In our Ask the Vet column, Dr. Lydia Gray answers your horse-health questions at HorseChannel.com/AskTheVet.
Q: How can you tell if your farrier is doing a good job?
A: This question was answered by SmartPak’s Hoof Health Consultant Danvers Child, CJF (Certified Journeyman Farrier)
Without actually learning the farrier trade, which takes years and years, you’re kind of taking a leap of faith when evaluating the competency of a farrier—similar to what you do when you select a mechanic, a doctor, a plumber, a lawyer, or any other specialty provider. However, what those professionals and tradesmen have that a farrier doesn’t is a license. In North America, farriery is not regulated, so you have no assurances of baseline knowledge or skill.
Nevertheless, many motivated farriers will have voluntarily submitted to testing through the American Farriers Association (AFA). To that end, when “flying blind,” it’s a good idea to look for someone who has earned the AFA’s CF (Certified Farrier) or CJF (Certified Journeyman Farrier) credential.
Beyond that, you’re looking for someone who:
And most importantly, you’re looking for someone who addresses the individual needs of your horse(s). As an apprentice, my mentor once told me that if I saw two horses that were shod exactly the same, at least one of them was shod wrong.
Dr. Lydia Gray is the Medical Director and Staff Veterinarian for SmartPak Equine in Plymouth, MA, where she directs the research and development of products and provides horse health and nutrition education to a wide variety of audiences. Dr. Gray’s work has appeared in more than a dozen general and trade publications and she speaks frequently around the country. She is the proud owner of a Trakehner gelding named “Newman” that she competes in dressage and combined driving.
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