IMPORTANT!
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www.njhoof.com
New Clients
Im always taking on new clients despite my busy schedule. My goal Is to prioritize my limited time to those clients who share the same goals and values as I do. In my opinion, open and clear communication is the key factor when working with clients... whether they are new or my long time customers.
Please read the following information below and if you think we can be a good match in working to help your horse, fill out the "New Clients" form at the bottom of the page.
What you can expect from me
1. I cover the South Jersey area. Im more than happy to head out to trim your horses as soon as it is possible!
2. Im always educating my clients, sending them interesting articles, posts, videos and research studies. I always encourage owners to dig deeper into the natural rehab world and to educate themselves in this field. I always have tons or books, videos, channels and podcasts that I recommend on a daily bases to all owners for them to look into natural rehab in a more open perspective. I believe that continuing education is key to achieve proper hoof and horse health.​
3. I schedule trimming appointments the same day or the following days. Sometimes clients don't know when they are available for the next appointment. I understand that because things in life happen and we all have other things to take care of, but despite that I prefer clients telling me at least a week before they want me to come out since I do have a lot of clients and a tight schedule.
4. I send out reminders to people the day before we have an appointment. I always try to be on time. Sometimes unexpected things occur on the road and I end up late to the appointment. I always try to warn people if i'm arriving late and what time i'll be there.
5. I will work with horses that are not fond of farriers. Although I work with dangerous horses, I will tell the owner if the situation becomes unsafe and discuss with the owner how we can calm the horse down in order for me to trim.
6. I palpate the whole body and muscles of the horse if I notice a problem. I am not a certified chiropractor or acupuncturist (although I took courses and lessons) so I can't tell whether my predictions will be 100% correct. I do know the horses anatomy and will pinpoint the spots of pain, but again, I really prefer a certified professional to look at the horse if I find any muscle, etc. pain.
7. I have a full stock of Fit Kit Easycare Gloves that I will measure on your horse and tell what sizes will fit him. I also carry used and new boots for emergencies. If your horse is in immediate need of boots I am willing to sell or rent you a pair.
8. I am more than happy to teach you how to rasp the hoof in between trims if the horse needs it (usually I recommend it with long flared hooves or clubbed feet). I do not provide the owners with rasps or any other hoof trimming equipment so this is for the owner to buy.
9. Im more than happy to take a look at the hoof pictures before coming to a new client for the trims.
10. Im always available to consult over the phone for certain periods of time. They can be long or short periods of time (depending on what i'm doing during the day).
11. All of my clients know that I recommend switching all the horses I trim to a forage based diet (a diet which includes only grass pellets and hay, no grains). Im more than happy to talk with the owner about the diet recommendations I give and things to consider when switching to this natural diet.
12. I focus on the way the hoof is being used biomechanically by the horse, not the way it looks to the human eye. This is because at times the hoof may look ugly but it is preforming amazingly. I always focus on the proper use, not on shininess or good looks.
What I expect from clients
1. I prefer for all the horses to stay on a 4-5 week trim cycle. Many times owners will try call me out once every 10-12 weeks... I do not agree to these terms. The reason for that is because I rehab the hoof to perform better. If the hoof looks like it is due ( has cracks, flares, long walls, overgrown bars, overgrown frog) it is overdue. When I come to the farm I tell owners what the trim cycle should preferably be. Most horses maintain the hooves very well because they gallop on rocky terrain every day for many miles and in those cases the cycle can be lengthened. Other horses live on grassy, moist pastures and the growth rate beats the wear rate in the hoof. If the hoof is all cracked up, with flares, the work that I'll be doing every 6-10 weeks is useless since I can't address the overdue hooves before it becomes a problem... there's no rehab happening. Plus note that its much harder for me to trim an overdue hoof. Every case is different but in almost all cases I will tell the owner to make an appointment every 4-5 weeks.
2. Unfortunately, I do not work weekends unless it is an emergency farm call. All appointments are planned during the week. I do take phone calls during the weekends so it is fairly easy to contact me during any hour.
3. If you are not able to come to the barn to hold the horse and be there during the trims, I can be at the barn by myself and trim the horse without any problems if the horse has good manners, the horse is caught and I have a good, dry place to tie the horse down and trim it.
4. Since I have a lot of clients, I do prefer the horses that i'll be trimming to be caught and ready by the time I arrive. I do understand that they can be fussy and run off at the last minute, but unfortunately I can't wait all day for them to be caught and led to me.
5. To properly trim the hooves, I need a dry place to work with good sunlight. Unfortunately I won't be able to trim in conditions such as 1) standing in manure filled paddocks or stalls 2)while standing outside in the pouring rain 3) standing outside while its snowing 4)standing in the full sunlight when its 110 degrees outside. For boot fitting there has to be a dry place with firm ground and plenty of sunlight.
6. I cannot sedate a horse (neither physically nor legally since i'm not a veterinarian) that is not willing to stand still. I will try to work with a horse that is not trained or doesn't like the farrier but it is the clients responsibility to train the horse. I am not a trainer, i'm a farrier/natural hoof care provider, and i'm there to trim the feet, not train the horse. Trimming is dangerous, especially with dangerous horses, so im not willing to risk my life to trim your horse if its acting horrible and can't behave properly.
Contact For Prices
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