Responsibilities

My responsibilities to the horse:

A horse, in this context, includes pony, donkey or other equine animal.

I will:

• Treat all horses humanely, with respect, and with welfare as the primary consideration
• Make proper arrangements for the provision of relief and emergency cover
• Maintain proper standards in business premises and equipment

I will not cause any horse to suffer by:

• Carrying out any unnecessary action
• Employing excessive restraint or discipline
• Failing to advise the need to call a veterinary surgeon when appropriate
• Neglect

I will not to commence working with an animal if it is felt that the conditions (i.e. present temperament of the horse or present condition the horse is kept in) are unfavourable to a successful outcome.

My responsibilities to the client:

A client, in this context, is defined as a person whose equine has been shod or trimmed by myself within the last ten weeks and is not known to have become the client of another farrier.

I will:

• Ensure that clear information is provided about practice and contact arrangements
• Respond to clients’ enquiries within a reasonable timescale
• Take all reasonable care in using my professional skills
• Keep my skills and knowledge up to date
• Not attend to any animal in the absence of the client, or a person who takes responsibility for the horse in the client’s absence, without prior arrangement
• Keep within my own area of competence save for the requirement to provide emergency first aid
• Advise clients when a second opinion or further professional advice is required
• Work in conjunction with a veterinary surgeon’s advice where appropriate
• Recognise that the client has freedom of choice

The professional/client relationship is one of mutual trust and respect, under which I will:

• Maintain client confidentiality
• Treat the client with respect, and observe professional courtesies
• Avoid conflict of interest between myself and my client
• Give due consideration to the client’s concerns and wishes where these do not conflict with the horse’s welfare
• Provide fully itemised accounts if requested
• Provide an adequate period of notice if I do not wish to continue to work for a client for whatever reason
• I am sometimes asked to catch, tie up and release the horse before or after trimming and shoeing. Farriers are not required to do so, but if I do accept these additional risks, I will perform them with all due skill and care.

It is the client’s responsibility to provide:

• Plenty of notice in booking and cancelling an appointment.
• A clean, dry standing with good light and a non-slip surface
• Protection from rain, wind and bad weather
• A properly fitted, sound head collar/halter with a good rope of adequate length
• Competent assistance by holding the equine or if not a secure, safe ring to which the horse can be tied.

The client should also ensure that:

• The horse is trimmed on a regular basis of 6 – 8 weeks
• The working area is safe for horse and farrier
• The horse is used to being handled and, if appropriate, has a companion animal close by

If you have any questions about my responsibilities towards you and your horse, feel free to contact me.