Terms and Conditions of Hoof Care Service

**** PLEASE ENSURE YOU PROVIDE YOUR HORSES ADDRESS - NOT YOUR HOME ADDRESS ****
 
FEES AND BILLING:
 
- Any unexpected changes in fees will be discussed before the work is started. Fee variations are due to horse's behavior, time and degree of correction needed.
- PAYMENT IS DUE UPON COMPLETION OF WORK. This includes bank transfers. If payment is not received, a $7 late fee will be charged (per horse) if the payment (or proof of transfer) has not been received prior to leaving the property, and will increase an addition $7/horse for every 7 days of late payment 
- We accept cash, PayPal, Stripe, Bank Transfer, and all major credit cards.
- FOR REGIONAL, OUT OF STATE OR INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS: Travel expenses and deposits may be due upon booking an appointment. For large jobs or jobs outside our normal service area a deposit (or up to full payment) of our professional fees may be required in advance. This will be discussed prior to booking.
- CANCELLED APPOINTMENTS: You are welcome to cancel with more than 24 hours notice, but as much notice as possible is appreciated. However, repeat offenders may find themselves unable to secure future bookings. For cancellations less than 24 hours notice fees of up to 50% of the booked works may apply. For cancellations of less than an hours notice, or failure to attend an appointment, fees of up to 100% of the booked works may apply. Future appointments cannot be made until these fees are settled. These same rules apply for decreasing numbers - please give us a minimum 24 hours notice. 
 
SCHEDULING:
 
- Priority is given to those clients who prefer a RECURRING 5 WEEK SLOT. Developing a consistent shoeing or trimming schedule benefits everyone and provides the optimum results. Staying on a recurring route enables us to work more efficiently to keep prices down and ensure we're consistently on time. If 5 weeks is inappropriate for your horse, alternatives will be arranged where ever possible. However when some clients are on 4 weeks, some on 5, and some on 6, bunching up of due clients will occur causing horses to go over due if we can't get to them. We've found this system to work reliably to keep your horses sound and healthy and to keep your farriers on time!
- We will notify you if we will be more than 15 minutes late for our appointment. We try to keep on time but working with animals, and traffic, can push our schedule out some times. Please allow enough time in your own schedule for us to perform the work requested and a little extra in case we run late.
- We do not consider lack of prior planning or booking an emergency. Should you not wish to stick to a recurring booking that is completely fine, however if your horse becomes overdue we cannot guarantee prompt service as we are heavily booked and cover a wide geographical area.
 
WORKING CONDITIONS:
 
- The horse is our primary concern. Please have your horse ready, reasonably clean and dry, and well mannered by the scheduled appointment time.
- In the case of muddy legs, please towel them off, or allow us to. Please do NOT hose down legs (or the whole horse!) immediately prior to an appointment.
- Please do not apply hoof dressings prior to the appointment
- We may ask to observe the horse in motion to make evaluations, corrections and/or assess lameness to help us make better decisions for your horses hoof care.
- Please allow us to work in a safe, clean, and shaded/covered area with flat, firm, footing where ever possible, and good lighting. We understand not everyone has access to ideal facilities, however if they are there please allow us to make use of them. THIS IS IMPERATIVE FOR GLUE ON SHOES.
- Please understand that any instructions we give regarding how to hold the horse, where to stand while we work, where we are willing to perform the work, and what horses we are willing to work on, are for everyone's safety and best interest, including your horse. We reserve the right to refuse any working areas or to work on any horses at our discretion.
- Horses with difficult behaviour may need to be rebooked for a horsemanship session with Chad which is conducted at a higher rate. Horses with severe pain issues, especially those getting put in to glue on products, may require you to book your veterinarian to sedate your horse. If we cannot complete the booked work due to your horse's behaviour fees of up to 100% of the booked work (less any unopened materials) may apply. If your horses behaviour causes additional materials to be used these will be added to your invoice.
- We expect a competent horse handler (over 18 years of age) to be present at the appointment unless we are notified prior. Please wear suitable footwear.
 
PHOTOGRAPHY:
 
- We do take photos during our working days, some generic in nature, some specifically for case study purposes and advertising. These photos may be used in our marketing strategies including but not limited to social media, websites, brochures, flyers or teaching materials. You can opt out of this by letting us know that you do not wish for us to take photographs.
 
VETERINARY PRACTICE ACT:
 
- Please note - we are NOT veterinarians. As such we cannot invade live tissue, we cannot diagnose, and we cannot provide or administer medications. We will not sedate horses, and we will not work on horses that owners sedate themselves without them having discussed it prior with their veterinarian and having the owner sign a waiver starting that we did not administer the sedatives. If there is anything concerning us about your horses health we will recommend you contact your veterinarian. In extreme cases we may refuse to work on your horse until a veterinarian has been consulted and has been in contact with us. Excellent team work between your hoof care team and other health care professionals is what will lead to optimum results for your horse, so we will always want to keep communication lines open with your veterinarian and have them involved in lameness recovery.
OWNERSHIP OF THE HORSE:
 
We expect that all horses booked in for work with us are being booked in by the legal owner, or legal leasee.