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 for feeding a hoof supplement, changes made from a normal shoeing visit or any changes in the condition of the hoof.
They also urged farriers to avoid jotting down footcare details on notebook paper or sticky notes, since they can get overlooked or become easily lost in a tack room.
Details, Details, Details ... Give Us More Footcare Details
Here are a few typical comments from horse owners regarding the need for farriers providing enough hoof-care details:
- "I love detail. I've had farriers provide notes on what we have discussed about the horses' way of going or specific foot and leg areas where a horse might have seemed uncomfortable during trimming and shoeing. Being able to refer back to these notes as a history regarding the trimming, shoeing and soundness is helpful to me."
- "Details on an invoice help me keep track of what horses have been done and what work was done. I like to read notes on problems or concerns the farrier may have noticed when I am not able to be there."
- "I want to know which horses got new shoes and which were resets. This information is not always available from my farrier."
- "I'd like a few remarks as to the condition of the hooves at the time of trimming and shoeing. Good examples would be describing how to scrub and medicate a case of thrush in one foot, or explaining how the farrier treated a horse's right front hoof for thrush along with some observations on the general condition of the feet. If the farrier wrote me a short note, I wouldn't need to call him each time after an appointment."
- "I like lots of detail on the invoice so I can go back and reference the information whenever I have any footcare questions."
- "It would be helpful if the farrier would leave some general notes about the condition of the hooves and shoes ... maybe something along the lines of stating that 'the hooves are brittle so consider feeding a hoof supplement' or noting the changes made from a typical shoeing of each horse."
