A good farrier will cost you but it is worth every penny.
If they know what they are doing they will take their time. They look at the feet from all angles, measure the hoofs for wear and fix any problems by proper triming.
If the horse is restless while this is going on he/she will take their time and give the horse a rest, then continue.
As an owner, you have the right to speak up if you feel your horse is not being treated properly or if the farrier is not doing a proper job.
I went through 3 before I found Danny and have her feet done every 6 weeks. I also handle her feet everyday, cleaning and lifting and stretching.
I ask questions, why are you??? all the time and wait for the answer.
My horse walks on those feet and they better be comfortable for her or the farrier doesn't come back!!!
All of these things make a big difference in your relationship with your horse, farrier and you.
Ronda

Thanks Majestic (Rhonda) I do handle her feet every day to clean them before we take her out of the stable. I think you've given me the courage to ask. Do you think Monty would mind if I show him the video lessons?
What Part of the world are you in? I'm in Northern Ireland.
Thanks. Stephen

Hi Stephen,
I'm in eastern Canada, New Brunswick actually.
It would be great if you were to do videos. They are great teachers.
When I view mine I watch myself and also my horse's reaction.
Give it a try. And remember you are the horse owner, OK.
Ronda (not a miss-spell)

Hi Ronda. I was meaning to show the Farrier Montys videos, but it would be good to show a video of Kara's funny walk and see what the diagnosis is. I'm such a beginner that I am probably coming to the wrong conclusions. Thanks - Stephen

Hi Stephen,
From what you have described your horse has some flaring on her back feet which is probably causing her unusual walk. It is so important for you to figure out what YOU want done with her feet then find a farrier/hoof technician who will do what you want. Do your research! My last farrier was a master farrier, award winning in fact, yet when he put shoes on my horse his feet fell apart! He also never corrected his uneven feet and flares so he used to walk just like your horse is doing. My farrier said that was just how his feet were, i did not believe this to be so as they had not always been like it. So i did some serious rsearch and started trimming myself. In 6 months i had my farrier come back to check...he was a little worried what he might find! When he saw my horses feet he looked at me and said 'what do you need me for?' so from then on i trimmed myself. I am an advocate for barefoot trimming - very different to a farrier trim. Not everyone likes this way but it has worked for me. I also had my father make me a Golden Mean Measure like Ada has on the Join Up with Farrier videos. If you know a good mathematician maybe you can get one made! It has been invaluable in keeping my trimming on track. All my family get sick of me measuring their fingers with it!
Have a look at Sweedish Hoof School on youtube. They have some awesome videos on the mechanics of the hoof, very interesting!
Good luck and i wish you all the best with your feet issues :-) Let us know how you go!
Janelle

Janelle
I second the advantage of bear foot trimming My horse gets worked at least five times a week and with the weather somewhat wet he is walked on asphalt going between field for training and his feet are always good If he gets a little chip in his hoof we file it of at the end of the ride so his hoof always look good
If I had a horse whose feet looked bad and was not sure what to do I would pull the shoes do a minor clipping filing and let him be barefoot shoes are ether to help a horse work like sliding plates for reining horse or horses that are on rock ground and would wear their hoof faster than it grows

Cheers

Hi Guys. Tell me more about going Barefoot!! It sounds good but I've never seen any one here keep them that way. Kara is only ridden about 3-4 times a week at the minute. At the riding school where my daughter had her riding lessons they only seemed to shoe the front feet. I've never considered "no shoes"as an option. Stephen

I have never had shoes on any of my horses and never had any trouble with their feet. As long as I kept them trimmed. They all had hard feet so maybe thats why. Even the ones that got ridden a lot had no trouble. True, I hardly ever rode on pavement and not much on rocks. The worst problem I ever had was a stone bruise, but shoes wouldnt have helped that, the rock got up in the hoof where a shoe wouldnt have stopped it. My horses were only ridden for pleasure, though, not work, as I couldnt find anyone to let me practice herding their cows. I rode mostly on gravel roads and pastures, maybe that makes a difference. I dont really know. But my own opinionj is, if you dont need shoes, why bother with them?

Hi Stephen,
What you could read to inform yourself on going Barefoot might be Joe Camp's book "the soul of a horse" in which be is an advocate to taking shoes off and trim the horse's hoofs in "the wild horse trim". Not that this makes you your own trimmer, but the arguments do really make sense. You'll need a professional to take your horse's hoof in the right direction.
Hope this gives you some direction,
Miriam

Hi Stephen,you could join the free blog and research hoof group with happy hoofer Linda Harris www.thehappyhoof@yahoogroups.com I have been trimming my own horses for three years now thanks to her fabulous guidance and sense of humour!

Thanks So much for the advice. I will do the research and see where to go, but it does sound very positive. Nelliebell I've had a look at some of the Swedish hoof videos - It's really good to start to understand how these beautiful creatures work! I only heard of a frog weeks on a horse ago. Does any one use shoes anymore??
Stephen

Sorry for the bad grammar. I meant to say that I only heard that Horses had frogs a few weeks ago!

Hi stephen, unfortunately many people do still use shoes...after watching the swedish hoof vids i cannot understand why you would! Where i live we have some of australias pioneers of barefoot trimming who compete in endurance...barefoot! and successfully too. Once you start learning about this you will get hooked i am sure! I am fascinated by it all. I once asked my old farrier something about the workings of the hoof and he suggested i go my local slaughter house - awful i know :-( - and ask for a hoof cut in half so i could inspect it! Haven't done it yet but i will one day!
http://www.thehorseshoof.com/trimmers_foreign.html#UK
Above is a link for a site that lists some foreing barefoot trimmers if you are interested in going that way. There is 1 at least in northern ireland i think :-) Also you can get boots for horses that replace iron shoes while still providing propper frog pressure etc. Another think to think about!
Hope some of this helps!
Janelle

Thanks Janelle. I've sent Jenny a message about arranging a visit to Kara. I somehow think she'd appreciate not having nails hammered into her hoove's every 6 weeks! If she had to do a lot of road work we could look at the boot option.
Stephen

Stephen that is fantastic news and i am sure Kara will thank you for it in the long run! Jenny would be able to help you with boots if you decide Kara needs them. I hope you hear from her soon...keep us posted :-)
Janelle

If you log on to BAREFOOTHORSE you will have many pages of text and photos explaining most aspects of shoeless hoofs, also translated into about thirty languages. At IRONFREEHOOF Paige Poss shows photos of disected hoofs among other things to help you understand what goes on down there. Good luck!