earlier. I am being told to get rid of the farrier because it is all his fault the horse is lame, I am quite unsure what to do in this situation?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Member:
Goolsby

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2004 - 8:57 am:

Kelly
Just my 2 cents. Good farriers are hard to find and in my opinion more important than a trainer. I am lucky to have a good farrier who has lived with horses all his life. I ask him questions and would take his advice over anyone elses, but Im sure he has had off days and made a few mistakes. The lameness may or may not have been caused by the farrier, but like everyone else farriers are not perfect. If you have concerns you should talk to your farrier about the lameness. If you havent had any problem in a year and are happy with the work your farrier does, I think ditching him/her is a bit extreme.
Is your "trainer" suggesting you find another farrier or insisting? And can he/she give you any other justifications for changing farriers.
Member:
Dres

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2004 - 10:48 am:

anyone can call themselves a trainer.. a Farrier has to be schooled and graduate.. or at least any that will work under my horses...

good luck..Ann
Member:
Sunny66

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2004 - 11:03 am:

Hi Kelly,

I will no longer trust anyone but myself...My horse was lame for 4 months because of my trusting people who were hurting him (unintentionally of course, but still) and this was a certified farrier. No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes.

My personal opinion....if it happens again, then do something about it...ONCE? I think your trainer is a little over the top.

I would call your trusted vet and anyone else you respect as a horse person...Get their opinions and then make your decision.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2004 - 11:36 am:

Kelly,
Without meaning to add fuel to the fire, I'd like to note that I've had some horses lame from being "trained" in my absence, yet none from being shod in my absence.
Can you find out how your horse lost the shoe and ended up lame in the first place?
New Member:
Leseb

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2004 - 2:39 pm:

I have found that is difficult to find both good farriers and good trainer. And both are capable of making mistakes. You need to know certain things about the situation of the shoe coming off before making decisions. I have seen horses pull off shoes in their stalls/pens when they act up, in the corral when they play, and while being ridden due to deep footing or a bad move or a trip and fall. Shoes can come off due to deep mud and by the horse overreaching from the back. Was the lameness from the shoe coming off or from an injury done to the leg in the situation of the shoe coming off? How much hoof wall damage was there? How much of the foot did the farrier have to work with when putting the shoe back on? Was the horse in a stall/pen when the shoe came off or were they being worked? Was the incident witnessed? Was the lameness cause by a strain or actual hoof damage? I am not a person who likes people who point fingers so quick and I like to know the complete situation before I burn bridges. If you like both the farrier and the trainer don't feel you have to choose between the two. Horses get themselves into trouble sometimes and if he is recovering consider yourself lucky and go on as before. If he is not getting better you need to have the vet come and have a look. I have found that horse people have definite opinions about things but you need to make informed decisions based on your own research and knowledge.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2004 - 2:44 pm:

I have had "bad" farriers, but none that have been working on my horses for a year or more. Usually, you can tell before they have finished one foot if they know what they are doing. If the farrier is certified, I would doubt he is the problem, although as has been said, anyone can make a mistake, and a horse can jump, jerk a foot, etc. just at a critical time. Also, as I think Christos alluded to, possible the horse could have "tweaked" his foot in the process of tearin off the shoe.

Just out of curiosity; is the trainer reccomending someone else to you? (Sorry; I'm just the naturally suspecious type.) A lot of times a trainer has a particular farrier they want to use. Maybe it is more convient to just have one farrier come to the barn, maybe the farrier is a friend, or maybe the trainer gets a "kick-back" for a new client (It has happened.)

I would follow the above advice and talk with your farrier to get his side of the story, then give him another chance. If there are more problems, then by all means begin a search for someone else.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2004 - 4:57 pm:

There are so many factors here Kelly, I cannot begin to judge whether the farrier is at fault or not and if he is, whether that is reason to dismiss him. If every farrier that makes a mistake was dismissed there would be no farriers to shoe our horses. The same goes for trainers and veterinarians.

If you like this farrier and think it does a great job overall perhaps you pose the question to your trainer, "do you think your performance is perfect and if not why should I continue to use you?" Though all of this should be posed in a little less confrontational method, if the trainer believes his performance perfect, I suggest you find another barn.
DrO
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Thursday, Aug 19, 2004 - 8:31 pm:

Kelly, my sense of the trainer, from your post, is similar to that of Sara and Dr. O.

Go with your gut feeling and don't let anyone intimidate you . . . If you feel that you want to change your farrier who seems to have done well by your horse in the past, then be sure you are comfortable with the reasons WHY you are changing to a different farrier.

Member:
Suzeb

Posted on Friday, Aug 20, 2004 - 11:31 am:

Hello Kelly,
If I were in this situation, I would try and get the complete story as to what happened from the trainer/barn owner (Are they one and the same?) before you fire the farrier.

Probably the reason why your farrier high nailed the shoe is to make it stay on better. There is a very small margin of error when it comes to nailing on horseshoes and it does happen occasionaly to the "Best of the Best".

Do you know how long your horse went without a shoe before your farrier could replace it? It is possible that your horse wrenched something while the shoe was being torn off.

I would be giving the trainer a little more closer scrutiny before I dismiss the farrier. As others have said good farriers are hard to find.

Hope this helps,
Susan B.
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