Major Farrier Concerns with Client Footcare Skills
| Concerns | % of Farriers |
|---|---|
| Inappropriate work area (unsafe, poor environment, bad conditions, poor lighting, unlevel work surface) | 84% |
| Bad horses (spoiled, misbehaving, poorly trained, undisciplined, not trained to stand for farrier, safety concerns | 76% |
| Dirty horses, dirty hooves, dirty stalls | 59% |
| Don’t follow footcare directions from farrier | 45% |
| Lack of daily footcare (don’t pick up feet, poor foot hygiene, thrush, stone bruises, disregard for overall horse health) | 32% |
| Lack of footcare knowledge (no horse sense, lack of hoof-care knowledge) | 29% |
| Distractions in footcare work area (dogs, cats, unsupervised kids) | 21% |
| Lack of time spent with horses (no commitment, dedication, being lazy) | 18% |
| Poor horse handling skills (can’t handle, can’t hold properly, can’t control, inattentive, refuse to hold) | 16% |
| Feeding treats to horses while being trimmed and shod | 8% |
| Lack of exercise for horses | 3% |
| Think of horses as pets and companion animals | 3% |
| Over-protective horse owners (pamper their animals) | 3% |
| Buy horses on looks rather than soundness | 2% |
| Emotional decision making | 1% |
| Misconception that shoeing can fix conformation faults | 1% |
— Survey of attendees at 2007 International Hoof-Care Summit
What Products Do Clients Ask You to Recommend?
| Products | % of Attendees |
|---|---|
| Hoof supplements | 82% |
| Hoof dressings | 71% |
| Feed supplements | 61% |
| Feeds | 53% |
| Fly control, sprays | 37% |
| Dewormers | 35% |
| Bedding | 35% |
| Drugs, medications | 24% |
| Watering systems | 17% |
| Tack | 17% |
| Leg wraps | 15% |
| Fencing, gates | 14% |
| Antibiotics | 13% |
| Saddles | 11% |
| Harness | 10% |
| Horse trailers | 7% |
| Grooming products | 7% |
| Riding apparel | 1% |
— Survey of 2020 International Hoof-Care Summit attendees
Friday's Farrier Facts & Figures is brought to you by Markel Insurance. 
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In each of our businesses, we seek to deliver innovative products and responsive customer service so that we can be a market leader. Our time horizon is long-term, our underwriting approach is disciplined, and our focus is on continuously improving the quality of the customer experience. Our financial goals are to earn consistent underwriting and operating profits and to combine those profits with superior investment returns to build shareholder value.
