Rookie farriers often find themselves suffering from a lack of confidence when it comes to dealing with horse owners.

To help you overcome these worries, we’ve asked five veteran farriers for their best ideas on communicating about footcare with owners.

Explain What’s Being Done

Steve Kraus says it’s essential for new farriers to understand the basics of footcare before thinking about how to discuss the more complicated issues. The long-time Trumansburg, N.Y., shoer and resident farrier for the Cornell University veterinary school finds providing too much detail in footcare explanations can overwhelm many horse owners.

Chris Richardson agrees that there’s a need to keep explanations simple. “Tell owners what you see, explain your plan of action and put in plain words what it will mean for the horse,” says the farrier from Delaware, Ohio. “If you change your plan halfway through the process, take the time to tell them why. At this stage in your career, you should have decent knowledge of equine anatomy and be able to explain what you’re doing.”

Mike DeLeonardo suggests that new shoers explain how the growing hoof is affected by climate change, feed, environment and the horse’s usage. The veteran farrier from Salinas, Calif., says to explain how the typical hoof grows 1/8 to 1/4 inch per month and why the farrier needs to see these horses every 6 to 8 weeks to properly balance the hooves and avoid problems that can cause stress on the joints, tendons and ligaments.

“Sell them on how a good maintenance program provided by you can help keep the horse sound,” he says. “Explain how your examination can spot thrush issues, hoof-wear concerns and other areas that can be tackled through preventive maintenance. By following these steps, you’ll be able to effectively communicate with clients and help them feel confident in your ability to care for their horses.”

Randy Luikart says it is essential to have the necessary education and information needed to explain the techniques you are using. The farrier from Ashland, Ohio, says part of today’s communication concerns is that there’s a great deal of misleading information available to horse owners on the Internet. 

“Having the correct information, as well as a means of explaining it so the owner can understand, is important,” he says. “This lets you gain the respect and trust an owner needs to maintain confidence in your abilities.”

Why It’s Important 

Since horse owners have a choice of farriers, Luikart says it’s essential to let a prospective client know your service and information will be better, you will be more reliable and that you will quickly gain their confidence.

“You’re competing against other farriers for work,” he says. “So make sure your standards on all aspects of footcare are more attractable to the client.” 

Richardson urges young farriers to develop a teacher and student relationship with owners. 

“They often have questions they want to ask, but are reluctant to do so,” he says. “I frequently hear from owners that say their last farrier didn’t like answering questions. By telling your client what you are doing, you’re encouraging them to ask questions, and this will increase the perceived value of your services.”

When You Don’t Have The Answers

As a new farrier, there are going to be times when you don’t have the answers to a client’s questions. 

“Be honest with the client about not knowing the answers, but tell them you have a support system of mentors that you can go to and you’ll get the right answers to their questions and concerns,” says DeLeonardo. “Let the client know you will get back to them in the next day or two, and then follow through on this promise.”

Luikart shares DeLeonardo’s opinion and says you want to immediately admit when you don’t know the answer. “Tell the client you do not know the answer but know someone who does,” he says. “Tell the client you’ll call them with the answer in a day or two, and make sure you do. Treat the owner with the courtesy you would like to be treated with if you were asking them for information.”

Mark Rikard says one of the worst things you can do with clients is not admitting you don’t know the answer. If you make up an answer, most people will pick up on it quickly and you’ll immediately lose credibility, says the Birmingham, Ala., farrier.

Regardless of the level of experience, Kraus says all farriers run into situations that stump them. “It’s better to say you will find out, and then learn something new by doing that,” he says.

Dealing With Conflicts

There are often times when farriers find that what they’re trying to do with a foot problem is not in agreement with owners, trainers, equine vets or other farriers. So how should a young farrier handle these situations?

DeLeonardo says you must be prepared to explain your ideas without getting defensive. Maintain a hoof-care library where you can cite references from well-known farriers and veterinarians to back up your work. Stay up on what is going on within the industry — whether you agree or disagree with the ideas. If someone disagrees with your ideas, ask them to explain their viewpoint from a clinical standpoint.

Luikart says conflicts often arise due to confusion about the methodology being used with a particular problem foot or lameness issue. 

“All of the people involved should have a voice in the discussion, but ultimately the farrier doing the work should have the controlling say,” he adds. “It’s not that the technique the farrier chose will always be the best, but the ball is in his or her court. 

“If you’re confident enough to be assertive and end up being right, then all is well. But if you fail, you’ll really look foolish.”

If there are times when you’re unsure of the outcome, don’t be afraid to compromise with the other suggested approaches and move forward. It will often become clear in a very short time whether the questioned procedure was valid or not. 

Leave Your Ego At Home

Luikart says it’s important to avoid letting your ego get in the way of learning something new from a fellow farrier, vet, trainer or owner. Even if you end up doing something you’re not totally happy with, don’t compromise the level of provided care since the horse ultimately benefits from your work.

Richardson believes in taking the high road and always being prepared to explain the hoof-care plan for a particular horse. This means continuing to educate yourself in the footcare field.

“Understand that your skills will get better with time,” he says. “If someone has an issue with your work, listen to them. Understand what they are saying, and if you disagree, so be it. But you should be able to explain why you disagree.”

Kraus adds that it pays to have a workable plan for each foot problem you deal with. Yet, it’s not always easy when the owner wants one thing, the vet dictates another and the trainer wants something else. As Kraus says, “It’s not always easy to be able to shoe the horse well and still please everyone, including yourself.”