Tom Dukes - Hillsboro Farrier Service
703-297-7797 Tom@HillsboroFarrier.com
A little about me...
I grew up in western Loudoun County, VA. In 1991, I moved to south Texas and worked in refineries. Fourteen years later I decided to come home. There are no refineries in Purcellville, and I didn't want to fight traffic at 5 a.m. in order to work a "real" job, so I decided to go to farrier school. I graduated from the Maryland Horseshoeing School in December 2005 with an overall grade of 97%. My only regret is that I didn't start doing this 20 years earlier. Like most of us, I like to make money, but my primary concern is to make a horse (or donkey, or pony, or mule) comfortable, and to see improvement take place under my care.
Policies and work area:
Please consider that
farrier work is not an exact science, and new techniques are coming along
rapidly as interest grows. All those fancy trimming formulas look good on
paper, but it's rare when one can apply the same principles from "horse A" to
"horse B", mainly because they aren't identical twins... each horse is
different, and the only perfect hooves I've ever seen are on Breyer models!
I prefer the owner to be present at least for the first
appointment. If I need to catch a horse in a 20 acre pasture, I'll add a
$10 fee. My work area is primarily Loudoun County, but I will travel
within reasonable distance to Prince William, Clarke, and Fauquier Counties if
an owner has two or more animals, thereby making the trip worthwhile for me.
I expect a horse to have manners before I get underneath it.
If I have to literally wrestle a horse in order to work on him, my fee will
increase, possibly up to double the regular amount. If I feel a horse's behavior
is bordering on dangerous, I'll stop work and will not attempt to work on that
horse again unless he has been trained or sedated.
I expect to be paid for services rendered. I don't
accept "electronic payment" nor do I accept "Darn... I forgot my wallet!"
Personal checks are preferred; cash is fine if you have the exact amount.
Client Testimonials
"Tom never changes his appointments and he constantly evaluates his own work." Kathleen Mitchell, Lovettsville Va."Tom is very patient and quiet around horses." Penny Loeb, Lincoln Va."Tom is always prompt." Jennifer Curry, Rectortown Va.
"Tom is always on time, and my horses like him. His daughter takes riding lessons from me!" - Audrey Anderson, Purcellville, VA