Posted by Anne Daimler on September 15, 2003 at 06:11:37:
In Reply to: Re: Who's in it for the money? posted by Phil Armitage on September 14, 2003 at 22:20:35:
: : : In my wanderings around cyber space I came across a website with this information. The website belongs to a Strasser practitioner of some two years. I found it interesting because many of those individuals accuse farriers of only shoeing horses for the money.
: : : "Services & Fees:
: : : Trimming $50.00 per hour($50.00 per horse minimum)
: : : Consultation $50.00 per hour
: : : Out of State Travel $300 per day plus expenses
: : : Trimming: First time trims are the only ones which may take more than one hour. Typical follow-ups are $50, provided tha the horse is being trimmed on a regular basis.
: : : Out of State Travel: this option is available for those who do not have access to qualified trimming help locally.......Maximum number of trims per day is six(less if there are horses with special problems).
: : : If travel consumes an entire day, add $100 per day of travel only."
: : : Lets see, approximately two years field work after a 21 day hands on school where the actual time spent under the horse is constrained by the other subjects discussed during the "field experience/practicum", and voila, you get to accuse professional farriers of only being in it for the money.
: : : Give 'em enough rope and they will hang themselves.
: : : Rick
: :
: : Hi, Rick:
: : Glad to see you found my website. Sorry the only thing you took away from it was a bad taste about my fees. I don't think they're too high. After all, when I was having my mare shod, I paid $85 for a new set of shoes and $55 for a reset. My farrier did a pretty good job of shoeing, and I credit him for her hooves not being too terribly contracted. Fortunately, she was only in shoes for a couple of years.
: : On the down side, once I had him pull the shoes and start trimming her and my husband's horse barefoot, everything started to go downhill. I was saving money (which was NOT my object in pulling the shoes), getting a 15 minute trim and paying $15 for it. I also got toe and quarter cracks as time went by, which he blamed on the moist climate here in Florida. I started educating myself, and ended up taking the Strasser course because there were no CSHS in my area. The rest, as they say, is history.
: : I also do my share of "pro bono" work, but that has no place on my website. I adjust my fees when and if I see fit, but for the most part, I prefer to have clients who consider their horses to be worth what I charge.
: : Anne
: Anne I looked at your Web site, what farrier school did you attend and who did you apprentice under? How many horses have you trimmed and shod? If all you have for farrier knowledge and experience is a Strasser clinic on trimming then I do not consider you knowledgeable nor experienced enough to be trying to educate the public on proper hoof care. I disagree with your conclusion that "Conventional horse-keeping and hoofcare practices are creating an epidemic of lameness in the world's horses". What study is this based on? And that a high percentage of horses are lame because of it. And that the Strasser method is the answer, do you do the Strasser method by the book or did you improvise it? What is your thoughts on the outcome of Tuft Universaty's decision that the Strasser method is an unethical method and can do harm to horses. I do over 200 horses with 70% in shoes year round and ridden year round in one of the most diverse enviroments in the nation. I am located in Maine where we have everything from extremely dry, rocky, muddy, sand and wet condiditions, frozen ground and extreme hot and cold temperatures. The rule of thumb in New England is to trim and shoe a horse for protection, support and traction all this is to keep the horse and rider safe and sound. Common sense needs to be applied and trimming must be done to the horses conformation and enviroment and a shoer in this area must keep in mind of what changes in the enviroment are coming and trim and shoe for those changes. Most of the horses I shoe show excellent behavior and are sound, and are kept sound by proper management, nutrition, vet care and farrier care. These horses are owned and ridden for many years by eveyone from adults to children, amature and advanced. I have a high success rate shoeing unsound horses as well by applying basic shoeing technigues that have been around for ages and also applying newer methods I have succesfully treated many laminitic and foundered horses, helped many horses with caudle heel pain, abcesses, bruising thrush, broken coffin bones and poor conformation by applying true and tested methods used by farriers all over the world for many years. My attended a shoeing school that took eight weeks to just teach the basics on anatomy, conformation, gate, trimming, forge work and shoeing. Then I worked for a farrier with over 20 years in the buisness and I spent at least two years practicing on barefoot horses to develop my skills before I worked full time provdiding a service for the public. I attend clinics every year and continue my education every day. Can the same be said by a Strasser hoof care specialist?
: Phil Armitage
I took the full Strasser certification course. Unfortunately, I did not have the option of apprenticing, since there were no CSHS anywhere near where I live. I have had the pleasure of having one of this year's students ride with me as an apprentice of sorts (he is in Canada for final certification right now)for the past year, which will definitely give him an advantage I did not have. I work full time providing my service to the public and will attend continuing education at my yearly recertification.
I have no doubt at all that you do a good job of what you do. If you remove the shoes from the 70 percent, will they be sound?
Anne