WHEN 18 FARRIERS described how they’d tackle the therapeutic shoeing case described at right, there were a wide variety of answers and prices that ranged from $75 to $750 for the first visit.

While it’s tough to determine how to price the work of a problem horse from a printed description of the concerns, these farriers gave it their best shot. Their answers will serve as a good learning experience for American Farriers Journal readers.

During the first visit, a veterinarian needs to be there and radiographs need to be taken. The first item would be stabilizing the P3 and having the veterinarian treat the abscesses since that’s a medical procedure.

I wouldn’t quote a price in advance, as time and materials will dictate the actual cost.

—Mark Engle, Columbia City, Ind., rengle@ctL.net.com

Urge the owner to have a veterinarian take radiographs before any shoeing work is done. Since the P3 may be infected and there are no radiographs, there are too many unknowns to be able to immediately develop a proper, professional shoeing prescription.

Until the unknowns are investigated, you aren’t doing anyone, especially the horse, any good by shoeing it. Doing any shoeing work at this time will likely result in a fairly expensive future visit to perform accurate, informed and knowledgeable corrective shoeing work.

—Terry Dokken, Hastings, Minn., dokkenequine@earthlink.net

My first question is whether this obviously injured horse has been visited by a vet. While my price would be partially determined by talking with the attending vet…