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.

If you check out my Article pages they will probably give you a good insight as to what my practice consists of. Nowadays my business is about 50% shoeing and 50% “natural trimming”, I really hate that term and prefer barefoot trims but the public seem to like the former.

As to shoeing, I don’t routinely shoe every horse with the same type of shoe and prefer to use appropriate shoes for whatever use your horse is being put to. I’m also not a great believer in refitting worn shoes.

For my “natural trimming” practice I’ve taken training from various names, some methods I just could not get any success with, but I’ve been following the advice of Pete Ramey simply because what he says seems to work. If you want a barefoot horse I suggest you read his and Jaime Jackson’s books for an idea of what its all about.

I also try to provide a full hoof care service by including a hoofboot fitting service. Details of all of this is available on the Rates page.

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. Being Scottish, I try to give value for money, you won’t find me the cheapest farrier in town but I am in no way the most expensive. 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.