MASTER farrier Kevin Rooney talked to Jennifer Micklem Diamond about the importance of a farrier in good sales preparation.

Q: What are the advantages of getting your horses seen too by a farrier before going to sales?

The advantage of getting the horse seen too by a farrier before the sales would be to make sure that the horse is in overall good condition in terms of conformation, etc.

You want to make sure that they are trimmed or shod correctly to make sure that the general foot care is up to standard.

By doing all of this it will help the horse show themselves at their very best to the potential buyers.

Q: Give me a general outline of the farrier work that you would do with foals, yearlings and older horses ahead of the sales.

The farrier work I do with horses going to sales is no different to my everyday farrier work but for foals I would assess them from a few different angles and watch them in motion to ensure that their conformation is sound.

If there are some problems this is the best time to correct the horse as most successful corrective farriery begins at early stages.

As for older horses, my farrier work doesn’t change. I always shoe my customer’s horses to a very high standard from whether they are going sales or to a child’s pony in a backyard, the standard doesn’t and shouldn’t change.

The only thing you can do for older horses is to check they are shod or trimmed to a good standard as all of this will stand to them for a potential sale.

Q: Any general pointers for horses going to the sales?

My advice is that all horses should be seen at least seven to 10 days before the sale because if they are freshly shod for the sales the horse may need some time to become accustomed to their new shoes.

In my experience horses that are shod a week ahead of sales show themselves in better light than horses that are outside of the shoeing cycle of four-six weeks.

A well shod foot glanced over with a bit of hoof oil to add a bit of shine to the foot always goes down well with buyers at the sales.

For foals and young horses my advice is for the owners to have the horse well-handled before going to the sales as it will be less traumatic for the horse with the increased activity over the course of the sale from farrier work to spectators as it can be quite stressful on the horse. If they are used to being handled they will lift their leg easier for the farrier to work on and behave better in a busy environment.