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Luna lost a shoe on Tue - still haven't heard back from farrier...
Topic Started: Jun 7 2012, 06:51 AM (237 Views)
bellaluna
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Magical Leopluridon
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So the same farrier has been doing Luna's feet for quite awhile, I would guess 7+ years. He is extremely knowledgeable, is great with the horses, does many show barns, gets flown down to FL in the winter to shoe, etc etc. When I moved Luna to a different area he said he could still do her feet as he travels to that area occasionally. He has been doing it and hasn't charged me any more even though he is coming to my barn just to do her, which is totally awesome. However, he has been extremely uncommunicative so far; my BO wants to know when farriers, vets etc are coming to the farm, which I've told him, but I've never been able to tell her b/c he never tells me he's coming. I just show up and her feet are done. Other than pissing off the BO a bit, I really can't complain but it has made me nervous if I need to get in touch with him for whatever reason.


So Ms. Luna lost a front shoe on Tue. I called the farrier right away and texted yesterday and so far I've heard absolutely nothing. I have no idea when he plans to be in this area. Sadly the shoe is completely gone, otherwise it would be pretty easy to get another farrier to just tack it back on. My trainer has offered to give me her farrier's number and said he could probably help me out. Up front she wears a round aluminum bar shoe with pads, so not super complicated but not totally straight forward either. I've never been the person dealing with the farrier before (have always had BM's take care of it) so am not sure of what is copacetic in this situation. I was thinking of calling my farrier today to ask if I should have my trainer's farrier do it and to PLEASE CALL OR TEXT ME BACK. I'd really hate to lose a whole week + of riding over this... :no: I'd appreciate any advice.
Edited by bellaluna, Jun 7 2012, 06:53 AM.
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DairyQueen2049
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DRAGON BREATH. DRAGGIN' BUTT
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My farrier always gets back with me right away - except the day one of his kids was born.

M guess is something is going on way upseting in your farriers life.
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Barn Girl
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I'd probably just get BO's farrier to put one back on... then if/when your farrier calls you back, tell him what you did and say, sorry, I didn't want to use him but I was in a bind. (You could always fib a bit and say you had a show or clinic this weekend that you had already paid for.)

I hope he isn't "breaking up" with you but he could be... I've had farriers in the past who apparently didn't really want my business and then when the horse lost a shoe, I called and they never called back. Crappy way of doing business but a lot of them around here are prima-donna's! Plus most of them don't want to go to a barn just to do a couple of horses. All the more reason to just use BO's farrier in case that is the case here.

I loff my current guy, I actually just came back from meeting him to put Remi's shoe back on. My vet pulled it over a week ago for an abscess and he worked us into his schedule and didn't charge me anything to do it. :cloud9:
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RHowell
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Shoes can be found--offer the kids at the barn $10 for whomever finds it in the field, then have the barn's farrier put it on and start looking for a new farrier or find out the closest barn where he does go regularly and trailer to meet the farrier there rather than expecting him to come to you.

My guess is that he agreed to do your horse because he didn't want to be an ass at the time and he thought it would be easier to do, but it's turning out to be a PITA, and costing him too much money in lost time traveling/thwartings his other areas that are busy and so he's neglecting you either consciously or subconsciously hoping you'll decide to leave.

Although I do, in fact, have *the* best farrier in the world, my boarder (Big Day) mistakenly thinks she has *the* best farrier in the world and trailers to him because he won't come to my barn to do one horse, even though he shoes at another barn 5 minutes away...so she trailers to him and never has a problem...but that barn he goes to 5 mins away, he does three horses there, and she makes the 4th and that's half a day's work...unpacking and packing your truck for one shoe job is a PITA even when it's 5 miles away. When she loses a shoe, she has to trailer to a barn that's like 45 minutes away to get a shoe tacked back on if it doesn't coincide with the day he comes to the barn 5 min away....but that's what she does to keep her "the best" farrier happy, rather than expecting him to be happy to come to her for one horse....

I, on the other hand, have been abusing and tormenting my farrier for so long, he's got stockholm syndrome. I got him out on half a day's notice, at 7am before his regular day began, to fix something for me the other day.....but he has battered spouse syndrome from all my years of "training" on him. My poor farrier. :teehee:

Edited by RHowell, Jun 7 2012, 09:57 AM.
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Won for Me
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Interesting replies since I am having my own farrier drama. Why can't they just tell us..."I am sorry but you are too far away/too slow to pay/don't have good area to shoe at the barn/have an ugly horse/etc." With this day and age of texting, why not? If the owner calls back, then don't answer. BUT, communicate that you don't want to come any more.

My BFF used to be the biggest flirt with farriers. It helps that she is a perfect 10 too, but always was flirting when they came out. I know for a fact, she never took it one step further, but every farrier she used jumped through hoops for her.

Why does it have to be like that?
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bellaluna
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Thanks for the responses. I feel a little bit like an overgrown kid asking this question but I find myself strangely not knowing how to handle some situations now that I'm essentially 100% responsible for Luna's care for the first time.

I was actually completely shocked that he originally agreed to come just do my horse. I was a longtime client of my previous trainers and he basically does all of their horses, when I moved my horse for one year while I was in grad school to a non show barn he came there to just do my horse and one other. My horse is also easy to catch and handle, but still - I figured it would be a waste of time. I feel like it was really awesome of him to do that, he certainly doesn't need my business, which is an additional reason I don't want to be a thankless jerk.

The lack of communication is nothing new, we've only been in this arrangement since Nov - but basically I arrive at the barn and find her feet have been done the week she is due, or I text him/call him and then show up to find her feet have been done. Other than my original call to ask him about recommendations for farriers when he told me he could continue to shoe her we haven't really conversed at all.

RHowell - maybe I need to incorporate some abuse, it sounds like its working for you! :teehee: I guess I'd actually have to see him to do that though!

I actually got on Luna bareback and rode her around the field for at least half an hour to find the shoe - no dice. :brickwall: There's a natural spring in the field with an area of water that is smaller than a pond but bigger than a puddle - (a pondle?) that area is quite muddy and the water is probably a foot or two deep so if it got sucked off there it will be awhile before it resurfaces. Also, there's only three boarders at my barn (including me-tiny backyard barn) and no kids! I hack ten minutes down the road to train at a show barn, it sounds like my trainer's farrier will likely stop by to help out with my horse. I think I'll get the other farrier's contact info and give him a call to see when he could come do it at least.
Edited by bellaluna, Jun 7 2012, 10:38 AM.
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Big Day
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I agree that he may be breaking up with you. Several farriers have admitted to me that this is their path-of-least-resistance approach to terminating clients.

Now for clarification to RH's post, I DO have the best farrier in the world, and will do anything to keep him! :rose: :rose: One of his other clients (who shall remain nameless) bakes him pies and other delicious treats, so he is treated well by all. But in all fairness, he travels pretty far in rush hour traffic (from the quiet countryside where all of his other clients are) to come out to do our 4 horses, so I feel like travelling the 5 miles to make his day easier is worth it for me.

And yes, RH is completely abusive to her farrier and yet, I am pretty damn sure he would walk on water for her horses. :mallet: So there you have the two opposite sides of farrier relations. I recommend finding a middle ground somewhere in there... ;)
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RHowell
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I abuse him like a family member, not like a slave master, if you know what I mean. I also give him enough money at Christmas time to take his wife out to dinner, presents to his kids and when he went out of his normal service area two weeks ago to shoe my horse who is leased out whose feet got messed up by another farrier and they didn't have payment there for him, wrote him a check myself when I heard about it and told him he could credit my bill when/if they paid. He knows I have his back. But I tell him he's too slow, make fun of his high school era friends (we grew up in the same circle of friends, but didn't know each other then), text him at 8pm to tell him X threw a shoe and is leaving for a horse show the next morning at 9 and needs it fixed before then (but I butter him up by saying I don't trust anyone else)....he teases me on FB and I dish it back. It's kinda funny actually.

As for the question "why won't they just tell customers that they want to break up?"--well, aside from the obvious reason that they are *men,* if they were good with words, they wouldn't have picked a back-breaking profession bent over a non-verbal animal's hoof all day.



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