Fewer people entering the farrier industry have experience handling horses. Couple that with the lack of experience that so many horse owners have, and the chances of catastrophic wrecks occurring soar. It doesn’t have to, though

In this month’s issue of American Farriers Journal, professional horseman Chris Cox details several insightful strategies to improve your safety while working with horses and their owners.

“Productivity and safety go together,” Cox says at the International Hoof-Care Summit while delivering Focus on Farrier Safety, presented by Zoetis. “Being effective and safety go together. Learning how to read an animal and knowing a little bit about the instincts of horses is as important as your relationship with the client.”

The first step is establishing your expectations with new clients or clients with new horses. While explaining your prices, requirement for a safe, dry and covered work area, it’s important to also detail how you handle a misbehaving horse.

“A professional meeting sets a standard right off the bat,” Cox says. “It is so important because you might show up to a person’s barn, get the horses out, and find out they have unreal expectations.”

What About You?

When encountering a “misbehaving” horse, farriers should consider the source of the problem.

“Horses don’t lie,” says Tiffany Gardner, CJF, APF-I, DWCF, of Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School. “I haven’t encountered a horse that isn’t completely honest with what is happening in the very moment. Usually, if there are behavioral issues, it…