a look inside afj's 2010 career guide

8/8/2019 A Look Inside AFJ's 2010 Career Guide

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Getting Started In

Hoof Care A Career Guide For Te New Farrier

Second Edition

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14 www.americanfarriers.com American Farriers Journal Getting Started In Hoof Care 3

Launching Your New Career 4

How o Find Clients 6Develop your practice with these tips for attracting newclients. By Jeremy McGovern

Create And Follow Your

Roadmap For Success 12A business plan should tell you where you’ve been, whereyou are and where you are going. By Bob Smith

A ale O wo Days, ButDiferent Responsibilities 18Two days riding with a Wisconsin shoer give a glimpseof how apprenticing is different from being on yourown. By Jeremy McGovern

Te Importance O Horsemanship 22

Your understanding and ability to work with a horseis the key to a long career. By Dean Moshier

On-Te-Job Saety 26Prepare yourself to avoid the daily hazards thataccompany farriery. By Pat Tearney

Te ABC’s O Getting Your FarrierCareer Of On Te Right Foot 28Consider these points to determine if you are presentinga professional image to your clients. By Doug Butler

Maintain ProessionalismWith Your Peers 34Treat your fellow horseshoers with the same level ofrespect you expect in return. By Jeremy McGovern

Your Hoo-Care EducationNever Stops 40Your farrier education isn’t complete. It should continuethrough attending clinics, joining organizations and othermethods. By Toby Raymond and Jeremy McGovern

Get Te Most Out O

Your ools 44Here are 20 tips from top shoers on how to improveyour efficiency and extend the lives of your tools.

Selecting Te RightRig For You 47Here are some factors to consider in selecting one ofthe largest expenses you’ll have as a start-up.By Lisa Kemp

Insurance: Protecting Yoursel And Your Assets 50Whether it is your health, shoeing rig or business, youneed to safeguard yourself to make sure your career isunaffected from unexpected threats. By Pat Tearney

Keep Torough BusinessRecords 54Good records don’t only include tracking dollars andcents —they also mean you need to collect informationon your clients and their horses. By Red Renchin

Putting Your Money o Work:Saving Te Smart Way 58Don’t live paycheck to paycheck. Through savings andprudent investments, you can prepare for unforeseenemergencies and your retirement. By Esco Buff

Find Balance In Your Lie 61Farriery is a demanding profession, but a personal life isnecessary for maintaining your passion for shoeing.By Jeremy McGovern

Ad Index 62

able O Contents

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4 Getting Started In Hoof Care American Farriers Journal www.americanfarriers.com

Editor/PublisherFrank Lessiter - [email protected]

Managing EditorPat Tearney - [email protected]

Associate EditorJeremy McGovern - [email protected]

Technical EditorRed Renchin - [email protected]

Advertising ManagerAlice Musser - [email protected]

Vice President - SalesTodd Rank - [email protected]

Production ManagerAmy Johnson - [email protected]

Art DirectorChristopher Nielsen - [email protected]

Senior Graphic Designer - Equine DivisionChuck Braasch - [email protected]

Editorial Interns

Angela Podewils • Jesse KoehlerDirector of CorporateAudience Development

Patrick Sharpe - [email protected]

E-Media DirectorPaul Markgraff - [email protected]

Manager of Data and Customer ServiceBree Greenawalt - [email protected]

Circulation ManagerSue Ramstack - [email protected]

Data Management AssociateDonna Schwierske - [email protected]

Administrative AssistantsAaron White - [email protected]

Sheila Gostisha - [email protected]

President

Mike Lessiter - [email protected] President, Business

Pam Lessiter - [email protected]

Accounting ManagerJim Perszyk - [email protected]

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDMike DeLeonardo, CJF Bob Smith, CF

Randy Luikart, CJF Steve Stanley

Richard Mansmann, VMD, PhD Tracy Turner, DVM, MS, Dip. ACVS

Stephen O’Grady, DVM, MRCVS Tom Wolfe, CJF

The techniques, viewpoints, information and ideasexpressed in American Farriers Journal articles do notnecessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the advi-sory board members or our magazine staff. Not everymagazine article is reviewed by the members and not all

AFJ Editorial Advisory Board members review each of

these articles.

American Farriers JournalP.O. Box 624

Brookfield, WI 53008-0624225 Regency Court, Suite 100

Brookfield, WI 53045

Telephone: (262) 782-4480Fax: (262) 782-1252

E-mail: [email protected] site: www.americanfarriers.com

Getting Started In

Hoof CareLaunchingYour NewCareer

© 2010 by Lessiter Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced by any means whatsoever without the written permission of the Publisher.

American Farriers Journal (ISSN 0274-6565) is published eight times a year (January/ February, March, April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November andDecember) for $47.95 per year by Lessiter Publications, Inc., 225 Regency Ct.,Ste. 100, Brookfield, WI 53045. Editorial, Advertising and Business Offices:

American Farriers Journal , P.O. Box 624, Brookfield, WI 53008-0624.Periodicals postage paid at Brookfield, WI 53008-0624 and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: American Farriers Journal , 225 Regency Ct.,Ste. 100, Brookfield, WI 53045. Telephone: (262) 782-4480. Fax: (262) 782-1252.

E-mail Address: [email protected]. Web site: www.americanfarriers.com.

bout 2 years ago, American

Farriers Journal began

interviewing shoeing school

students and recent graduates, asking

them about their thoughts on the new

career they were undertaking.

The students usually voiced

concern or optimism about the life-

time of education it requires to be a

top shoer. The graduates expressedrelief, accompanied by ambition,

about the upcoming transition.

Regardless of the novice shoer’s

level of enthusiasm or fear, many

common questions about the

unknown road ahead always arose:

How can a farrier with no clients find

enough clients to sustain a practice?

Who should you turn to for advice

when you are in a jam? How do you

keep track of the money coming in —

and the money going out?

We took these questions andcreated the first American Farriers

Journal Career Guide. In this, our

second edition, we provide further

insight on several of these questions

and outline the traits required to excel

as a farrier.

Don’t read this guide expecting to

find all of the answers to your career

questions. Instead, use the advice

from these pages to think about and

determine how to best develop asuccessful practice.

While everyone’s experience is

unique, there will be some common

road blocks all farriers face. Throughthe stories and quick tips in these

pages, you’ll be better prepared to

come up with a solution.

This guide will illustrate why

being a successful farrier requires

focusing beyond the mechanics

and application of the shoeing. You

simply can’t focus on achievement

in a single area. You’ll realize that all

of the aspects of being a successful

farrier are interrelated.

Sure, you may be able you getclients, but what how do to keep

them? Or you may have the good

sense to save for the future, but want

to know what should go into the busi-

ness plan that will be your blueprint

for retirement.

When you recognize this

complexity, you’ll understand why

no single issue can answer all of yourquestions. But after you read this

and see why a successful farrier is

a complete farrier, you will take theright step toward a promising career.

Here’s to your success,

Jeremy McGovern

Associate Editor

A

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34 Getting Started In Hoof Care American Farriers Journal www.americanarriers.com

7 Maintain YourProessionalismWith Your Peers

A farrier who treats other shoerswith respect is one who takesthe career seriously.

Never speak poorly of another shoer’s work.

Taking on clients who fired afarrier is not wrong if done so inan ethical manner.

You will be fired by clientsthroughout your career —don’t take it personally.

By Jeremy McGovern, Associate Editor

Seasoned shoers who have been

in the industry for more than

30 years will remember how

communication among farriers has

changed since they entered the profes-

sion. Decades ago, farriers wouldn’t

readily share information with one

another. During those times, another

shoer would likely quit working if

another shoer showed up at the barn,

rather than give away any beneficial

insight to observers.Today, this reluctance has largely

disappeared. Through clinics, local

associations, general camaraderie and

other venues, shoers are more likely

to share knowledge for the good of the

industry and the horses.

This evolution in communication

is sustained by the professionalism of

today’s farrier. You as a professional

horseshoer have a responsibility to act

accordingly with your contemporaries.

Work ogetherFor A Common Cause

Jason Maki of Bryan, Texas, says

you need to always treat other farriers

as if they have something to teach you.

He advises you to surround yourself

with farriers who know more thanyou about shoeing and the conduct of

a professional. If you focus on self-

improvement and acknowledge how

much you have yet to learn, then your

relations with other shoers will grow.

“If you treat yourself and your

career with respect, then it is second

nature that you will treat other shoers

with respect,” says Maki.

He finds the biggest mistake young

shoeing school grads make is skippingan apprenticeship. By working with

top farriers, you get to know clients and

build a network of mentors. If you estab-

lish professional and personal relation-

ships with other shoers, then you will be

less likely to downplay someone. “In the

long run, you will develop a professional

demeanor,” he says.

Jim Jimenez of El Segundo, Calif.,

calls upon the Golden Rule and says

you should treat other shoers the way

you’d like to be treated. A veteranracetrack shoer, he says that spirit

is necessary to keep the horses of

that discipline going. For example,

if a client’s horse springs a shoe and

ips For Working With VeterinariansFor many arriers the veterinarian-arrier relationship is asign o success. Most new arriers proudly relive that rstveterinarian recommendation as a rite o passage.In almost every state, the veterinarian medical practiceacts are pretty specic. I a vet is involved, he or she is incharge. I you are given a “shoeing prescription,” your op-tions are to ollow it or not shoe the horse.

To maintain a good working relationship with a veteri-narian, you must be proactive and prepared to make therelationship work. In the end, it’s really up to you.

Realize You Have Te Same Goal.➥ The arrier and thevet are both attempting to do the same thing: make a

living in the horse world.

We are not adversaries.Never Question Or➥

Argue With Te Vet InFront O Anyone. I you

disagree with the veterinarian’s nding then make anappointment to speak with him or her. Be preparedto state your case with specic inormation. Alwaysreturn the vet’s phone calls or e-mails immediately.

Acknowledge Any Reerrals Tat Te Vet Makes.➥ Send a card thanking the veterinarian or his or hercondence in your business.You See Te Horse More Frequently Tan Te Vet.➥ Farriers see the horse every 6 to 8 weeks. The veteri-narian may only see the horse once every 2 or 3 years.Don’t hold the veterinarian’s eet to the re i he orshe makes a decision based upon a very poor historyrom the owner.Keep Te Vet In Te Loop.➥ You will be able to modiyhis or her shoeing recommendations as things changewith the horse. Send a short letter on your businessstationery stating the name o the horse, its owner,address and any other inormation required to iden-

tiy that animal. In as ew words as possible,explain the changes you have made and why.The vet may not see this horse or anotheryear and this will keep him or her inormed oits progress. — Bob Smith, owner o the Pacifc Coast Horse-

shoeing School in Plymouth, Cali.

Bob Smith, right, and veterinarian Mi-chael Russell, left, focus their efforts ona common goal: the betterment of thehorses they work with.

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www.americanarriers.com American Farriers Journal Getting Started In Hoof Care 35

Jimenez isn’t present, another shoer

will fix the problem. He would do thesame if situations were traded.

“Working with animals like this,

there is going to be a time when you

are on the wrong side of a kick,” says

Jimenez. “It is going to cost you a

couple of days, so you would have to

depend on other people to take care of

your horses. Ultimately you will return

the favor. For the most part, we are an

honest industry.”

Helpfulness isn’t the only courtesy

to show another shoer. It also includesnot speaking poorly of another’s work

with others. Refuse to evaluate your

competition’s work. When customers

ask you to evaluate another farrier’s

work, tell them that you don’t evaluate

competitors’ work.

Jimenez says you should refrain

from speaking about another shoer’s

work because you don’t know what

that other shoer was facing. Reflecting

on his own work, Jimenez recalls

When working with clients, keep the

focus of the discussion on their horsesand your relationship with them. Avoidgossip concerning other shoers.

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The horse trainer is responsible or training and condition-ing the horse, the equipment used, stabling environment,eeding and turnout. Thetrainer can also act as anagent and interact withothers who work with thehorse.

Working with trainersrequires a proessionalarrier with communica-tion skills. The trainer seesand works with the horse, and sometimes the horse owner,on a daily basis. The arrier sees the horse every 6 to 8weeks.

alk o Te rainer.➥ Make the eort to check in withthe trainer in your barns and ask i there is anything thatyou need to be aware o or the shoeing or trimmingo the horses you are scheduled to work on that day. Besure to stop by at the end o the day with any inorma-tion about any horse under the trainer’s care.Listen o Te rainer.➥ Let the trainer air any con-cerns or issues he or she may have about the horsesyou are going to be working on without interrupting

or becoming deensive or argumentative. Both o youshould be working in the best interest o the horse.Be Proactive.➥ Discuss shoeing changes and recom-mendations with the trainer beore there is a prob-lem. Include the trainer in the decision-making, as he

or she deals with the owner over the long term.Deliver Acknowledgement.➥ Make sure to acknowl-edge the accomplishments o the horse while it isunder the trainer.Conficts Will Arise.➥ In spite o your best eorts, con-ficts between arriers and trainers are common andvery quickly boil down to a power struggle, unortu-nately with the horse owner caught in the middle. It isup to us, the arriers, to make this relationship work.I everything ails then it is best to leave the accountbeore your reputation takes a hit. Don’t try to win anargument or ght with them.

Leave Proessionally.➥ When you have had enoughyou must remain composed and proessional. Do notbad mouth the trainer to the owner. — Bob Smith, owner o the Pacifc Coast Horseshoeing

School in Plymouth, Cali.

A good farrier will rely on the trainer togive a detailed history about move-

ment or lameness issues that can helpin deciding how to set up the foot and

type of shoeing.

ips For Working With rainers

occasions he would even question his

thinking on the approach he previously

took with a horse.

Longtime shoer Martin Kenny of

Carthage, N.C., advises shoers to avoid

the trap of criticizing other farriers,

especially with clients. If the client iscritical of another farrier, Kenny findsthat he or she eventually will turn on

you as well.

His work often addresses issues

that other farriers were unsuccessful in

treating, so Kenny sometimes hears the

negative comments. He tells the owner

not to look backward and instead steers

the conversation to a positive.

Brian Hull of Grand Valley,

Ontario, believes you should never

speak poorly of other shoers unless

you are prepared to meet them face-to-face and tell him or her what you don’t

like about their shoeing.

“You may feel differently abouttheir shoeing after they explain to you

why they shoe in such a way,” he says.

“Remember, no horses’ hooves are

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exactly the same and no farrier shoes

exactly the same as another farrier.”In his experience, Hull finds that

the type of farrier who criticizes his

work is doing so as a tactic for going

after his clients. More often than not,

these farriers are young and never

apprenticed with an experienced shoer

to learn proper conduct. They typically

undercut others on prices.

If he knows the other shoer, Hull

will directly ask why he or she is going

after his clients or unjustifiably criti-

cizing his work.“They deny that they would do such

a thing,” says Hull. “I will explain to

them that when word gets around to

other farriers, the other farriers will tell

their clients all about you.“When you get on the bad side of a

lot of established farriers, chances are

you won’t get many good horses or

barns to shoe at.”

While poaching clients is a short-

term gain, in the end it can result in

career suicide. Hull finds that these

farriers will either change their attitude

or move out of the area.

“They are not well-regarded in the

shoeing community,” he says. “They

are not asked to many farrier get-togethers, don’t mix well with other

shoers and have attitude problems.”

Not all criticism is an attempt to

sabotage your practice. Well-intended

critiques of your work delivered

directly to you by a respected farrier

can be valuable. Kenny says that even

though there are exceptions, most

farriers are willing to help and are not

out to steal clients.

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“Remember that when veteran

farriers make comments to you about

your work, it is not to belittle you, but

to lift you up,” says Kenny. “We’ve all

been where you are today.”

aking On Others’ ClientsUnless a potential client is a new

horse owner with a recent acquisition,

a hired farrier will replace another. If you exercise ethical business practices,

don’t be ashamed when you are hired

to replace a fellow shoer.

Kenny says farriers must always

look to improve clientele. Remember,shoeing is a business.

“If one attempts to secure another

farrier’s client in ethical manners, such

as advertisements, personal contact or

online, that is part of running a busi-

ness and fair game,” explains Kenny.

“However, if one says, ‘Hey, your

present farrier is messing up your

horses’ and behaves unethically, then

that crosses the line.”

The North Carolina shoer reminds

readers that farriers don’t own clients,but instead are

employed by

clients to provide

a service. Kenny

advocates seeking

new clients.

“The goal of

any successfulbusiness is to

draw work to

yourself — and

most of thetime, that means

drawing it from

someone else!”

When a client

inquires about

hiring him to

replace another

farrier, Hull first

asks himself if heknows the farrier.

He thinks about

the type of personand shoer the

other farrier is.

Hull will politely

refuse the busi-

ness if it is an

associate, telling

the potential client that he is not taking

on new customers. If the client offers

unsolicited information concerning the

other shoer, Hull won’t join in.

“If they tell me what problem they

were having with their farrier, I may

mention they should talk to the farrier,

explain what the problem is and leaveit at that,” says Hull.

Where you are at in your career will

determine your approach for taking

on new clients. Jimenez says he is at a

point in his career where he is looking

to shoe fewer horses, so he is less

likely to take on a client looking for a

replacement. He is one of the top-paid

shoers in his area, so if he would take

on a client, pricing won’t be a reason

the client switched.

“I’ll ask what the issue they havewith the shoer,” says Jimenez. “If it

is someone I respect, I tell them that I

can’t do better, but I can do differently.If it is someone who is lacking the

skills or doesn’t show up on time, I’ll

talk to the other shoer about it.”

He adds that if you will take on the

horse, make sure the client has paid the

other shoer in full.

You’re FiredDon’t overreact when you are fired.

A client may let you go based on fickle

or unreasonable reasons. However,

don’t assume every time you are fired

that it was unjustified. Evaluate yourperformance. What could you have

done differently to satisfy that owner?

Or what makes that farrier more

appealing to the client?

Jason Maki believes that although it

may vary to degrees, farriers who take

the profession seriously operate by a

code of ethics. Like Hull and Jimenez,

he would contact a shoer he knows

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if that farrier’s client inquired about

Maki’s service. When it is someone hedoesn’t know, Maki embraces the free

market nature of the industry.

“Every client I gained, someone

else lost,” says Maki. “And every client

I lost, someone gained.”

He warns against baring animosity

against another shoer who replaces

you. There are a million reasons why

you lose clients. If you work on your

farrier skills, your practice will have

stability rather than the fickle clients

who routinely fire farriers.Kenny has overheard veteran shoers

complaining that a new shoer is under-

cutting them on prices and the younger

shoer needs to raise his or her prices.

He tells the new farriers — as wellas the veterans — that this is wrong

thinking on a couple levels.

“Number one, it is illegal to set

prices and that is what they are doing

with statements like that,” says Kenny.

“Number two, the veteran is saying

that his years of experience are not

worth anything .”

He believes that this veteran shoer

thinks his or her clients do not value

him or her enough to keep him or

her strictly because a lower price is

available. If that is true, then it is the

veteran’s responsibility to improve his

or her worth, rather than relying on

steady work simply based on price.

Kenny says when you start, youshould charge less than other local

shoers. Having the highest price out of

the box, will limit your exposure.

“Would you try a new guy if he

charged the same as a veteran?” asks

Kenny. “Why would you take that step

backward, with no incentive? Price

yourself out of a beginning and you

will struggle to get started.”

a look inside afj's 2010 career guide

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