FARRIERS! (Argh!!!)

I'm beginning to think my farrier has dropped dead somewhere, and no one has bothered to call her clients and inform them to seek services elsewhere.
Really.
Are all farriers like this? I've heard they are. I was just curious if maybe it's a Kansas thing, like, the few good ones in our area know they have a monopoly or something?
I keep my mustang at my in-law's house down the highway from me, and sometimes I can't be there when my farrier comes. So I leave the money. If I'm not there, she neglects to schedule my next appointment.
So I call her and leave a message.
And leave another message.
And two weeks later leave another message.
And then comes the part I love: "This person's voice message box is full."
Great.
I know I'm probably not a priority as I have just the one horse, and not upwards of 20, so she has to make a trip just for the $30 trim....but my boy hasn't had his hooves trimmed since....October? I know. I'm a bad horse mom.
But my farrier won't call me back!!!
I've thought about switching before, but then she called me at the last minute and said "Sorry! I was in the hospital for 4 weeks because some horse kicked me in the head blah blah blah" and the only other horse people I trust to recommend me to someone tell me their farrier is like that too.
It's a hard life.
For her and me.

(Not sure why you put this under horse grooming?)

Some farriers can be difficult to get in touch with.

I know mine has had medical issues that have made him not easy to contact more than once.

Do you know anyone else who uses this farrier? Maybe you can ask them if the farrier is out sick or is firing you as a client.


When you are not there, who takes care of catching your horse and such for your farrier?

My sister-in-law does, she is really good with him, and he doesn't have to be "caught", he'd follow you anywhere even without a halter :P

Should've put this under "Horse Health". Oh well. Lol

Good thought, I'll ask another person I know uses her to find out if she's still with the living. Lol

Some farriers do not want to take the extra time to go retrieve your horse though. They get paid by the job, not the hour. So the extra few minutes it takes them to gather your horse is their time.

I'm usually there when she comes, I can understand how it would be annoying :P It was like, a one-time-thing though, and I try to make sure someone is here to go get him if I'm not.....agh, you can't always plan everything out :(

Oh, I totally understand.


My theory on my farrier is - keep him happy, period.

He is good, my horses like him, his prices are fair and he does not need the work. So, I keep him happy. Warm/cold drinks, cookies, clean horses ready, etc.

If you do not find out that your farrier is ill or such you might need to shop around for a new one.
Not calling back is a common way farriers fire clients.

I have to say from my experience with several farriers they called back timely, and they tried to be on-time. So I can't complain really. Most people I know around are pretty happy with their farriers.

We have a few up here that are extremely hard to get ahold of...but it's mainly because Either they don't want to or we had one that would go out on trail rides the day they were scheduled to do our guys and sometimes he'd get done in time and sometimes he wouldn't...that was his reason for not showing up, "I went on a ride" REALLY???????

I think I've run my area just about dry with farriers, the one we have now is AHMAZING. He gets here early, spends time with the horses and then my stallion likes him and he doesn't take to men very well (abuse). I've only had horses for 12 years and been through 8 or 9 farriers because either they don't do minis or I've had issues with them both personal and how they did the job. My VERY FIRST farrier trimmed my weanling stallion once, first horse of mine he did and cut him so short in front we had to get the vet out,because it felt like his legs had blown up, heat he wouldn't walk or when he did walk he'd start bleeding again, on BOTH feet. He bled for close to an hour. Farrier said "I've never done a mini, but sometimes they bleed." yeah, as a 9 year old I thought my horse was dying. Another farrier that fired a friend of mine from being a client, Smacked her mini with the pointed part of the rasp multiple times because she had feet issues and would throw a hissy fit...when the owner asked him to stop that it wasn't necessary He said fine, and left didn't even do the rest of the horses. We're talking a 26 inch mini...the rasp was longer then her LEGS...

Love love love my farrier! Always on time and will come out in an emergency too!

Just get a new farrier. I found mine in a news paper and man o' man is he a good one. He calls before he comes and he'll do our horses even if we're not around. He nows where my parents work. He'll even come back out before 8 weeks to shoe our horse for free if it doesn't stay on that long. Yes 8 weeks and they say on that long. Our farrier before couldn't even keep a shoe on for 3 days long less 6 weeks like he said they expose to stay on. IF anyone lives around Arkansas and need a farrier just PM me cause this farrier is good. He lives in Elkins and we live in West Fork so he may travel farther. And Rowensgirl you might get lucky to have my farrier cause he want to sell his place so he can move to his ranch in Kansas.