Gary Hill wrote:
Well, heck ya they do. You have a choice of a cord wood or venison.

tbloomer wrote:
I picked up four pro-level barrel horses for me today along with 15 more to shoe for the help.

tbloomer wrote:
He must be your idle "keyboard shoer".

I don't think Jeff's a "keyboard shoer." He's offered to come and help me a bit and I'm half a (Texas) state away.

I'm not talking about Jeffy. Tom is on his computer all day.

Carry on then.

I don't know how long you have been out of school but 3 years is pretty reasonable expectation for a business to make a profit...having little work the first summer is totaly reasonable.......

I starting out moving to a new area where nobody even knew me.....it was not a very good choice in reality and we grossed 8000 dollars that first year........lol. Anyway i survived and along the way have a good business while others struggle and worry about the recession we are only hoping the phone would slow down.....from a pretty pathetic start to a home three kids a few dogs and horses and some acreage.

make your clients feel important....they will refer.

Picking up work is going to be hard in this economy. Learn for the man you are going with now. Shoe and trim what you can, and get a job doing anything to keep going.

You're not alone. Another came by; and he's down by 15%; and he is one of the best F-T shoers around. Been in this business 20 years now. Backyard horses that he has had down or gone. People got P-T jobs to keep their horses only to see the job go. He was able to pick up a carriage company of driving horses that do special occasions to keep him going. The other guy only shoeing P-T again, and he's been shoeing 10+ years. He had to get another job to support his wife and 3 kids.
Every guy I know in this area is gone down in their businesses. They have told me personally, things are not great. Many here are owned thousands of dollars. Platers are having a hard time collecting their money, too!! The average plater gets $110 per horse and $120 with No-Vibe pads, and the average shoer on the outside is getting $100- $115; $125 with borium; $135 with studs; up to $150 with pads ect. Only a few are getting to the $220+ mark in this area. Average trim is $25+, and fronts are $75+.

Some have had to relocate all together; and when they do; their standard of living has gone up by 40%. To many horseshoers in the area, could be a factor, as well.
Something to think about in building your career.

good luck, hope this helps..............Linda Marie

Why not try calling other guys in your area, and tell them you need a few horses to shoe? You may get junk horses to work on , but everyone with a horse has a friend that has a horse. Good work equates good referrals.

Bill Steller wrote:Probably seems that way to you. I can type faster than you can read.

eurofarrier-99 wrote:
By NO MEANS am I claiming to be all that under a horse. I have seen some REALLY shoddy work around this area. It's not unheardof for a horse to go lame or be sore after a trim or shoe, when it was sound before the farrier arrived. My mom had a horse that was shod by a guy right when I started school (good reputation, been at it 40+ years, etc), and I went to reset her after my first 8 weeks. His shoes were too short to reuse, so I ended up going into town and getting some. Shod her cold (my first and last cold shape/shoe job), and she was loping up to the feed trough that evening. Mom said she hadnt done that in a long time- she only trotted, and then short choppy strides. Trim the horse properly, and it is comfortable, and will feel better.

I DO NOT run down other farriers in the area to (prospective) clients. "....yes, I know John Public. Nice guy. Havent seen any of his work, so I cant comment on it, but he stays pretty busy...." And I also stress that it isnt fair to judge a man's shoeing ability 8 weeks after the work is done- the hoof doesnt always grow out evenly if there is conformation issues or the horse loads the foot unevenly. Plus, it keeps me from bad-mouthing other farriers, which I think is just unprofessional. Let their poor work do that.

You're right, a sound horse is a top priority for most owners, and I dont spend too much time or effort on window dressing. But when a nail line is 3/8" above the shoe, something is amiss.

I am the first to admit I dont know it all- I never will- and the day I quit learning is the day I need to find something else to do with my time and my clients' time. I learned some good basics from some good farriers, and know it will be YEARS before I get to their level, if I even get there. I am not tooting my own horn, and do not mean to be arrogant or a know it all. If I come across that way online, I apoligize. My area is just not known for great farriers, and I think it's sad on the part of local horse owners that the standard is so low at times.

Dan

in 1996, i was "riding bulls for a living" and wasn't winning enough to support my habit. my solution to this problem was going door to door and telling who ever was there that i was in business and was "on my way to my next appointment but i had an hour to spare and thought i'd ask if you needed any work done" the result was amazing i could gross $800/week @ $50/head.

i did this for about eight weeks and then the calls started getting alot more consistant.

if you go about things the right way, door to door is a perfectly acceptable way to advertise your business

Luna butte wrote:
That's an approach I haven't seen. Something to keep in mind when times get hard.

I'd also keep horseshows and horseman camp grounds on the weekends. I'd bet there's almost always someone needing something. Have tools will travel huh?

yea it works pretty well,
at around the same time i would pull up to the rodeo's and set up shop behind the bucking chutes. then go find some barrel racer that i knew, and have her bring her horse over and let me put my sanding block to use. before i got to the back feet, alot of times i would get to replace a shoe for someone that was just passing by, or make a couple of bucks checking clinches for the pick-up man
advertising is pretty easy if you can over yourself and go find clients instead of waiting by the phone being "too proud to look for work"