I don't understand

[Lab_Brat]

Why if this thread is for those interested in barefoot trims for their horses do some of you insist on coming here to make fun of those of us who choose this for our horses. Go to the general discussion and post your opinions. Let the barefooters have their one place to post here, it seems like the respectful thing to do. Everytime I click on a thread here I get to read a totally ignorant post that has nothing to do with the topic (it kinda enforces what people say about farriers).

I will say that I am enjoying the posts by farriers who do barefoot trims for some of their clients and it changes my opinion about farriers. However some of you need to do yourself a favor and read more, post less.

[Tom Stovall, CJF]

Lab_Brat in gray

Why if this thread is for those interested in barefoot trims for their horses do some of you insist on coming here to make fun of those of us who choose this for our horses.

This forum is entitled, Farriers Helping Horse Owners Interested In Maintaining Their Horses Barefoot Only. It is a valuable resource for owners who have a genuine interest in determining their horses' needs and require the advice of a professional farrier in making that determination. It's not a happy place for the BUA ignoranti to preach their barefoot nonsense because their dogma is invariably met with knowledge.

Go to the general discussion and post your opinions. Let the barefooters have their one place to post here, it seems like the respectful thing to do.

Perhaps you should re-read the title of this forum: Pay careful attention to the part that says, "Farriers helping..." Do you require assistance in discerning the literal meaning of the forum's title? And, just so you'll know, respect is an earned commodity on this forum.

Everytime I click on a thread here I get to read a totally ignorant post that has nothing to do with the topic (it kinda enforces what people say about farriers).

What the BUA has to say about farriers keeps us all up nights.

I will say that I am enjoying the posts by farriers who do barefoot trims for some of their clients and it changes my opinion about farriers.

While your enjoyment is a matter of utmost concern, perhaps you should know that any trim that leaves the foot bare is a "barefoot trim" - and the overwhelming majority of farriers have barefoot custom.

However some of you need to do yourself a favor and read more, post less.

Or what? Will you stamp your foot and throw a hissy fit? Will you hold your breath 'til you turn blue? Favor this forum with more illogic? The mind boggles at the prospect of your displeasure. :)

[Red Amor]

Thankyou Tom:)

[T.L. Buck]

Qoute ...
"Let the barefooters have their one place to post here, it seems like the respectful thing to do."

This is a farrier forum as Tom has stated. If you need assistance we are here to help. That is not to confuse BUA mumbo jumbo with farriery.

[belhaven]

Lab Brat, there are several Barefoot Forums available that welcome barefoot only discussion.

If you are interested in the sites, please let me know and I can provide a links.

Truly, as enthusiastic and excited as anyone might be as a new member of BUA (I do speak from experience here ;) ), this really is not the place to discuss the politics and purely barefoot-other than for entertainment purposes for those that read the thread.

If you are simply interested in stirring the pot and seeing how many big words Tom Stovall can use in a sentence :p then by ALL means start a barefoot discussion! It can be fun reading-though a dictionary often comes in handy.

But honestly why bother? No 'good' will come of it. I just can't see Tom, Rick Burten and the list goes on suddenly waking up tomorrow morning after reading yet ANOTHER barefoot vs. shod thread and suddenly chucking the anvil into the lake, born anew!

If you really want to share how your heart sings at the sound of barefoot hooves, then come join the barefoot forums.

Besides, there is no sense burning those bridges in the farrier crowd-you never know when you might learn something from one of these guys that have spent YEARS under hundreds and THOUSANDS of horses (did that make all the boys on the board sound REALLY old...didn't mean to-hehehe).

Now don't get me wrong, my horses are barefoot and I know ALL the verses to the BUA march song...but there are some good farriers that might even be able to even offer some trim advice should you need it...and I speak from experience on this point as well.

Just 2 cents worth.

[joan cameron]

Yes Lab brat, this is a forum to ask questions and learn from farriers. While you may be interested in barefoot don't close your mind to what can be learned here. There is valuable opinions and experience that you have at your disposal...a free library of personal information. The key is individual experiences.......you have to respect, I think, the experience you find here. If your mind is just closed and you think one way is right...then you'll get your head handed to you in a lightening fast manner. If nothing else it provides entertainment for us watchers and readers. Tom is especially gifted at the technique of lambasting you...but it takes you 15 minutes to understand you just got whiplashed!!!

[Rick Burten]

I know ALL the verses to the BUA march song...
If memory serves, that song is sung in the key of B(very)flat.

[Dave Purves]

I believe that the very title of this thread says it all. ;)

Dave

[Rick Burten]

Or what? Will you stamp your foot and throw a hissy fit?
Only if her nails are trimmed to BUA standards and her feet have been properly transitioned to the barefoot condition and then conditioned and toughened for the terrain upon which she might stomp.

If she holds her breath until she turns blue and then expels that air, will she take off in erratic flight much the same as happens when you blow up a balloon and then release it? Will she go PHFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT like said balloon would?

The possibilities seem rather endless. And entertaining.

Perhaps instead of applying for a research grant to study thelacivious and salacious amorous(or lack there of) behavior of S. Equidae, Tom should apply for a research grant to study the effects he has on neophyte(and other) BUAtistas. I'll scribe if you want. I'll even bring the Brats.

[pawsplus]

For a board that WILL help you, try here:

http://www.gossiping.net/phpBB2/index.php?mforum=equinextionforu

[Steve Swain]

How appropriate that they congregate at the gossip net.

[Ronald Aalders]

However some of you need to do yourself a favor and read more, post less.

This is a pretty smart remark made here!

Post # 1,019 :p


Ronald Aalders

[Jaye Perry]

Why if this thread is for those interested in barefoot trims for their horses do some of you insist on coming here to make fun of those of us who choose this for our horses. .....
We are concerned for the Kittens!!!!!!!!!!

[Tim Hutton]

Pete Ramey barefoot trim book-26.95
jamie Jackson barefoot trim book-29.95
Barefoot trim from a natural trimmer-75.00+/-
Response from Jaye Perry-Priceless

[Rancho JD]

I never in my travels have met a barefoot only trimmer. 75 dollars sounds great if you can get it but from Ely to John Day its pretty simple, people just wont pay it! When most mountain and desert dwellers say... this horse needs shoes. well it's a fact. if i left all but my trimming tools behind i may as well be trying to sell sand to a farmer. these highways are long and remote but i could see it in the distance, theres that farrier turned high priced and hippy

[Phil Armitage]

This is a pretty smart remark made here!

Post # 1,019 :p


Ronald Aalders

Not too smart if you ask me. Do the math, if we all start to read more and post less, pretty soon there will be nothing to read. A lot of us learn by posting and then getting corrected. ;)

[Phil Armitage]

Thank you Tom and others for constantly makeing fun of the Barefoot Only people. Now all you barefoot only folks please keep in mind, pay attention I said ONLY.

Farriers do not have a problem with people interested in keeping there horse barefoot and we are more than happy to help.

This is a farriers discussion forum and the section on barefoot is about farriers helping horse oweners with barefoot issues.

What I see is a few barefoot only folks jumping in and giveing there opinions and sometime stateing a lot of bull. There is a big difference between farriers helping horse owners interested in going barefoot and all the bull that is believed by the barefoot only crowd.

Keep comeing here and stateing BS and you will be made fun of.

Sorry that is the way it is.

Again thank you Tom, Rick and others for makeing it a mission to combat this problem in our industry.

[matryoshka]

As a trimmer, I am confused why people would pay so much for barefoot trims from "specialists." What can be done with a rasp, nippers and knife worth $70 a pop? I've seen trims by two barefoot specialists in the area that I wouldn't pay any more for than what the average farrier charges--and I bet a farrier wouldn't have left all the hooves right-side high the way one trimmer did.

I hope horse owners wake up soon and realize that they don't necessarily get a better trim for the higher prices. I charge the same as my farrier mentor charges for a trim. She's on the low side for the area, but it just feels **** to charge more than she does. Plus, I've still got a lot to learn. I guess a high-demand trimmer can charge as much as he/she wants, just like shoers. That isn't cause for complaint, it is supply/demand. I just hope that the quality of the trim reflects the price! BTW, the particular farrier who is mentoring me does as good or better a trim than any of the barefoot specialists in the area.

Rick posted on another thread that trimmers take longer to trim. That is certainly true for me. I do spent an extra few minutes per hoof to put on a nice roll, and I recheck the balance several times throughout the trim. That's just me--I hate to make mistakes. I'm not as strong or as practiced as somebody who does this full time, so of course I'm going to be slower. But one of the clients who hired me after a barefoot specialist was surprised that I didn't spend an hour per horse. I guess she was wondering where I was cutting corners? It takes me 20-30 minutes per horse, depending on what issues the hoof has. That seems slow to me. :rolleyes:

I did have one client request I finish the feet with a sanding block to make them look prettier. I don't use an ultra fine rasp because I trim a number of drafts, and the fine side does nothing for them. I asked the client if he was willing to pay an extra $5 per hoof for me to sand them when I finished. He bought his own sanding block and lets me stick to trimming.

[Rick Burten]

Its all smoke, mirrors and preying on the gullibility and insecurities of an unsuspecting public. Guarenteed you don't find true horsemen and horsewomen falling for that line of tripe.

But, on the other hand, why fight it? If the BUA sets the fees bar high, its our duty to step up and take advantage of the situation. Give your trim a fancy name, raise your fees, buy a sanding block or a Buffy and give the public what it wants. :D

Oh, and don't worry about how long it takes you to trim one. If anyone says anything just tell them it takes that long to apply your trim. There's a lot of observing and checking and whatall to get that trim just right.

[Kaydence]

As a trimmer, I am confused why people would pay so much for barefoot trims from "specialists." What can be done with a rasp, nippers and knife worth $70 a pop? I've seen trims by two barefoot specialists in the area that I wouldn't pay any more for than what the average farrier charges--and I bet a farrier wouldn't have left all the hooves right-side high the way one trimmer did.

It does make it much easier to charge a whole heck of a lot more for the shoes to fix the mess when the farrier gets called back if they are already used to paying $70 for the trim. :)

A couple of years ago I was trimming a draft cross for a club. I'd been hired by the coach and she always booked the appointments, held the horse, asked the questions and handed me the cheque (made out by the owner of course. :) ). She occasionally asked me questions about Strasser and I stayed diplomatic for the most part. Then one day she calls me and tells me she has taken a Strasser course and won't be needing me to trim the horse any more. I didn't think much about it until a year later when I received an email from the horses new owner (same club though), asking a bunch of questions. We pieced things together and it turns out this coach told the owner that I'd no longer give receipts and wanted cash only, leaving the owner to believe she still had a farrier trimming her horse (just assuming she had a tax evading farrier though). When the feet started to worry a few people, the owner asked some questions but was put off by the coach. Finally, when the horse was sold, the new owner insisted on being given my phone number to book her appointments herself, at which time the coach admitted I hadn't touched the feet in about a year. I'm back trimming the horse again. It was one of those times when the Strasserite couldn't charge double and get away with everything so she settled on just taking my rate.... wonder if she just lied about how often she trimmed and ended up getting double money anyway???? Hmmmmm.....

[matryoshka]

OMG! What a rotten thing to do!

I think I'll stick to farrier prices for trims, thanks. With one notable exception, I only take clients that have been "fired" by their farriers. And I now share that account with a farrier who doesn't have time to trim the other horses. He takes care of the ones wearing shoes, and I do the trims. He's been very helpful in critiquing my trims, too--doesn't charge for advice. When school is back in session (i.e. no kids going to work with me), he's going to let me ride with him while he shoes in the area. I'm looking forward to it, because he's got accounts at some of the major breeding barns (and one veterinary hospital) in the area. :)

I guess I'm just too honest to try to bilk owners.