Veteran shoer Dennis Thompson maintains farriers will develop a much better attitude if they turn off their television sets for 2 weeks. “For some reason, Americans have a love affair with gloom and doom and people in this profession are no exception,” he says.

Thompson recalls being a full-time farrier during the Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations when shoers charged $10 for hot shoeing and $5 for trimming. “Gas was over $1 a gallon and everyone I knew was either quitting the profession or slowing down to the point where the effort was not worth it,” he says. Based on his experiences, Thompson says better days are coming for the economy and both the horse and the farrier business will once again be strong.

Lee McKinney is another farrier who avoids listening to all of the bad economic news from the national media. “Many people in agriculture think times are normal and couldn’t tell you if things are good or bad,” says the shoer from Riverton, Wyo. “They just know that they have work to do and land and animals to take care of and go about doing it.”

Andrea Floyd, an equine veterinarian in Evington, Va., says having courage and confidence are the keys. “If we remain confident in our ability to overcome this situation, it will turn around a lot more quickly as everyone develops the same level of confidence,” she says. “When speaking to clients, find the positive in any situation. After all, it is temporary…