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Helena Tomsett Farrier Services

Phone: +61 437 391 087

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24.01.2022 Appointment times: I know this time of year starts to get busy for everybody and we all get a bit forgetful as we have too much going on. Just a reminder to please enter your farrier appointment in your diary or in your phone. ... If you need to change or cancel appointments please give more than 24hrs notice. SURCHARGES WILL APPLY to last minute cancellations, or failing to turn up. My diary is booked out 2 - 3 weeks in advance so if appointments are missed or cancelled, It could be quite a wait! Kind regards Helena

21.01.2022 I am attending Berry small farm fields day on Saturday 7th September, and am looking for a horse to shoe for the demonstrations. I would need to do demo of front shoes at 11am and hind shoes at 2pm. If anyone has a horse that would be quiet and sensible in this environment, and would like to bring them down to Berry Showground on this date please let me know. ... Kind regards Helena

21.01.2022 Hi all, From Tuesday October 1st there will be a very small increase in prices. Kind regards... Helena See more

20.01.2022 Help available for those looking for somewhere to keep horses ...

19.01.2022 This is a message from a client of mine...if anyone can help please contact me and I will forward on their details to you... Hello all, I am hoping someone may know of a rural rental available around the Berry/Nowra area for myself and my daughter. Would need to be pet friendly. I come with extensive horse and animal knowledge as a fully qualified vet nurse, primary school teacher and horse trainer. I have also worked for many years in the hunter valley in a senior manager ro...le on a large thoroughbred stud managing spelling racehorses and rehabbing all degrees of injuries. I am happy to look at feeding animals or exercising horse’s to reduce rent or a similar agreement or just a standard rental. I have lived in the area for 35 years with impeccable references available. I’m a super handy person to have around and do not smoke or drink. If you may know of anything suitable please feel free to contact me See more

16.01.2022 If anyone has a message that needs to be shared amongst the equine community during this tragic time...just let me know and I’ll share on my page....it’s May just help spread the word a little further My thoughts are with you all

15.01.2022 When your girl’s taller than you, but you make it work

15.01.2022 THIS FARRIER IS FINALLY HAVING A HOLIDAY!! I will be overseas from Friday 4th October until Wednesday 9th October. My phone off during this period. I will be back operating on Thursday 10th October. ... Kind regards Helena

14.01.2022 This is exactly what I’m doing

13.01.2022 Just a reminder that my phone is on for business between these hours: 8am - 5pm Monday - Friday only, unless it is an emergency, or to let me know about a last minute cancellation. Please keep non urgent messages and calls between these hours. Thank you. Kind regards. Helena

12.01.2022 Away Dates I will be away from Thursday 12th until Monday 16th March. My phone will off during this period, so please refrain from sending messages until my return on Tuesday 17th March. ... Kind regards. Helena

12.01.2022 Farriers conference Gold Coast ...my R&R!!

10.01.2022 A thought-provoking read. By Jane Smiley Most horses pass from one human to another - some horsemen and women are patient and forgiving, others are rigorous and... demanding, others are cruel, others are ignorant. Horses have to learn how to, at the minimum, walk, trot, canter, gallop, go on trails and maybe jump, to be treated by the vet, all with sense and good manners. Talented Thoroughbreds must learn how to win races, and if they can't do that, they must learn how to negotiate courses and jump over strange obstacles without touching them, or do complicated dance like movements or control cattle or accommodate severely handicapped children and adults in therapy work. Many horses learn all of these things in the course of a single lifetime. Besides this, they learn to understand and fit into the successive social systems of other horses they meet along the way. A horse's life is rather like twenty years in foster care, or in and out of prison, while at the same time changing schools over and over and discovering that not only do the other students already have their own social groups, but that what you learned at the old school hasn't much application at the new one. We do not require as much of any other species, including humans. That horses frequently excel, that they exceed the expectations of their owners and trainers in such circumstances, is as much a testament to their intelligence and adaptability as to their relationship skills or their natural generosity or their inborn nature. That they sometimes manifest the same symptoms as abandoned orphans - distress, strange behaviors, anger, fear - is less surprising than that they usually don't. No one expects a child, or even a dog to develop its intellectual capacities living in a box 23 hours a day and then doing controlled exercises the remaining one. Mammal minds develop through social interaction and stimulation. A horse that seems "stupid", "slow", "stubborn", etc. might just have not gotten the chance to learn! Take care of your horses and treasure them. See more

09.01.2022 If you ever think a horse isn’t the ultimate off-road machine, just look at these photos of the Spanish military and their horses taken around 1928. Follow me on IG @feral_or_die for more horse inspired posts.

06.01.2022 New work policies during COVID - 19 In order to keep us all safe and healthy during this period I am implementing some new regulations in my working environment. - Where possible, please have gates open and ready. This will prevent me from having to touch them.... - Whilst holding your horse, please keep a safe, sensible distance. - Please do not touch any of my tools (if you see them on the ground, just tell me, I will pick them up) - I am avoiding handling cash as much as possible, so it will be helpful if you are paying cash to have the correct amount, so I do not have to find change. You can put it in a money bag if desired. - Online payments will now have to be paid direct deposit online AT THE TIME OF YOUR APPOINTMNET. No I.O.U’s unless it has been discussed with me prior to your appointment. - I do have a card service, however a 3% charge applies. - If you are unwell or have been in contact with someone with the virus, please provide as much notice as possible and CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT so we can re schedule your appointment. I thank you all for your cooperation and understanding at this time. Stay safe and look after each other. Love your horses and their feet they will be the ones that keep your sanity!!! Kind Regards Helena

05.01.2022 Lately I hear a complaint from a lot of farriers, who are also good horsemen, that they are getting tossed around, yanked around and injured, quite seriously in...jured in some cases, by spoiled horses. There seems to be a rampant mentality among horse owners that smacking your horse, or snapping on the lead rope, is inherently evil and will emotionally traumatize your large 1200 lb animal. There also seems to be a rampant mentality that you can bribe aggressive behavior out of a horse by feeding it treats. Unfortunately, while you can use food as a motivator to exhibit good behavior or learn new tricks, giving a horse a treat 30 seconds after it kicks someone, with zero immediate discipline/correction for the kick, because "now the horse has stopped kicking and we are rewarding it for standing there", sends the wrong message to the horse. The words "force" or "discipline" seem to cause horrified gasps. How dare I smack my horse (when he just tried to run me over at the gate). How dare I jerk on the lead rope three times (when he just tried to bite/kick at another horse being led past him). That horse I just jerked on will be scarred for life. Traumatized. Will react twice as badly next time... Yeahahaha. No. Yesterday, I forced my 1260 lb gelding to stand, back up, and stop trying to run over me and a friend of mine when he forgot his normally excellent manners at a new barn. I stomped my foot in his direction. I used my angry voice. I pinched him in the chest. I tapped the lead rope. I poked him hard in the ribs. Since he is a solid 1260 lbs and I'm around 160, much of this being successful relies on our established relationship, fast timing, and the areas/frequency I'm applying pressure to. Each move as a consequence for a single rude/aggressive action he displayed. An immediate and short-lived consequence that varied depending on which behavior he was exhibiting. Repeated only if he repeated the rude behavior. No Fat Turbo, you WILL back up if you try to barge forward. No, you WILL get pinched if you try to bump into me with your chest or shoulder. No, you WILL get snapped on the lead if you threaten to cowkick, even in midair. When he stood quiet, when he dropped his head lower on request, when he backed up nicely, when he halted when asked, when he walked forward when asked, he got told "Good boy" and patted for each of those behaviors. Boundaries. Positive AND negative reinforcement. Shortly, he became less rude and quieted down. He got a nice grooming, a nice neck massage (his favourite thing), and we went for a nice normal ride with no more drama. He went back to his calm state of mind. He still let me approach him loose in the field. His mental state was jusssst fine, even after I'd be soooo mean to him during his tantrum earlier. So, so mean. Too many people seem to think that shoving a treat in a rude, pushy or aggressive horse's face equals "positive reinforcement." Horse tries to kick farrier. Horse gets a treat when they stop trying to kick, but doesn't get told "No, that's NOT acceptable." Hmmmm.... Horse continues to be untrustworthy and tries to kick because they've never had any consequences for it. The boundary is not there. That method of "training" works as motivation for teaching new things, but it unfortunately doesn't set boundaries or manners, any more than it works on a small child who thinks it's ok to bite and kick people when they don't want to do something or don't get their way. My lead gelding aggressively corrects his buddies if they are rude towards him, with as much force as necessary to get the result. Then he allows them to come back and eat side by side with him. His buddies follow him happily everywhere. They are more secure in his presence. He does not get injured by them. They don't get injured by him because he gradually escalates with ears pinned, small nips or fake-kicks which work. Rarely does he actually make contact, but they *think* he will. If they don't move out of his way or out of his space, he forces them to move by any means necessary. He is very fair about it and uses only as much force as necessary-- he doesn't use excessive force. That is how horses work: a combination of appropriate discipline for rude, aggressive, pushy behaviors, and rewards (companionship, grooming, access to food, shelter and water) for desirable good behavior. If you use both, you are setting clear, fair boundaries. You're less likely to get kicked or whacked in the face by a horse's head, more likely to have your farrier call you back. There is too much mentality of "Poor horse, I must never get mad at him or smack him for trying to run me over, bump into me, push me around, bite at me/nip at my clothes, kick me, yank their hoof out of my hand, refuse to move in any direction, get into my pockets (which are filled with treats), or whack me or any other person with his giant 150 lb head when he doesn't want to do something!" That mentality is creating spoiled untrained horses that cannot be safely handled, injuring vets and farriers, and the owner themselves, sometimes very seriously-- broken bones, concussions, lacerations, nerve damage. Did you know that a horse yanking its leg away from a farrier repeatedly can leave large bruises, abrasions, muscle tears in arms and shoulders, sprained wrists, and serious chiropractic problems? Massage therapy and chiropractic care to fix injuries from horses who yank their legs, paw the hoofstand, try to kick or strike, can take several months and cost several hundred dollars. Your $40 trim or $100 shoeing bill doesn't nearly cover the expense. It's **OKAY** to force a horse to stop trying to run you over, bite and kick at you. You're not going to hurt their feelings and you will still get personal emotional validation from them when they "love" you for feeding them, grooming them and stuffing more treats in their mouth later. If you've ever had a farrier not call you back after your horse has pulled their legs away, kicked, bitten, nipped, striked, or done anything other than stand quietly and cooperate, read this four times and make some changes before someone gets hurt. If your horse can casually push you around, what's going to happen if they push past you and run right over someone's child? Think about that and the resulting liability lawsuit, then pretend there's a child behind you every time you ask your horse to halt and stand. Do whatever it takes, any means necessary (except food), to get that horse stopped. One day the treats will run out and you should hope there's not a child behind you when they do.

03.01.2022 Dear clients, Today I have spent the day in hospital, getting an X-ray as I got kicked by a horse. Thanks to the weather at the start of the week, and now losing a day sitting in Accident and emergency I have a very long list of people waiting to get horses feet done!! I have bad bruising and swelling to my arm and so am unsure how I’m going to travel over the next few days.... I ask you all to be very patient with me, as unfortunately I’m not Wonder Woman!!! If your horses are desperate and feel you need to get someone else for the interim, please just let me know. I totally understand if this is the case. I will work hard to catch up with you all as best as I can, but please understand I already have a full diary. Kind regards Helena See more

03.01.2022 Dear clients, Just a note to inform you that from the start of the new financial year, there will be, my usual, small annual price increase. I know you’re all happy about that post!! ... Kind regards Helena

02.01.2022 Ultimate Allrounder Pony!!! Keiron Royal Secret 13.3hh 10yrs old $9 000... Secret is a riding pony x Arab gelding. Been there done that kind of pony that is really a gentleman in every way. Always the first to the gate to greet us and loves being around people. Perfect for a first pony or to further your riding career. Would suit a competitive home or a pleasure pony as he is easy going. ..... Very sadly for sale as my daughters have completely outgrown him. Secret is the perfect size for a mum to enjoy riding in the week and daughter/son to ride her at the weekend. He is very safe and sensible, alone or with others. He enjoys his work and loves to dressage especially, and a bit of jumping but easily pulls up if galloped in open spaces or on a jump round. He has done all PC activities, PC camps, Interschools, been to the beach, ag shows, trail rides, mounted games etc etc etc!! Good with the farrier, dentist, to load, plait up and to clip. Easy to catch and very sweet in the yard. We’re very sad to be selling him so the right home is an absolute priority and finding a new family to love him as much as we do. Please contact Toni on 0408293810

01.01.2022 Just a reminder to you all... I will be out of the country from this Friday (4th October) until next Wednesday 9th. My phone will be off during this period, so please do not leave messages, but contact me on my return Thursday 10th October. ... Kind regards Helena

01.01.2022 https://www.facebook.com/events/2397351453864909/?ti=icl