Hi, you’re a farrier, right? Can you come out here and shoe my horses?”

Every farrier takes a phone call like this. In an ideal and unrealistic world, clients come prescreened. Instead, it’s necessary to ask questions and gain some knowledge about that horse and client before you say “yes.” Every farrier has certain questions to ask potential clients.

From his time as a farrier serving the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, Cornell University farrier Steve Kraus developed his own list for asking the right questions and gathering the right information when a possible new client inquires about your services. This list might help you take on clients who best match your practice or avoid those who don’t.

Kraus has a few different levels of information that farriers should gather. First is the “need to know” information, which is absolutely essential to being able to get to the work site and get the job done.

The next tier is “knowledge is power” questions that will provide information to help farriers prepare for the job and know exactly what’s expected of them.

The final set of questions is “client assessment” based and will give you an idea of the reliability of the client.

Kraus says asking the right questions early can save you headaches later.

“I learned to ask these questions through experience,” says Kraus, who is a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame. “There have been many times when I showed up to shoe four horses for what sounded like a good client. Instead, I found a run-down place where they expected the farrier to work under poor conditions. Plus, they said that they couldn’t pay until next month.”

Collecting The Essential Information

Kraus’ “need to know” questions are the basics. They include getting the client’s name, phone number, billing address and/or email and getting detailed directions to where the horses are located. These may seem obvious, but it bears mentioning.

“You need to start out with the simple things, which are things that you really need to have to do the job. When I started shoeing horses, there were no GPS or smartphones you could use to find directions,” Kraus says. “Even today, some of the GPS and apps still won’t be able to get you where you want to go, so getting good directions is very useful.”

Remembering to ask the basic questions is especially important for beginning farriers to keep in mind, Kraus says.

“Beginning farriers are so excited that the phone is even ringing that they might make an appointment without asking any questions,” he says. “Then they’ll go there and sometimes they’re not prepared for what they’re getting into. And not being prepared wastes the time of both you and the client.”

Aside from good directions, Kraus also stresses the importance of simply asking a new client for their phone number.

“You need at least a phone number or a way to contact the client should something come up,” Kraus says.

If you aren’t able to make it to an appointment, you need to be able to let the client know.

“Horseshoers are notorious for missing appointments and not letting the client know,” he says. “In today’s world where everyone has a cell phone, there’s no excuse for that kind of behavior.”

Getting the client’s phone number and giving them a courtesy call if you’re going to be late or need to reschedule will establish you as a professional with most clients.

More Detail Helps Preparedness

After you have the basics down, Kraus suggests getting a little more detail on the horse or horses you will be expected to work with. You might be able to get the job done without this information on the first shoeing, but you will save yourself time and money by being prepared with the proper tools and supplies the first time.

Ask a new client how many horses they have for you to work on, the breed of horse, its age and whether it has any special needs or soundness problems, as well as what the horse’s job or use is.

“Will you be shoeing hunters or barrel racing horses?” Kraus asks. “This might determine whether you can even take the client. If you’re not prepared or don’t have the experience or knowledge to shoe that type of horse, you need to know beforehand. You may need to decline that client or find a way to become better prepared.”

He cites a case with a horseshoeing school graduate.

“Many years ago, I had a fellow come up to me who had just graduated from a very good school where they worked on a lot of field hunter horses and that is what he knew how to shoe well,” Kraus recalls. “But then his first client happened to be people with barrel racing horses and he wasn’t prepared for that. He lost shoes like crazy because he shod them like they were field hunters.

“You can’t treat shoeing a horse as a generic thing. There may be some horses that can get by with more generic shoeing, but as you get into high-performance horses, you need to have the right shoes and training to succeed.”

Knowing the age of the horse will help you determine how much time you will need to budget for trimming or shoeing that horse.

“It’s nice to know the approximate age of the horse,” he says. “There’s a difference between shoeing a very young horse and a very old horse, as they can take more time to work with.”

At this point, it’s also appropriate to ask whether the horse has any behavioral problems, as Kraus says those horses may also take more time.

“If you know a horse has a behavioral problem or has never been shod before, you’ll need to be prepared to handle it,” he says. “The owner may not tell you up front over the phone that the horse is unruly because they don’t want to scare you away. But they probably won’t lie to you if you ask them the question directly.”

Kraus also suggests getting specific information on the services the new client expects you to provide for each horse. Do they want all of their horses shod, or just trimmed?

“You need to get specific on what needs to be done before the job,” he says. “That way you have the materials you will need and leave time to do everything you need to do.”

He also asks the new client whether there is a trainer or vet they work with.

“You want to know whether there is a vet you can speak with if there are any special soundness problems,” he says. “This is very useful information, but you don’t need to get too involved with the details on this right away.”

Information For Assessing The Client

Ask a potential client why they are looking for a new farrier and who the previous farrier is. As we all know, the previous farrier can provide important information about the client.

Furthermore, you should find out whether the previous farrier is owed money. Kraus makes it a policy to not work with new clients if they still owe the previous farrier money, and won’t until that debt is paid in full.

Not every horse owner has an immaculate barn and not every horse owner can truly afford his or her horse. To determine whether a new client is going to be reliable and provide safe working conditions, Kraus recommends asking the prospective new client up front about what the work area is like, how the client intends to pay for service and whether they are looking for regular service.

“You need to know if the horse owner has a decent place to work,” he says. “Will you be working in a barn or out in a corral? Am I going to be able to get my truck to the barn or is this barn in the middle of a swampy pasture? Is it safe? Am I going to have a hard time working there?

“Be prepared and know before you accept the job how you’re going to handle these situations. If I can’t get my truck to the horses and I’m still going to work on them, maybe I need to get a stall jack.”

Kraus says farriers also need to let the new client know what they charge before accepting the job.

“There are many different types of shoes, and some cost a lot more than others,” he says. “If we’re shoeing warmbloods, that’s not the same price as shoeing a little trail horse. Let the client know what you charge and then find out how they intend to pay. That’s an important step because some people haven’t really thought about that when they call.”

If you aren’t careful to set up a method of payment beforehand, Kraus says, the client might not be ready to pay immediately after service.

“And then maybe the money never comes,” he says. “These things happen, so tell the client up front what the work will cost and what methods of payment you accept — credit card, cash or checks. Getting it all straightened out ahead of time will save you a lot of confusion and difficulty down the road.”

When a new client gets hung up on what you quote for the price or argues about it, Kraus says this can be a red flag that this client might be difficult to work with.

The last thing Kraus asks new clients is whether they are looking for regular farrier service.

“I only like to take on new clients who are going to have regular service. Not someone who has a trail ride this weekend and the horses really need to be trimmed and they just want whichever farrier can get there the quickest,” Kraus says. “It can be hard to track people down on whether they want regular service before you start shoeing for them, but it doesn’t hurt to ask the question.”

Asking new clients the right questions at the beginning of the conversation can help pave the way for a successful farrier-client relationship.

“If you have all of this information at your disposal, you can make a good assessment of how you’re going to work on the horses,” Kraus says. “You won’t be surprised when you first arrive and you won’t be full of questions on what you’re expected to do.

“Instead, you can focus on getting the horse trimmed and/or shod properly. You will have the right shoes in your truck and the right amount of time to get the job done. You will succeed because success comes from preparation.”

2018 Getting Started In Hoof Care Contents