Palmetto Farrier Service
My approach is simple. Although there are many "fads" that come and go I tend to stick to the time tested basics of hoof care. Each time I visit your barn I will want to take the time to watch the movement of your horse, and listen to what you have to say about your horse rather than simply pulling out the nippers and rasp and going to work. Through my education, I am able to pay attention to the relationships between conformation and joint alignment as well as skeletal and muscular movements of a horse. Paying attention to the way a horse moves can tell me much more than simply observing the growth of the hoof. In some cases I will also ask that you saddle up the horse and ride it through some different gaits as the "flight of the hoof" changes with different gaits
. Using an assessment sheet that I have developed, I will keep a record of your horse's hoof measurements and conformation to allow me to track the progress of your horse. I schedule my days to allow me to take the time needed to do a good job for your horse rather than rushing through to get to the next appointment. It's all about the horse and quality of care, not quantity of horses I can get to in a day.There is a marketing campaign going on with people advertising a "Natural Trim" as a better way to prepare your horses feet. We as consumers automatically think that when something is called "Natural" that it is automatically better. Although I am a proponent of a horse going barefoot, not all horses are capable of that. Most performance horses need protection to absorb higher shock form the events that they are required to perform in. Also some horses are just genetically pre-disposed to have poor foot conformation. The "Natural Trim" folks would have you believe that they can model your horses foot after that of a wild mustang running free on the range. A domestic horse and wild mustang have very little in common except that they have four legs and are grass eating machines. Wild mustangs have different diets, exercise differently, and are certainly not asked to run a barrel course or jump over obstacles with 200 lbs of rider and tack attached to their back. Also in the wild there is something called Natural Selection. That means if a horse in the wild has bad feet and can't run very fast the wolves get it and that horse doesn't get to pass along those bad genetics to the rest of the herd. Most of the so called "Natural Trim" has it's roots in traditional Farrier Science and is something that every educated Farrier should be doing anyway when preparing your horse's feet.
To make an appointment please call me at (803) 370-7334. If no answer please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible. Other wise you can email me at: b_baire@comporium.net
I am based out of York, SC and serve the Charlotte Metro area as well as the rest of the Carolinas.
If your horse has any special needs, please let me know ahead of time so that I can be sure to have what ever hoof care products I may need. I carry a large assortment of sizes and styles of shoes. For special needs I have the ability to hand forge modifications to shoes as well as fabricate hand made shoes, traction devices, etc.
Rates:
I am currently accepting new clients and offering a free trim ($30 value) with a paid trim or shoe. Also I will give a $10 discount to you for each horse you refer to me. These offers are good to new clients through the end of March 2010. Remember to mention this ad.
(Rates for feet that are severely overgrown or require therapeutic trimming will reflect the time involved)
Barefoot Trim - $30 all four feet
Steel Shoes: (I prefer to "hot fit" shoes so let me know if that is something you do not want)
- two feet trimmed and two feet shod - $55
- four feet trimmed and four feet shod - $75
- Re-setting shoes $50 (I do not re-set other people's shoes)
- Shoe modifications such as clips, rolled toes, etc. - Add $5 per foot
Calks or Borium - $5 per foot
Pads - $7 per foot
Navicular, Founder, Crack Repairs, Hoof Reconstruction and any other therapeutic work is priced individually based on the treatment required.
