Walt Taylor is convinced that there are two important factors that must be involved for your footcare business to develop in a more professional way. The veteran shoer and long-time farrier industry leader from Albuquerque, N.M., says they are proper preparation and practice.

“You must bring these two parts together at some point in order to practice footcare and farriery both as a profession and in a professional way,” he says.

Preparation Pays

Taylor says preparation comes first and requires extensive physical and mental learning that is critical for gaining valuable hoof-care experience. While preparation needs to start on the very first day of your formal schooling or on-the-job training, it should continue throughout your entire shoeing career.

“I have strong feelings and opinions about the preparation phase,” says Taylor. “I’m reminded of the bumper sticker that says, ‘If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.’ The sad part about that statement is that the price of our ignorance and inability is borne more by the client and the horse than by us.”

While some shoers have the attitude that a horse and client need to allow a shoer to make a few mistakes, that’s not the professional way. For instance, you wouldn’t be happy if a surgeon cut off your wrong leg by mistake and said that you will get over it.

Practice Plan

Even after you’ve taken the necessary steps to become properly prepared, Taylor says practice remains vitally important. “Even after we have been prepared, we have to live up to what is expected of a truly professional person in a professional practice,” says Taylor.

When taking the necessary steps to develop as a true professional, Taylor says mental toughness and wanting to have what it takes to succeed are critical.

“High principles and ethics must be the basis on which you build a professional impact and practice,” he says. “In the broadest sense, being ethical can be thought of as having high morals and practicing morality in everything you do.

“We understand that there is a lot of theory or intellectual knowledge required in footcare. We understand that a specialized physical practice is also required. Since we are expected to practice footcare in an ethical and moral way, then we must know and understand what morality is and have the capacity and commitment to put it into practice.”

One of the key steps in becoming more professional is a willingness to invest in additional learning opportunities This means investing in advanced schooling at events such as local farrier clinics and the International Hoof-Care Summit.

Professional Players

Taylor says the definition of professionalism or professional farrier varies with different people. The key is to define these terms in what you can do and what you want to be. Then map out your own educational program to become an even more professional player in the equine footcare market.