Backyard horses are a staple of the farrier industry.

In fact, according to the latest American Farriers Journal Business Practices Survey, 92% of U.S. farriers work with backyard horses.

A trio of farriers — Mark Aikens of Norwich, England; Pete Healey of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and Dean Moshier of Delaware, Ohio — who have a large number of backyard horses among their clientele, shared their ideas for building a better practice with backyard horses at the 2016 International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were given 1 minute to present each idea. Here are 40 of their suggestions.

1

Tuck the lead. “Sometimes it is easier and faster to trim horses in their pen or stall rather than walking them to a shoeing area,” Healey says. “If you are out in the middle of a pasture, tuck the lead rope under the back of your apron so you are connected to them, but are not in danger of getting hung-up.”

2

Keep horses clean. “I ended working on muddy horses when I stopped carrying my own mud towel and asked to use a towel my client provided,” Moshier says. “I even had an owner one time load her horses on a stock trailer so that they could get out of their muddy area to drip dry before I arrived.”

3

Confirm their information. “Ensure you have the client’s contact details correctly…