Client Testimonials

Some of my loyal and kind clients have taken the time to share their thoughts on my practice.

Buck O'Neil has been my farrier for over 6 years and I have always been very impressed with his work. Chestnut Hill Farm has 16 horses of various breeds and riding disciplines. I have never had any problems with his work on any of them. Having shown on the "A" circuit in the Midwest for many years, I have never seen a more professional farrier. Buck will be there exactly at the time he promised, he has come out on an emergency basis many times. He takes the extra time to consider your horse's special needs and shoe them accordingly. He is considerate of the horses individual temperaments and is always happy to go the extra mile to see that myself and my boarders are pleased with his work. I have recommended him to many others and they all have become satisfied customers too.

Sincerely,
Corinne Driver
Chestnut Hill Farm
Lake Toxaway, NC

After firing a succession of horse-shoers it was a relief to finally find a time-served farrier in WNC who is experienced, articulate and dependable.

Having owned, ridden and competed horses in Britain, Europe and Asia, it was a shock to arrive in WNC and find mostly inexperienced persons of limited knowledge and technique. Enough said.

Buck O'Neil is forthright in his dealings. Only correct craftsmanship and the best for the horse will do. His prices are more than fair. After all - no foot, no horse.

Did I mention exceptional punctuality?

Eileen Taylor
Lake Toxaway, NC

I was referred to Buck by my vet, Dr. Thann Boyum, and have never been so pleased. I have a hunter/jumper farm in the Asheville, NC area for over ten years and had never been able to find a qualified farrier, until Buck. This area is covered up in farriers who want to shoe the foot to the shoe, or create a really dainty foot, or shoe and Arabian foot no matter the breed. I found that most of my time was spent trying to manage foot problems. We had more than our fair share of abscesses and sore feet, but also underrun heels and crumbling hoof walls. Almost every horse on the property lived in bell boots.

I grew up in the Piedmont area and have been privileged to work with good farriers and vets, and I was not willing to settle for average to poor quality. Ever since the first meeting and shoeing with Buck I have never looked back. He understood the foot I wanted... a broad weight bearing foot! he has gained us two sizes on our feet over the last nine months. He is fantastic with angles and placement! He really GETS the foot. We had a navicular horse that improved immediately, as well as an out of balance guy that he has improved tremendously. All of my horses are moving so much better. He has certainly been helpful getting several of my horses in Medal Finals. The uneven guy, Gilbert, placed 7th in the NCHJA Medal Finals.

My horses are much more willing to stretch out, press up, and swap leads. Generally, they just feel better and so do I. In ten years I have never had a moment where I was not looking for the next farrier, until Buck! Even if you don't think you need him, you do!!! He doesn't just keep the performance horse going, he keeps the performance horse going well.

Thanks Buck!
Julia Collins
Over The River Farm

My name is Hampton Holdsworth and I am the horse program director at Young Life's Windy Gap in Weaverville, North Carolina. I have about 35 horses in the program here and have been at Windy Gap for about a year and a half now. Before I came to Windy Gap I was working in Colorado for four years with another Young Life horse program. We had eighty horses with in that program.

The horse program runs year-round at Windy Gap so that means a lot of foot work. In the past five years with my experience I have seen the good, bad and the ugly. The longest I have ever used a farrier was four to five months. It is so hard to find a good, affordable and reliable farrier.

I say all of this because I have been using Buck O'Neil for well over a year now and it has been great. He comes when he is scheduled to come and the quality of his work is excellent. Before Buck we at Windy Gap had a hard time with farriers, from shoddy work and shoes falling off, to farriers you would not want anyone around that did not have ear plugs. Buck O'Neil has brought a since of professionalism to shoeing horses that I had not seen in the farrier community. He has been a great resource for me with his knowledge and years of experience in helping me learn more about preventative foot care. I plan on keeping Buck around for as long as he is still shoeing horses.

Hampton Holdsworth
Windy Gap Horse Program Director

Mr. O'Neil has been our farrier for the past several years. During that time, he has provided consistent, quality hoof care for all our horses. We have found that he pays greater attention to detail than previous farriers we have used and that our horses all receive customized shoes to fit their specific needs as opposed to being fitted with a standard shoe. As a result of this practice, they all have better angles, hooves and soles and the shoes stay on until time for the next visit. Due to his careful placement of nails, we no longer have problems with flaking hooves and chipping sidewalls as we have had in the past with other farriers.

We have been very pleased with his courteous and prompt service, his dependability and his level of expertise. He has helped some of our horses develop better feet and improved their quality of life when others could not. If we ever have any questions or concerns regarding our horses' feet, he is quick to return our phone call or come back out, and we take a great sense of comfort in knowing that he stands behind his work. We have no hesitation in referring Mr. O'Neil to any of our friends or clients who are looking for a farrier.

Sincerely,
Kevin D. Matthews, DVM