10/11/2023
A message from your farrier;
(The farrier you fired, the farrier you hired, and your "forever" farrier.)
We don't ask for a lot. But we understand that you think we do.
Our prices are set anywhere from "I can survive on this" to "I can retire on this". Most of us are inbetween these two. We don't charge a lot.
We "require" safe working conditions. But if we see that you care and do everything in your power to make our appointments go well, we can be extremely flexible and accomidating. We never ask for perfection...only effort.
Most farriers "grade" their clients. One farrier can say to another "that's a D horse" and we will know exactly what they mean. Every farrier wants a full book of A+ clients and horses. Early on, we will work on a C horse... and give the average client three chances (~6 months) after three appointments, if the horse doesn't improve, we might be "too busy" to work on Fluffy any more.
"You only have so many horses in you" is a common saying among older farriers. What they mean is that each horse wears us don't a little bit. Each wiggly horse costs us some of our joint cartilage, and longevity. A horse that is difficult to work on is worth two or three that are well-behaved.
In the best of conditions, our trade is inherently dangerous. We deal with sharp tools, hammers, fire, and a 1,000 pound creature that makes violent decisions on a whim...and we are nearly preforming surgery in these conditions. A swipe of the rasp, a slice of the knife, or a nip can be the difference of good work or bad, lame or sound. All we ask for is safe environment so we can do our best work for you.
Often, our frustration is due to not being able to do our best work. We strive to do good work. No farrier leaves their house planning to do sub-par work. Our satisfaction is derived from good horses, kind clients, and quality work. When we are asked to work in the mud, or work on ill-mannered horses; our ability to do quality work is nearly impossible, or (for us stubborn ones) the work takes twice as long and causes us more pain. We aren't frustrated because we're just having a bad day or we're impatient. We are frustrated because we are being deprived a simple satisfaction of a job well done.
We chose this profession for the love of horses and working with people that share that love.
Next time you're dissastisfied with your farrier... consider our possition. Did you do everything you can to help us, or did you point to the horse and say "They're over there, let me know when you're done."
Give us the chance to do our best work and see what we're capable of. Everyone
