Cole Henderson Farrier Service

Cole Henderson Farrier Service

Welcome to my corner of the web.  Enjoy your stay and feel free to look back often. I do try to make this one of those sites that frequently changes.

The idea is to add a new page every month or so on a hoofcare topic, but it depends how much time I have as to when these pages appear. All the information and advice here is free and, in most cases, given people way smarter than me and I can only hope some of it is useful. Remember nothing on the web is a substitute for consulting your farrier or veterinarian with any problem or concerns.

Like any business we farriers have to adapt to be able to provide the best service possible to an ever more informed public. I’ve always had over 50% of the horses I deal with go barefoot with whatever trim was appropriate and it’s always been my experience that most farriers agree that in an ideal world the best shoe for a horse is no shoe. With that in mind I started studying “natural” hoof care/trimming to improve my practice. You won’t catch me using the word “natural” again, if you want natural take your horse to a desert and let it go free because riding a horse isn’t natural.

Over the last few years I’ve taken training from various names in the hoof trimming world, Gene Ovnicek, Ric Redden, Jaime Jackson and Pete Ramey, and although I don’t agree with all they have to say I’ve been impressed with the results of what I’ve learned and the results I’ve seen in practice. When you take a horse that’s been lame for years and make them sound almost overnight there must be something to it.

Yes there are a lot of conditions that can be attended to by trimming rather than corrective shoeing but it does depend on the horse and owner as to which is appropriate. Some horses are best kept shod depending on their use or environment. I’m not getting into barefoot against shoes debate as its enough to say it depends on a horse’s care and lifestyle what suits it better.

With this in mind my business now tries to provide a full hoof care service from shoeing to trimming to including a hoofboot fitting service. See my rates page above for further details.

I believe that the long term soundness and usefulness of your horse largely depends on the quality of the hoof care your horse receives over its lifetime. Every horse benefits from being on a regular trimming or shoeing schedule and not from waiting until a shoe eventually falls off or a hoof chips off before seeking help. Every horse, regardless of age, use or price, has an inherent dignity and is worthy of the very best care and respect.

With over 30 years of being involved in the horse industry, first as a pony trekking guide, horse owner, and later as a farrier I am prepared to meet most of your horse’s hoof care needs. In fact my family go back as far as 1710 through eight consecutive generations of Journeymen Farriers and Blacksmiths (the blacksmiths were the ones who didn't like horses). But I can't claim this make me any better a farrier, I just have less excuse not to be.

I guarantee I will try to shoe or trim every horse better than the person who did it last time, especially if that person was me. My promise is to always treat your horse as I would my own personal horses. I do work with, and through your local veterinarian and encourage you to call them as required. A farrier may have horse knowledge but I am not a veterinarian. I always try to continue my farrier education through conferences and clinics.

I work from North Saanich to Sooke to Duncan and everywhere between. Prices shown on the site are for work in those areas. I do come out to Saltspring, Pender, Saturna and Mayne Islands but prices for those islands will reflect the time and travel involved.