Today i had a client who was a bit upset with the farriers pricing around my area. Yes! The economy *****!!! The lady says to me, why don't we all just put borium on all horses shoes so they don't wear down so fast? Maybe then they wouldn't need new shoes so much all the time.
I told her the reason is that the shoes would EVENTUALLY need replacing since their not gonna last forever, & then of coarse the shoe would be way out of balance as it gets warn away little by little. NOTHING last forever!!!! Plus the fact that having borium on the shoes consistanly would jar up the feet & legs. Your thoughts?? Maybe there's are better reasons?

With the adition of borium, you have to possibility of too much traction. The subsequent vet bills offset any savings.

If the owner is complaining, why not suggest maintaining the horse barefoot? That is IF it is possible.

Tony

Ummm, don't you usually charge extra for borium in the first place?

I pass borium on to the old timers. I don't offer a discount for resets. I will double the cost if someone wants new shoes everytime. If they can't afford a horse they should get a bicycle.

That may not be a good business plan in KS.

Just tell these kind of owners that the toes of the shoes are SUPPOSED to wear out as the foot grows forward,the more the better and inless they are totaslly worn on half at the six week mark, it is just fine. Preventing that wear by adding borium is detrimental to the horse because the horses toes will get too far forward and stress the joints and tendons .
So she can pay for shoeing on a proper schedule, or pay a vet when they become lame, or leave them barefoot. That's how I approach it.

calshoer wrote:Patty, would you have the same approach for horses working in a feed-lot, Concrete, and hard packed dirt? I have shod them in the past and had the toes, worn completley -out. And have seen first-hand what it will do to a barefoot horse, Not good. Depends on the environment that they are ridden in, in my opinion.

Well gee......you didn't mention that it was an "out of the ordinary" situation like a concrete feed lot for criminies sake....
In a special situation like that, if they wore the shoes totally out in say 3 or 4 weeks, then I would either shoe them in Equithotics 'sneakers', at an additional 90 to 100 bucks a pair, (which wear really well on concrete) or use a "little dab" of boruim on the toe corners at an additional 40 bucks a shoeing. Their choice and of course they would have to pay for either of those or shoes every 3 weeks, because it isnt MY fault they are working the horses on concrete.
Their problem, not mine.

We have to take care of there feet , for what ever environment they are in, I think. Sneakers, at 100 bucks a pair, are out of the window.

Jake Whitman wrote:
Why would sneakers or boots be out the window?

I gave a scenario of a feedlot horse. I don't know how many big feedlots are in NJ. But in the western - states, they will not pay a - whole lot more for a shoeing job. The cheapest , fix , to keep there horses healthy and sound, is the norm. And i really can't blame them they usually get paid 1500 a month , and have to use their own horses. That extra money, more than likely would have to come out of their own, pocket.