Townsville-based Equine Solutions has filled a niche previously unavailable to northern horse sport enthusiasts with the introduction of a farrier supply service which is the first of it’s kind for the region.
Business owner Liz Cairns said she decided to “strike while the iron was hot” when the opportunity arose to lease the adjacent shopfront which had recently been vacated, to create the dedicated hoofcare expansion to the shop which opened earlier this month.
“Until now horse owners across the north have had to pay a fortune to get the required equipment, products and accessories freighted from Brisbane,” Liz said.
“We’ve always sold horseshoes, but there was a need for a more thorough range of related products and an in-house farrier service,” she said.
“Now people can come to town and have a look around; or they can buy through our online site for overnight delivery.
“It simply made sense to expand our operation to cater for the enormous demand for these types of products and services in the north, it will make things easier and more efficient for north Queenslander’s.”
Highly-regarded professional farrier and Equine Solutions employee Gary Walsh will be on-site to assist customers with advice on treatments for bruising, concussive trauma, hoof disease and corrective shoeing.
“I was keen to take on the role, as it offers me the flexibility to run my own mobile business in the morning and bring in new clients for Liz and myself,” he said.
Since opening in 2000 Equine Solutions has been a one stop shop for horse, greyhound and animal needs. They have a wide selection of other horse related products including racing and general saddlery, as well performance supplements and veterinary equipment.
Liz herself has over 20 years of experience working in the veterinary supply industry, though her love of horses (particularly performance horses), started much early than her current career.
She opted to trade her piano lesson money for secret horse riding lessons at a school near her home as a child which is when the passion for racing first kicked in.
From there she progressed through pony club, to the arena, back to pony club with her children (including well-known local trainer Olivia), horse sports and then finally in to horse racing in 1993 when she trained her her first race horse ‘Shatter’ in Mackay.
Priding itself on personal service and knowledge of their industry, Equine Solutions has a strong and loyal client base, a testament to the service provided by their small team.
