Posted by Anne Daimler on September 14, 2003 at 20:40:34:
In Reply to: Who's in it for the money? posted by Rick Burten on September 11, 2003 at 08:42:03:
: In my wanderings around cyber space I came across a website with this information. The website belongs to a Strasser practitioner of some two years. I found it interesting because many of those individuals accuse farriers of only shoeing horses for the money.
: "Services & Fees:
: Trimming $50.00 per hour($50.00 per horse minimum)
: Consultation $50.00 per hour
: Out of State Travel $300 per day plus expenses
: Trimming: First time trims are the only ones which may take more than one hour. Typical follow-ups are $50, provided tha the horse is being trimmed on a regular basis.
: Out of State Travel: this option is available for those who do not have access to qualified trimming help locally.......Maximum number of trims per day is six(less if there are horses with special problems).
: If travel consumes an entire day, add $100 per day of travel only."
: Lets see, approximately two years field work after a 21 day hands on school where the actual time spent under the horse is constrained by the other subjects discussed during the "field experience/practicum", and voila, you get to accuse professional farriers of only being in it for the money.
: Give 'em enough rope and they will hang themselves.
: Rick
Hi, Rick:
Glad to see you found my website. Sorry the only thing you took away from it was a bad taste about my fees. I don't think they're too high. After all, when I was having my mare shod, I paid $85 for a new set of shoes and $55 for a reset. My farrier did a pretty good job of shoeing, and I credit him for her hooves not being too terribly contracted. Fortunately, she was only in shoes for a couple of years.
On the down side, once I had him pull the shoes and start trimming her and my husband's horse barefoot, everything started to go downhill. I was saving money (which was NOT my object in pulling the shoes), getting a 15 minute trim and paying $15 for it. I also got toe and quarter cracks as time went by, which he blamed on the moist climate here in Florida. I started educating myself, and ended up taking the Strasser course because there were no CSHS in my area. The rest, as they say, is history.
I also do my share of "pro bono" work, but that has no place on my website. I adjust my fees when and if I see fit, but for the most part, I prefer to have clients who consider their horses to be worth what I charge.
Anne