After a client invests $40,000 on footing for their arena, it’s hard — maybe impossible — to convince them it’s ruining their horse’s feet. Uxbridge, Ontario, farrier Dave Dawson had a client express concern that their horses were frequently tripping and stumbling. The client also complained that their veterinary and farrier bills each increased by 25%. Dawson grabbed a handful of the footing consisting of felt pad mixed with sand. It felt like sandpaper.

“I explained that it was a footing issue,” he says. “Immediately there’s a defense mechanism that comes into play and that is, ‘We are not changing the footing. We just spent so much money. It’s your job to figure out the feet.’”

Because of examples like this, Dawson likens farriers…