The most common question farriers discuss is how much should they charge. The answer is never simple. Guidelines provided throughout this issue, especially those of Shelbyville, Ky., farrier Pat Broadus, show how complicated the formula can be.

Oversimplified, what you charge should be determined by your costs and how much income you want to keep. However, there are many variables that influence the reality of that amount. The chief among these is location. Take a look at the chart on this page. This shows the 10 largest horse populations by state. Texas, the largest state in the Union after Alaska, has the largest horse population in the country. Based on size and the Western tradition in the Lone Star state, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.

But it doesn’t mean settling anywhere in Texas will bring success to your fledgling business. As with the rest of the United States, large horse populations are located around densely populated metropolitan areas. Of course horses are scattered throughout the country, but if you want to run a profitable business, you must be efficient in your execution. For example, if your…