Best interest of the horse

[Dave Purves]

OK, I've been asking myself this question for a few years now and still don't have a good answer. When you pull into a barn, and the horse is a pain in the neck, you can get the work done, but it's always a struggle, you're always paid late, but the horse you work on has chronic laminitis. In the begining things were good except the pain in the rear horse, but then the owner started to move the appointment time back farther and farther. Going from, 5 weeks to 12 weeks. Each time you show up, the horse is on the verge of being lame again because of bad management, but when your done you watch this horse walk away happy. A few times the owner forgot about the appointment and you were left with no work.

My question is this: Do we as farriers have some type of moral obligation, to continue working on this horse knowing that the work, getting the money and everything to do with this account is hard to do at best. Or do we say, it's not in my best interest to continue shoeing this beast so I won't?

Dave Purves CF :confused:

[Dave Purves]

I forgot to add that I know what I did, I'm wondering what everyone else thinks.
Dave :)

[caballus]

Can't save the world, Dave ... but one horse/one owner at a time. That's all ya can do. If the owner doesn't cooperate, wash yer hands of it all ... you've done what you can.

Sad.

--cab

[Red Amor]

Dave ya sound like a decent sort o bloke

dont beat yourself up mate , but its time to give this one the sorbent treatment mate

the owners are not being fair to you or the horse

[Phil Armitage]

Dave, I will tell you what happens to me in these situations. I get ****ed off, say something I shouldnt have and get fired :mad: . So I quess it works out in the end :) . I have never hated a horse ever in all the years I have been around them, 90% of problems with horses are people, some people can really be a paine in the behind. In your case the horse is not at fault, the owner is, the horse is a pain in the neck to work on becuase he/she is in chronic pain and the owner lets things go which makes the situation worse on you and the horse. The real pain in your situation is the owner, if they stayed up on a regular schedule and payed on time the experience would be better for you and the horse. So what I would do is tell it like it is, tell the owner they are makeing you and the horse miserable and they better get there act together so you and the horse are not getting stressed or your going to quit doiing the horse.

[Bill Adams]

You do have a moral obligation.
You have to do the best of your ability.
You have to learn and practice to do better.
You have to provide for your family and obligations.
You have to inform people of the proper care for their horses. the rest is on them.
Remember, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make their owner think.
My $0.02,
Bill

[Mike Ferrara]

I guess I could tell some stories but...this time I won't. Hold the cheers down please.

About the only horses I have know that get done on any kinf of schedule are the ones that the farrier insisted on putting on his/her schedule and just doing it.

I agree. Horses are easy...people now that's hard.

IMO, your obligation is to give the customer what they want (as long as they pay for it) and maybe try to advise in the interest of teaching for the good of the horse, yourself and the owner. In the end though it comes down to providing what the customer wants and the horse isn't the customer.

It's no different from any other job. When the guy signing the check insists on things that are outside your own ethics you either violate your ethics or you walk.