As described in detail on pages 24 and 25 of the March 2015 issue of American Farriers Journal, several recent surveys reveal significant differences between what farriers believe clients are seeking in terms of footcare information and what horse owners say they really want.

The article points out that these surveyed horse owners urged farriers to improve communications, get tougher on collecting past due payments and start accepting credit cards.

While the surveyed farriers felt clients would like to have more detailed footcare information, over 50% of the owners stated the opposite is true - they're not getting enough footcare details.

All About Communication

The owners indicated that the key to dealing with a lack of footcare details and overdue payments is immediate communication on the part of the farrier.

When it comes to dealing with overdue payments, the owners suggested farriers call a client 10 to 14 days ahead of the next scheduled appointment and let them know future barn visits will be cancelled until payments are made. Doing this more than a week ahead of the next scheduled appointment, allows the farrier more time to schedule other appointments so as not to lose valuable work time.

Jot It Down!

While verbal communication is great, these owners want additional written hoof-care details from each visit for recordkeeping, as a reference when future problems occur and as a valuable historical file to share if needed with their veterinarian. Examples would include notes on shoe changes, brittle hooves and the need…