04/05/2025
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Greetings Valued Clients!
You can relax, I'm not announcing rate increases. I do, however, need to share some important information, so this text is going to everyone on my books, across the board, and will be pinned on my business FB page. Because there have been some recurring themes in recent months, today I am offering a friendly- but clear- reminder of some of the expectations everyone agreed to before becoming clients. We all only know what we know, until we know more- or are reminded of what we knew. Good fences make good neighbors and all that. Here we go:
1. HORSES NEED TO BE CAUGHT, CLEAN, DRY, and HOOVES PICKED BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT. This means ALL the horses on the list need to be caught, or some form of that. I am most concerned with legs being clean, not body, though that is appreciated. Please DO NOT HOSE LEGS unless you know with 100% certainty they will be dry before the appt. When in doubt, I would rather work with dry and dirty legs than wet and clean. Their wet legs means I have wet pants. ALL DAY, wet pants. It is also dangerous because it makes everything slippery. It is also horrible for the tools, especially rasps. Did you know that rasps cost anywhere from $25-$45 EACH? Nippers are about $300. Water, dirt, mud, and hoof topicals render them useless near immediately (rasps). As an owner, you pick your horse's feet atleast now and then. Now imagine picking...60 feet a day, feet packed like concrete, for example. Doing just that one act can mean so much to your farrier, their body and time. I liken this request to having a cleaning person. It is their job to clean, not pick up, tidy, etc. It is my job to help the horse's feet & thereby overall health and soundness- not catch, clean or train the horse. This request is about us both respecting each other's time, my safety, my skill set and that I am running a professional business. If you've been my client long enough to receive this, you've been one long enough to know I'm not a jerk and I know that life happens and there are exceptions. To clarify, that is not what I'm talking about here.
2. THE WORK AREA SHOULD BE CLEAN, FLAT, SHADED, DRY, OPEN AND FREE OF TRIPPING HAZARDS, ANIMALS AND CHILDREN. Preferably with air flow. This is a health and safety issue/request. I need to be able to escape if something goes wrong. No, I do not want to fry in the direct sun. No, I do not want the horses to be standing in water or dirt. (Please refer back to number 1.)
3. HORSES NEED TO STAND QUIETLY WHILE I WORK. This means willingly pick up the foot when asked, and hold it (and themself) up, while standing still, until I give it back. This does NOT mean: refusing to pick up the foot, yanking it away, pawing, laying on me, sitting back, rearing/standing up on the stand, and it definitely does not mean taking a swing/kicking at me or actively trying to hurt me in ANY way. Again- if you're receiving this, you've been my client long enough to know that my first go-to with any behavior is to assume that it is pain related. I am patient, kind, creative, give alot of breaks, and offer SureFoot pads or Cloud boots to help. I am not talking about lame horses or horses with physical limitations. I am going to be point blank here- I am nearing zero tolerance for behavior issues, especially horses that try to hurt me and nothing is done about it. There will be minimal chances to correct and improve the situation before I decline to offer my services any longer. I LOVE this work and want to be abe to do it for a long time. My safety and well-being is of utmost importance, I shouldn't even have to say this.
**See included photo for how a horse should stand when a farrier is working.**
I conduct myself and my business with very high professional standards, and both clients and horses benefit from that. I consider it a gift to have the skill set I do and be able to help many horses that others often haven't. I also understand that sometimes things are just not a good fit. That said, if any of this does not work for you, that's absolutely okay! Just let me know, I'll take you off the books and wish you the best going forward. Zero drama. I am thankful for all of my clients- past, present and future- and the opportunity to take care of your beloved horses. I am kindly, clearly asking you to Jerry Maguire this and "help me... help you." This is directed at everyone, not any one single person. However, if you find your feathers ruffled, or are wondering if it applies to you, honestly, it probably does.
Please let me know if there are any questions, and I'll see you soon! Thank you for your time.
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If you are reading this on FB and are not a client but want to share this post, have at it.
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Your-
Red Headed Farrier
