What is wrong with my farrier!?

Originally Posted by Foxhunter    

I totally disagree that a hit in the face will make a horse head shy if it is timed correctly for something like biting.

Why should your farrier hang around whilst you get a hay net? Time is money. You should
A) Train your horse not to bite.
B) Be ready and waiting for your farrier, not him have to wait for you
C) Stop being so soft with your ill mannered pampered horse that obviously has few manners.

I trust my farrier implicitly - if he whacks one of my horses then I know it is for a reason. Correction should be done instantly and by anyone who is handling the horse - not just the owner.

Originally Posted by franknbeans    

I am not too crazy about your attitude either, but this IS a forum, and we ARE allowed to disagree. Yes, you are allowed to rant, but, when you rant here, you may just find that not everyone thinks that you are in the right. OK-so I missed that he was 30 minutes early. Did you ASK him to wait? Or was your attitude similar that the one we are seeing and TELL him? How you say it is everything. Bottom line is.... and I don't seem to be the only one who thinks this........you need to discipline your horse. PERIOD. Horses should not need a hay net to get their feet done. I have never even heard of such a thing. HOLD YOUR HORSE and this won't happen.

I agree totally with Alex-I have the feeling we will see more "rants" as you go through every farrier in the yellow pages. Unless you start taking responsibility for your horses bad behavior.

Originally Posted by Jetson    

Im new here but Im in total agreement with Redape. The farrier should not have done such a thing. I shod horses for 5 years and have been barefoot trimming for 7 years. I also have apprenticed with a farrier and have seen many horses get hit by farriers. Besides the fact that redape asked the farrier to wait, no one knows what happened. So how can anyone say "you should train your horse?". Did the horse just reach down and chomp the farrier, or was the horse sniffing, wiggling his nose and then decided to take a taste? I find that to happen often if Im working on a horse not being held by the owner. First the horse starts to sniff and I normally just use my elbows to push them away before the horse wants to taste me or pick me up by the back of my chaps. And as for a hay bag, I am more than happy to have the owner give the horse a hay bag. When Im there for feet, its not training time to "make them stand still". If a hay bag makes my job easier then Im all for it. As long as whatever we are doing is keeping us safe and I can go on to my next client without pain, then why not? The people who call me are usually people who's horse has had some behavior issues with the farrier and the farrier hit them with tools or punched them repeatedly. Of course its important to me that the horses are ready and I appreciate it when Im told ahead of time if a horse is a behavior problem, although I usually find that out pretty darn quick. I also do not believe in farriers losing thier temper. If they feel they will, walk out of the barn and take a breather. If I hit a horse its with my hand and I normally discuss it with the owner prior and let them know the horse is behaving badly and I may smack them. I correct quickly, the horse knows they are not being beat, they don't panic and no one gets hurt. As some one mentioned, we are all entitled to our opinions and we have plenty of them. Redape, Im with you, if I saw a farrier hit my horse in the face with a rasp, I think I would hit them back!!!

Originally Posted by palominolover    

Did he give a reason for being 30 minutes early? Most farriers don't just come unannounced unless something came up.

Originally Posted by HarleyWood    

why does a horse need hay? When getting his feet done? You are teaching him that when he's bad he gets FOOD! He's got you trained to feed him when he acts up. My farrier does well with horses like that and got my horses to stand (for the most part) still for him and get their feet done, with no feed. If my horses nip at my hands they get flicked, if they bite at me they end up hitting my elbow before getting to me.