The graduation ceremony is over. That unforgettable feeling of finishing the first horse without the instructor’s help is still fresh. The former strangers who became close friends during the long days of learning and practicing must now go their separate ways. It’s time to head into the real world of farriery. Where do you start

To build loyal customers, look for opportunities to educate your clients about footcare. This proves important when encountering clients who question the amount they pay for footcare. Rather than getting defensive, I like to provide insight. Most clients have little understanding of what it costs us to shoe their horses.

I never lost a debate with a client over pricing if I took the time to explain what contributes to my cost. I find that if you take the time to explain costs when you enter into the relationship with a client, then pricing won’t become an issue. Instead, we typically wait until there is a problem to have this conversation with clients.

With clients you already have on your books, don’t wait until they ask about costs. For example, each year in a client newsletter, I share some information on my annual costs in shoeing their horses. This summary is on my clients as a whole, not on individual horses.