Questions to Ask Before Hiring Clients

In an ideal and unrealistic world, horse owners would be model clients with mounts that had perfect conformation and feet. Rather, it’s necessary to ask questions and gain some knowledge about that horse and client before saying “yes.”

From his time as a farrier serving the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, Cornell University farrier Steve Kraus developed his own list for asking the right questions and gathering the right information when a possible new client inquires about your services. This list might help you take on clients who best match your practice or avoid those who don’t.

Kraus has different levels of information that farriers should gather. First is the “need to know” information, which is absolutely essential to being able to get to the worksite and get the job done.

The next tier is “knowledge is power” questions that will provide information to help farriers prepare for the job and know exactly what’s expected of them.

The final set of questions is “client assessment” based and will give you an idea of the reliability of the client.

Kraus says asking the right questions early can save you headaches later.

“I learned to ask these questions through experience,” says Kraus, a 2016 International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame inductee. “There have been many times when I showed up to shoe four horses for what sounded like a good client. Instead, I found a run-down place where they expected the farrier to work under poor conditions. Plus, they said that they couldn’t pay until next month.”

Essential Information

Kraus’s “need to know” questions are the basics. They include getting the client’s name, phone number, billing address and/or email and detailed directions to where the horses are located.

“You need to start out with the simple things, which are what you really need to have to do the job. When I started shoeing horses, there were no GPS or smartphones you could use to find addresses,” Kraus says. “Even today, some of the GPS and apps still won’t be able to get you where you want to go, so learning good directions is useful.”

Remembering to ask the basic questions is especially important for beginning farriers to keep in mind.

“Beginning farriers are so excited that the phone is even ringing that they might make an appointment without asking any questions,” he says. “Then they’ll go there and sometimes they’re not prepared for what they’re getting into. And not being prepared wastes the time of both you and the client.”

Kraus also stresses the importance of asking for the client’s phone number.

“You need at least a phone number or a way to contact the client should something come up,” Kraus says.

If you aren’t able to make it to an appointment, you need to be able to let the client know.

“Horseshoers are notorious for missing appointments and not letting the client know,” he says. “In today’s world where everyone has a cell phone, there’s no excuse for that kind of behavior.”

Getting the client’s phone number and giving them a courtesy call if you’re going to be late or need to reschedule will establish you as a professional.

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Important Details

After you have the basics down, Kraus suggests getting a little more detail on the horse you will be expected to work with. This will help you save time and money by being prepared with the proper tools and supplies.

Ask a new client how many horses they have for you to work on, the breeds, ages and whether they have any special needs or soundness problems, as well as what the horse’s job or use is.

“Will you be shoeing hunters or barrel racing horses?” Kraus asks. “If you’re not prepared or don’t have the experience or knowledge to shoe that type of horse, you need to know beforehand. You may need to decline that client or find a way to become better prepared.”

He cites a case with a horseshoeing school graduate.

“Many years ago, I had a fellow come up to me who had just graduated from a good school where they worked on a lot of field hunter horses and that is what he knew how to shoe well,” Kraus recalls. “But then his first client happened to be people with barrel racing horses and he wasn’t prepared for that. He lost shoes like crazy because he shod them like they were field hunters.

“You can’t treat shoeing a horse as a generic thing. There may be some horses that can get by with more generic shoeing, but as you get into high-performance horses, you need to have the right shoes and training to succeed.”

Knowing the age of the horse will help you determine how much time you will need to budget for trimming or shoeing that horse.

“It’s nice to know the approximate age of the horse,” he says. “There’s a difference between shoeing a young horse and an old horse, as they can take more time to work with.”

At this point, it’s also appropriate to ask whether the horse has any behavioral problems, as Kraus says those horses may also take more time.

“If you know a horse has a behavioral problem or has never been shod before, you’ll need to be prepared to handle it,” he says. “The owner may not tell you upfront over the phone that the horse is unruly because they don’t want to scare you away. But they probably won’t lie if you ask them the question directly.”

Kraus also suggests getting specific information on the services that are expected for each horse.

“You need to get specific on what needs to be done before the job,” he says. “That way you have the materials you will need and leave time to do everything you need to do.”

He also asks the new client whether there is a trainer or vet they work with.

“You want to know whether there is a vet you can speak with if there are any special soundness problems,” he says. “This is useful information, but you don’t need to get too involved with the details on this right away.”

Assessing the Client

Ask a potential client why they are looking for a new farrier and who the previous farrier is. The previous farrier can provide important information about the client.

Furthermore, you should find out whether the previous farrier is owed money. Kraus makes it a policy to not work with new clients if they still owe the previous farrier money and won’t until that debt is paid in full.

Not every horse owner has an immaculate barn and not every horse owner can truly afford his or her horse. To determine whether a new client is going to be reliable and provide safe working conditions, Kraus recommends asking the prospective new client upfront about what the work area is like, how the client intends to pay for service and whether they are looking for regular service.

“You need to know if the horse owner has a decent place to work,” he says. “Will you be working in a barn or out in a corral? Am I going to be able to get my truck to the barn or is this barn in the middle of a swampy pasture? Is it safe?

Be prepared and know before you accept the job how you’re going to handle these situations.

“If I can’t get my truck to the horses and I’m still going to work on them, maybe I need to get a stall jack,” he says.

Farriers also need to let the new client know what they charge before accepting the job.

“There are many different types of shoes, and some cost a lot more than others,” he says. “If we’re shoeing warmbloods, that’s not the same price as shoeing a little trail horse. Let the client know what you charge and then find out how they intend to pay.”

If you aren’t careful to set up a method of payment beforehand, Kraus says, the client might not be ready to pay immediately after service.

“And then maybe the money never comes,” he says. “These things happen, so tell the client upfront what the work will cost and what methods of payment you accept — credit card, cash or checks. Getting it all straightened out ahead of time will save you a lot of confusion and difficulty down the road.”

Asking new clients the right questions at the beginning of the conversation can help pave the way for a successful farrier-client relationship.