We are a farrier/trimmer team that specializes in rehabilitation services. It’s a little different than the usual model: having a farrier OR a trimmer.
So.. why not just a farrier? Why not just a trimmer?
While we both understand the work our partner does, we have focused our time and education in different directions. No one can be an expert in all things. By continuing to work separately we can dive deeper into education in each area and then bring that knowledge into our work as a team.
So often, horses in need of our services are soundness puzzles. Not only does having complementary skills allow us to bring more to the table, it also gives us someone we can brainstorm with in real time to analyze the problem and come up with a solution. We can also reach out to a variety of other practitioners, such as other farriers and trimmers, vets and body workers – to bounce ideas off of.. with two people, our network is large. It also gives us the flexibility to have one of us focus on part of the process separately when necessary – for example, sometimes a rehabilitation includes being barefoot and shod, at different points in the process.
Because we prefer to work as a team, we attract peers and clients who also like to work in a team. We value the knowledge and experience everyone brings to the horse.. the very nature of modern horse keeping means that a horse may have an owner, a leaser, a barn manager, barn workers, trainers, a veterinarian, a chiropractor, a saddle fitter, a dentist. The most challenging soundness issues require input from all caregivers and riders at different times.. so while we certainly enjoy doing maintenance work on sound horses, we also enjoy working with others to find solutions.
It also can be difficult to maintain client relations, professional relations and a social media presence doing work that keeps you away from a phone or computer. We find it easier to do these things when we work on them together.
The Balanced Hoof 