Minis trimming(what does your farrier charge?

[running in the red]

I only pay 15 per mini and 25 for the big guys- BUT, my bonus is that my farrier brings his brother out to help him hold the minis- that makes it soooo much easier on my back!!!!!!!! altho all of my minis are taught to give and hold for foot cleaning and trimming......... joy

 

[disneyhorse]

My current farriers charge $40 a trim. I have paid everywhere from $20-50 per horse. It is difficult to find good farriers out here, there are a lot of farriers but I'm kinda picky. Not just how they trim, but how open they are to doing what sort of job I want on my horse. AND on top of that I need them to be timely and reliable.

I am not picky how much, but $50 was a little outrageous in my mind.

Good thing I only ever have 4-5 horses max.

Andrea

 

[SweetOpal]

We have an amazing farrier now, he does gaited horses, so he is perfect for my Modern/modern pleasure ponies. He charges $ 80-180 from half shoes to full shoes, weighted with pads, each shoe is made to perfection for each horse from scratch, really is an art, he is very good at what he does and has clients all over the country. I had him do all my minis this last time and he only charged me $ 25 per trim. I am very happy with his services and feel he is worth more than $ 25 a trim as he is that good, I have had several farriers over the year and all charged $ 25 for trims. I too am in So. Cal. I particularly like Wayne becuase he is very gentle with the horses and has never gotten even angry with one of them.

 

[MiLo Minis]

You get what you pay for and I find an educated client {note I said one who is educated not one who knows it all} is your best client. I charge $25 to $30 a head and believe me I work hard every day and I am not rich. I also teach any client that expresses an interest in trimming their own. $25 to $30 is the norm all over the country. If you really want some entertainment you should follow me for a day and see what some of my clients put me through.

Oh boy can I relate to that! I am also a farrier and charge $25 per horse. It is a backbreaking job made tougher at times by the owners although I also have some VERY good clients.

 

[Marty]

I am thrilled to death with my new Pete Ramey trained farrier.

We are on a 4 week program for the rest of the year until everyone is where they should be, then it will be every 6 weeks.

She comes from the other end of Tennessee for us and charged only $20 for gas.

She was here yestarday and charged me $30.00 for Sonny's trim, who is no longer lame by the way after two Pete Ramey specilaized trims.

She did the minis for a whopping $12.00 each.

She has been able to undo the mess I have had going on here with screwy legs and goofy feet in just two treatments. Amazing.

The fillies foals are freebies until they are yearlings.

 

[yellerroseintx]

I have the farrier from heaven...he ALWAYS calls the night before..shows up on time...is very patient with foals ...charges $25.00 per horse...new foals first trims are only $6..we bought a stall mat to put down for him to use when he comes as he gets down to thier level. We had THE hardest time finding someone that would even DO minis.....oh..and he is very good!!!

 

[horsehug]

I trim my own and have for 19 years.

Susan O.

 

[Mona]

When we had our first big horses, the farrier used to charge $20/horse. After getting into minis, I soon learned how to trim myself!

I have been trimminig my horses hooves ever since buying my first minis, back in '94. Last year, I messed up my back, and was the first time I had to pay someone else to trim my horses hooves. She came in, and trimmed a bunch...she was FAST, but in my opinion, sloppy! Seemed all she was worried about was getting in and getting done so she could move onto the next far, She came from about 4 hours away to this area, to get in as many horses as she could, so it was rush in, rush out. She charged $25/horse, and I was NOT impressed, and bad back or not, I decided I would do them myself, even if I had to do one here and one there, to get them done. This was a "professional" farrier, that went away to school for this too, not just some self-proclaimed farrier.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

We have the best farrier in the world! I just LOVE him and he's so GREAT with the horses!

He came last week, did one draft horse, one TWH and 16 minis - all trims, no shoes. I asked him how much and he said "oh, I don't know...how about $100?" He's ridiculously cheap and we get SO many compliments on our minis feet. People actually comment on the great condition/trims they get! BTW, I gave him $250 and still felt like he deserved more.

Doing Janie, my belgian is NOT easy. She's not a problem, but her feet are SO heavy!! OH! It's back-breaking work for sure!

And Nathan, I usually agree with you, but not this time. Not all horses are the same when it comes to the work required on the feet. My minis are easier than doing my belgian. Just her weight alone makes the job so much more difficult, IMO.

BTW, did I mention I LOVE my farrier!

 

[chandab]

Its used to be very hard to find a farrier around here, then a couple years ago I found a really good one and he was so good with the minis. Then, he moved out of country and I was without a farrier for several months; then a new one showed up... My former farrier's brother, so I have a farrier again. He charges $30/horse regardless of size. Now and then, my farrier will come with help as his brother and his brother's wife will come too, all three are farriers, so we get them all done pretty quick. I have the farrier coming out on Thursday to catch everyone up. I do trim my minis myself part of the year to help defray the cost; but I always have the farrier do my saddle horses.

 

[The Dynamic Duo]

My new one that I am meeting at Kids new home charges 20-25 depending on how hard they are to handle. I think Ive actually met him before and if so hes very sweet.

On a side note, here in TX you can get your farriers license when your 16 and its just in town a little bit away from me! 2 more years baby!

 

[Jill]

Harvey and I have been doing our own horses -- show ones, foals, and "regular" ones, since 2003.

When we started, our farrier helped us learn and we also had a video. We'd do them one time, then he'd do them the next until we could take it over totally on our own.

Part of the "problem" was finding a good farrier who was willing to keep doing minis and to do as many minis as we have. They'd be late a lot for appointments, and I understand -- the farms before us can take longer than you'd expect. But, we'd be waiting then he'd come and only be up to doing half of what we'd planned... that kind of thing.

We are very happy doing our own. We can do as many as we want whenever we want. Harvey does an outstanding job on them. The main savings is time and convenience. At the time we took over our own trimming, we'd been paying $15/each which I personally think is pretty inexpensive. But, to us, the cost was the time, waiting around, not getting all of them done when they needed (as farrier was tired, etc.).

I can say for those who want to learn to do their own or who are, the more expensive nippers vs. the cheaper ones are very worth it. We initially had a $20 or so pair not knowing the difference and when we switched to the $100 pair, it was SO much easier. And for the rasps, the shorter "mini" ones are very ideal (vs. the full size rasps).

 

[SHANA]

When I just had arabians I hired a farrier. He charged $30 per horse. He was always hard to get ahold of and never on time. So when I got my first mini in 2003 I hired my cousin who is a farrier and he was always on time. He also charged $30 a horse, didn't matter the size. Though every time he came in 2004 he showed me how to trim the minis. He hated doing them as it was hard on his back. So now I do my minis myself, saved a bunch of money as the tools are not that expensive. My cousin still comes and does the 2 arabians we have. I taught my husband how to trim so we split the minis in half. I can only do 2-3 a day. I have done 5(3 fillies and 2 colts) of my 8 this month as they are due. Hubby hasn't had time to do any yet. Though I'll probably do some of his as well. I don't work during the week and he does.

 

[nluszcz]

When it comes to feet, a horse is a horse, but a draft is a pain!

Even well mannered ones are HARD work.

 

[Warpony]

I pay $20 each. My farrier charges $20 per mini, $25 per pony, $30 per full sized horse.

If she doesn't have to do much, she knocks off $5. I'd love to learn to do my own but with my arm problems there is no way I could ever do it.

 

[Margaret]

I do my own minis, (and have for 5 years) and also offer farrier services to others in my area.

The minis that I do for others are well manered,- and my clients know me well enough to allow me to trim on my schedule, so they are not usually there when I stop by, and end up sending me a check.. I currently charge 25. per mini.

 

[Sassy'sMom]

I just switched farriers and the new one only charges $20 per horse, no matter what size. The other farrier was cocky and I didn't think he was very good, and he charged $35 per horse. The new guy was just here last night, and I just love him. He is very nice, very honest, and took time with my horses. The other guy rushed through and didn't check them very well. I was very nervous to switch farriers, because they are very hard to find in my area, but it was good decision in the end!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

$25/horse...with the increase in the cost of gas I agree he deserves it. He travels all the way from well...almost 50 miles to start with me then do his circle to end up home at the end of the day. he is punctual, courteous, gentle with each horse and does them as individuals not just "it's a mini". Thankfully I only have 3. He does discount larger herds, but then charges a trip fee.

 

[Fred]

There are good and bad farriers all over the country. I personally can't stand the cocky ones that charge too much. I know a LOT of farriers, and in this area there are many that do competitions all over the world. Some of them treat their apprentices like crap. I hate that, thats their ego getting in the way of business. That said there are many many highly trained GREAT farriers who put the horses comfort first. You do get what you pay for however. It is a hard demanding job that actually the easiest part is dealing with the horses. I see some people on here saying the last farrier didn't take enough time. How much is enough? I can tell within two steps if the horse is off and I'm not bragging that I actually can. I have over 40 years of dealing with feet and movement and so have a lot of farriers. I will never know it all and the day I do is the day I quit!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

A good point Linda, seeing as you were my favorite farrier for a long time. My fellow takes about 20-30 mins per horse. I walk it out he looks, we set up, he trims, I walk em out again and if he isn't satisfied he fixes it til it is. Mags (age 16) has a rear foot that wants to curl in so she takes the most time but he just loves her tiny self and wants it perfect so it doesn't hurt her to walk. he comes every 6-9 wks depending on the trim he did. "He" schedules for them, not me. Mags needs to be watched so he'll be back in 7. I think this is a hard job, a farrier's back and knees always hurt, you try an 8 hr day on your knees or bent over...I love my farriers and am hapy to pay for their excellent care. For the larger herds I can't imagine the cost, but it's gotta be done.