I am a very picky horse owner. I have had farriers screw up my horses' feet causing acceleration of arthritis to form which shortened my horse's life! Because of this, I interview farriers and vets! After moving to Snohomish county and away from my farrier who had 30 years experience, I interviewed farriers and had some horrible candidates. I had one feed my horse corn as a treat without asking, another who claimed he was the President of the WSFAA who did a hot shoeing without discussing it with me, and one that just bragged about his work! Most failed candidates would never watch my horse walk/trot or ask what I do with them prior to working on them. This information is important to ensure that they work the feet meets the needs of the horse's movement and what riders are doing with them. All of the candidates that failed were only used ONCE. I have had Kolb Professional Farrier Service work on my horses since 2018! No farrier is a trainer of any horse. I have already trained my horses to stand for me, farriers, and vets (no horse will be 100% but they are pretty close). It is not the farrier's job to train someone else's horse. I have had another horse who did not do well the first time and I made sure that he was trained up by the next appointment. Did Derek get mad when my horses were being impatient or taking their feet away? No. NEVER! He does not get annoyed at them ever and never expects 100% perfect behavior. There is no such thing with horses. But I agree with him that there is a line that the horse should not cross & it is up the owner to train the horse. If I was working on their feet and the horse was misbehaving, I would do something about it and not allow the horse to do what they wanted with me. I would not allow them to do what they wanted with a vet or farrier either. I completely understand that he has a hard job (which is why I pay him to do this work) and he should not have to deal with untrained horses over long run. It is the owner's job to do that work and make sure that the vet or farrier can do their jobs. Derek was great when I told him that I need to have a "come to jesus" conversation with my horse and he appreciated that I would not allow my horses to misbehave in such a manner. I do not want them doing that to me so I make sure they do not do it to the vet or farrier either. THIS is solely the job of the owner. Derek is also very knowledgeable in regards to Friesian hoof care (my kids are barefoot). When I got my mare in May 2020, her feet were had chips & cracks. He set up a path to get them corrected and discussed this with me. Between my plan on nutrition, some topical products, and his plan of gradual trims, her feet got better within 6 months. This allowed me to get her going under a rider knowing her feet were in good health to do so. With my gelding , I perform as a Jouster with the Seattle Knights. Dereks ensures that his feet were done no matter what type of terrain we were on. Sometimes we did not know what the ground is like for the performance until we got there. This is vital for me and my horses. Derek always kept this in mind while working on him. Having a farrier who understands Friesian feet is reassuring. Derek cares not only for my horses but for me too. I can be a worrywart mom. He eased my mind when I had an issue with my mare's feet in Dec 2020 being trimmed too short by another farrier (long story but this was due to someone else doing her feet when I was sick). Derek has never been rude, unprofessional, short, or angry EVER with me or my horses. If a farrier ever did this, I would kick them off my property in a heart beat. Derek would never work on a horse with the owner or their representative present. My horses live on my own property with no other horses. He would never start working on my horses here unless I was there. I work from home currently but he waits for me to come out before starting work. So I know that he would never go to a barn and grab a horse he thought was his client's. NEVER EVER. He would also know if they had been done recently. He was able to ascertain the trim that my mare go 2 months prior with ease. His knowledge is more than just farrier school. He has gone beyond that and although I do not trust many with my kids, I do trust him. Be mindful of the source of the comments here. I have seen comments by the competition to try to hurt other businesses. I would never think of other farriers doing this but apparently I believe that some of these are. I usually see this dishonesty in comments for nail salons but it seems that others are doing it too. I stand by this recommendation/review here. So much so, that I would gladly discuss my experience with anyone who wants more info. I ride with the Seattle Knights & can be located via their website or FB page. Feel free to reach out. read more

Kolb Professional Farrier Service - Mystique & me on our first ride 10.31.20 - Farriers Near Me

See all

Kolb Professional Farrier Service is exceptional- from manners and scheduling to the outstanding job he does. If you want a farrier who calls you back (or texts), shows up on time, is professional and fun to chat with while he does an incredible job on your horse... look no further! He texts the Saturday before your appt to remind and checks in the day of. My horse has a full set of shoes and is 22 with arthritic hocks and Derek Kolb had him tracking straight and moving better after just one shoeing... and his feet look beautiful, too. I show, so finish matters to me. I want a break-over without making my horse's feet look square or like his shoes are an inch too far back... and I get that here. Derek Kolb is also exceptional at handling your horse- no smacking them with the file or impatience like many shoers. And you know what? My horse can tell! He LOVES Derek and is better for him than any other shoer he's had and he's 22! Derek is also an expert at barefoot and transitioning to barefoot and while I've used other Mission Farrier School grads he's the best shoer I've used. Give Kolb a try and get great hooves! #farrier #horseshoer #equestrian #shoer read more

Kolb Professional Farrier Service - Farriers Near Me

See all

Derek is the one and only farrier I will use for my horses. I've been using him for 3 years now after seeing all the recommendations he was getting on a post from Facebook. He genuinely cares for my horses well being and does an incredibly great job on their feet! He's very reliable and always on time if not early to my appts. If you're looking for a new farrier Derek is your guy! I highly recommend him:) read more

Although this guy responded and was able to come out on short notice to "trim" and put a new shoe on my young horse that threw a shoe and injured herself a bit, the attitude towards myself and my horse (who he knew was injured and likely sore beforehand) was unacceptable. He handled my horse in a completely uncalled for and inappropriate manner. I am highly dissatisfied with the attitude, unprofessionalism, lack of understanding, compassion, and complete lack of any horse handling skills. I used this guy in a pinch when no one else could come out, but will absolutely not be using him again. read more

Derrick Kolb is knowledgeable, professional, courteous and on time (if not early). He is calm and gentle with my two very different horses and was able to find a solution for my gelding that was in the horse's (and my) best interest. Would recommend. read more

Kolb Professional Farrier Service - Farriers Near Me

After leaving messages and texts and waiting weeks for shoer that was recommended to me by a Veterinary hospital, I was getting more than a little upset. I had had enough. I called Derek, left a message on his phone and he got back to me right away. I was able to get on his schedule and he has done a great job with my horse. read more

Derek recently started doing the horses at our barn and he is refreshingly professional. Love that he schedules the next appointment, is punctual, and keeps communication clear if there needs to be a change. He is doing a wonderful job with the horses' feet, is patient with them and they respond well to him. We have a variety of hoof needs and they are all individually addressed with good results. Glad to have found him! read more

I am about to start farrier school and called Derek requesting to shadow him for a day. He texted back with bad info about his former farrier school and stated: "the new sciences I was taught might confuse you". When I asked what new (in 2016) sciences he learned?! He responded with "Good Luck". As a veterinary professional it is not hard to stay up to date with equine medicine, and I don't see any confusing services offered here. Standard stuff, and he sounds like a bully to the animals. You can't get angry at an animal because it doesn't like what your doing to it's feet. The Several One Star Reviews are Very Telling. read more

Can't comment much on this guys skill on feet, but he is a flat out jerk. "Professional" farrier service is a bit of a stretch. He gets very blatantly annoyed if the horse isn't perfect, and doesn't seem to know his way around horses in general. Just listen to his voicemail, so many requirements I thought I was at a job interview! Iwas genuinely shocked at how angry he got when my horse put his foot back down on the ground, I thought his head was going to explode! I won't be calling this guy out again, and recommend you don't either. read more

Punctual and professional. He does all four of my horses who range from a yearling to an 18 year old. Highly recommend.

Derek is always on time, if not a little early. He is very patient and kind to all my equine (and they all really like him) and was the first farrier who was able to trim the hind feet of a rescued mare that I have. I highly recommend him! read more

We've had Derek for our farrier for about 3 years now and have not been disappointed! He's always prompt and responsive, with a good professional attitude. Our two girls love him! read more

Derek's been shoeing my mare of almost 4 years. She's now retired with ringbone and as her shoeing/hoof case needs have changed over the years, Derek has been there to ensure she's as balanced and as comfortable as possible. He's always quick to return my calls and text msgs. He shows up when he says he will and he's always on time. He genuinely cares about the horses he works on and it shows. He's always gentle and patient with my mare. My mare can be timid around men, but she loves Derek - she nickers when she sees him. I highly recommend! read more

Derek Kolb was on my property for my boarder, who was a client of his. He trimmed my horse by mistake when no one was there. Daisy had just been trimmed 3 days prior and he had the audacity to tell me afterword that he had done a better job but he wasn't going to charge me! Really? He butchered the hell out of her feet! They are so short and he gouged out the wall at the toes so the wall doesn't touch the ground. Instead her sole takes all the weight at the toes. Now she can't walk and has laminitis in all 4 feet. He is banned from my barn needless to say! I feel he is a danger to horses and a liability. He could have double checked which horses belonged to the boarders if he was uncertain which ones. A mare verses a gelding is not that hard to figure out! He had been to my barn on at least 3 prior occasions for them by the way. Proceed with caution, you've been warned! I am a graduate of Oklahoma Farriers College plus the fact that my horse is now lame qualifies my opinion. read more

My gelding Tater Tot is going on four years and he is a friendly sort. No meanness in him. The man who raised and trained him did all his shoeing until I purchased him in January. The farrier I used for my previous horse shod Tater Tot once in March. She gave me a couple of things to work on with him in prep for his next shoeing. I worked diligently and felt I had him prepared for a great experience. However my farrier arrived obviously in a poor mood. The whole experience went downhill fast with Tater pulling his foot away multiple times. She left after one shoe saying with anger "He is a pig". I called Derek, told him honestly what had happened and asked if he would be willing to try. Derek arrived on time and went right over to Tater and gently talked to him and rubbed on him. Each time he approached Tater he spoke kindly and rubbed him from neck to hoof in the process of picking up the hoof. Tater tried to pull away a couple of times and Derek worked gently with him. At a certain point Derek prepped me to back Tater up if he told me to. Tater pulled away and Derek said "Back" and I backed Tater up "with vigor". We ended up doing this three times and the rest of the process went smoothly. Derek checked Tater's feet for tenderness and found that his hinds were moderately tender (probably due to his shoes having been loose for a couple of weeks). Derek adjusted my renegade boots to fit the hind feet and told me to call if this didn't work out. He just didn't want to try to work on tender feet and set Tater Tot up for mis-behavior. I can't begin to express my appreciation for Derek and the way he worked with my horse. As he said several times. "This is just young horse behavior". I now know what to work on to make the next shoeing even better. Derek.....you are the best! read more

I was desperate to find a shoer after years of being away from horses. I got a line on Derek Kolb and he came out today to trim my two mares. First time since they came home here, so I was a little unsure of how they were going to behave. I think that Derek has the touch with horses. Both of them calmed and were very well behaved while he handled them. My thoroughbred has had some weight issues and I was treating her very gently-she was sooo thin. But Derek said let's brush her out-and he helped! Then he thought she would best benefit from a bath. So HE bathed her-I helped. This guy is gold! You have any questions about your horse he has an answer or gives you the name AND card of someone who does! I have found a new shoer and my horses have a real friend here. A knowledgeable, personable, and nice guy. Just doesn't happen everyday~ read more