Earlier in my life, I tried different ways to have a profession that involved horses. I realized I wanted to make my living under horses rather than on them. From 1994 to 2007, I was on-and-off shoeing full-time or part-time. For some time, I worked second shift and still handle more than 200 head of horses.

Like other farriers, Mike Bagley was getting client calls from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week. Understandably, it is hard to keep your cool when it seems like clients don’t respect your private time. Now the Canton, Ohio, farrier leaves it to his voicemail to help. The voicemail greeting states his hours of contact and informs the caller that he does not work on Sundays. “By limiting the times I take calls I’m adding a human element to myself,” he says. “It tells them in a subtle way that I am human too and need my time away from work like anyone else does.”