You Need More Clients Like This One

An injured farrier out of work for several months recently told an American Farriers Journal editor about a surprise message he received from a client. The barn owner asked him to raise his shoeing prices when he returned to work because she felt he wouldn’t be able to trim and shoe as many horses as in the past. She wanted to make sure that he would continue to do all the horses in her barn because he was always able to keep the horses sound. Once he returned to work, he billed her the usual amount and found she boosted the price by $10 per horse.

A Man’s Got To Know His Limitations

In the movie, “Magnum Force,” Harry Callahan, the detective played by Clint Eastwood, utters the famous line, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Mike Wildenstein, the resident farrier instructor at Cornell University, thinks at times that it’s important for farriers to know the same.

During a presentation at the Third International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot in Palm Beach, Fla., Wildenstein made it clear that he understands the limitations of the craft. The certified journeyman farrier and a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers of Great Britain says farriers who are called to shoe advanced therapeutic cases need to be aware that they aren’t always going to be able to fix the horse. “It’s important to be aware that you’re not going to change…