Who has time to read up on the latest technology? It’s constantly changing, hard to understand how to use and doesn’t make someone a better shoer.

This point of view still exists among many farriers. True, you can successfully trim and shoe a horse without ever using a smartphone. However, the world is changing and the needs and expectations of clients are changing right along with it.

You don’t have to be a tech expert, but keeping an open mind and selectively updating your practice with mobile and technological trends could pay off for your business.

The Connected Equestrian

Today, horse owners frequently carry the world in their hand via an iPhone or Android smartphone (among others). If an equestrian is already using a smartphone for their job, staying in touch with their horse community becomes an easy extension of those behaviors. If they live in a very rural area, it may be easier to access the Internet with a smartphone than with a computer.

It’s now second nature for many riders to whip out phones to take and share photos of their horses, send text messages to riding buddies and even search online for equestrian resources.

Mobile phones have become simply part of daily life — nearly two-thirds of adults (65%) now report sleeping with their cell phones on or next to their beds (source: Pew Research Center).

Whether it’s because the cell phone has replaced the clock radio as the way to awaken oneself, or because users can’t…