Should I get a new farrier or just deal with it?

The last time my farrier was out, he kept me waiting for two hours because he added another horse at the barn he was trimming at..... he could not reschedule and neither could I. But, it was my appointment time and I felt he should have not taken on the other horse last minute....

Then, yesterday, had an early morning appointment and he got me confused with another Anne in his books.... so I was at the barn ready and waiting and the farrier ended up at some other Anne's... rescheduled, but I am feeling a bit put off.....

Citrus has not been lame in the two times this farrier has trimmed him, so I am wondering, should I keep dealing with this farrier? Is it common for farriers to be late because of a last minute add-on? Are farriers just sort of aloof?

Bottom line is, would you put up with a farrier with scheduling difficulties because he does not hurt your horse or are there enough farriers out there for me to try another who will be there when he says he is going to?

I'd look for another one if there are more in area. Yes, person can run late - things happen, emergencies happen, and I totally understand that. But on a regular basis it's just a plain disrespect IMO.

My vet is like that too - running 2-3 hours late even if I'm 1st person in morning, so I'm considering to change him as I'm tired of wasting half-day on waiting him (it's not easy too with the commute job!).

Things happen and it might be worth the inconvienence if you like the way he trims your horse. I would rather hire a good farrier that is a poor businessman than a poor farrier that always shows up on time.

Well depending on your area it may just be that other people like him as well and he cannot help that. I am actually in the same boat. I have a farrier who is extremely good but its like pulling teeth to get him to come. But I have had to settle for a less experienced farrier multiple times. If you truly feel that you are being put off I would try talking to him first because im sure you don't want to settle for less
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I don't care how busy a farrier is - I expect them to honour appointments, or at least call if they can't make it or will be late.

We have been through about six carriers due to some leaving, some unreliable, some not getting along with my horse - we now have a guy who schedules us in and so far has been a few minutes early each time.
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Depends on the scarcity of farriers I guess! If you live in an area where there are other good farriers, then switch, but if you don't, then it may well be worth the hassle to keep a good one! If you keep your horse barefoot, it would be worth getting the tools to do maintainence type trimming yourself, in case your farrier has to reschedule. Where I live (middle of nowhere!) it is pretty much impossible to get on the schedule for the one farrier who is less than an hour away. . .

Yeah, that's a tradeoff kind of thing. People wasting my time drives me nuts, but if he's the best farrier for the buck in your area, maybe just change your arrangement to call when he's on the way to your barn so you don't have to wait around?

Depends on your area. My horse is barefoot, and I live in Los Angeles county, so finding a good barefoot specialist for him was hard... so if he's late, I put up with it. If you can fnd a good farrier who is a better business man, do it. My farrier has been late once, but I was running late too, so it was a happy accident :)

I've found that horse people (vets/farriers) will almost always be late. Vets sometimes by several hours!

Personally, I try to plan ahead for this (and reschedule when things get ridiculous and I have somewhere else to be) because if MY horse had an issue, needed more time or something came up I would want my vet/farrier to stay and spend the time with me instead of rushing off to the next appointment. Especially with vets!

Now, if you feel that the farrier is being inconsiderate of your time and irresponsible / disorganized that may be a different story. If I were you I would express my concerns to him and see if it continues. If it does, you might want to try another if there is an equally reputable one close by. You'd have given him fair warning to treat your time with respect!

There's no harm in looking around and trying out other farriers. You might find one you like just as much that is also very punctual, or you might not and realize that he is the better choice for you despite his difficult schedules.