I use to charge for everything as an extra. Like Justin I use to shoe everything cold unless an owner requested differently or I needed to modify the shoe. So clips, extended heels, rockers, etc. all came with a price. I'll be the one in helI banging cold steel with my head cause my elbow is worn out.

Well, my elbow really did start to hurt last fall since I've broken that arm twice and the tendonitis really got going. So I've decided to at least shape every shoe hot that I put on cause I figure propane is cheaper than a new elbow and finding a new career. It has definitely helped, no more sore elbow for now. With this I have also come to realise that since the shoe is hot those mods can be done anyway so I've dropped the charge for the simple ones. Now it's much like Bloomer's charges he posted. The simple mods have just become part of the shoeing process instead ofthe pain in the but they use to be. It took way to long to learn something so simple.

Box Forge wrote:

Goes for me too. On the other hand I did find that repunching, thumbprint shoes, or having to make a side weight slider can be very time consuming.

I do charge for welding in bars and stuff, it's just the modifications, or sometimes even having to make a shoe from barstock that I don't charge. But like I said it can be time consuming so I'm not too happy about not charging but sofar never have.


Ronald Aalders

Ronald Aalders wrote:
What about banana shoes over and above the additional charge for pads?

No Sir, no extra charge for banana shoes. Shaping a shoe banana wise it not more work compared to adding a clip or rolling a toe.


Ronald Aalders

I have trouble finding a matched pair of bananas . . .

tbloomer wrote:Cheat and use the plastic ones.

And I am trying to teach my boys not to play with food!!

Rons Hotel!!

Not long ago I also cold-shod everything. But over the last few months the more I hot shoe the more I want to.

I figure, I charge enough more than the average cold-shoer around my area to cover any modifications needed.

So, I don't charge any extra for basic modifications, I do charge extra for additions, pads, packing.

I haven't been charging extra for handmades, but I haven't made many that could be set.

The other day, I had to build a G-bar for a horse with an injured heal...... I charged dearly for that. Then felt guilty for doing it......

Is that counterproductive, feeling guilty over NOT sinning.

I charge extra for anything that costs me extra time or money. The first reason I charge is because I'm in busines to make money and the other is if another customer sees someone getting all the extras for the same price then they want it also wether they need it or not to feel there getting there monies worth. I dont charge for a square toe and/or a trailer because I can do this in one heat which each shoe gets any ways but I do charge for clips or any other shoe modification which would require more than one heat because this costs me time. I also charge extra for difficult horses that take extra time to do because of there behavior.

I dont charge for basic modifications- toe mods, trailers, clips, etc, because that puts the ball in my court- *I* can decide what the horse gets, and not have to worry about the owner cheaping out on me if the horse needs a rocker toe with side clips.

If I have to break out the welding flux and crank up the gas, it's extra.

Dan

BS-Horseshoeing wrote:
Me too sort of. I didn't hurt my elbow and I never charged for basic mods but I've been doing just about everything hot because I can't stand the noise or work of banging on cold steel anymore. Having the shoe already hot and that much easier and quicker to fit leaves time and energy to touch it up a bit more.

I also think that this business is getting more competative. It seems like there are farriers (or shoers) coming out of the woodwork. Having an edge can't hurt.