Among the many learning opportunities at the International Hoof-Care Summit each year are the 24 “no-holds-barred” Hoof-Care Roundtables.

Attendees can choose to participate in three of these sessions. Each zeroes in on a particular timely topic. The informal give-and-take exchanges allow attendees to talk over problems and concerns with other footcare professionals.

Looking To The Future

As an example of the many good ideas that come out of these sessions, we’re highlighting a Hoof-Care Roundtable moderated by Doug Butler of the Butler Professional Farrier School in Crawford, Neb. This session looked at the many skills farriers will need to be successful in the future. Here’s a “top 10” list of ideas that were discussed.

1. Many of the things that most successful farriers are already doing will be even more important in the future.
2. Obtaining and keeping the trust of clients will become more critical to your success. They gain trust by recognizing you are skilled and knowledgeable. Clients lose trust when disappointed by a lack of character and integrity.
3. You’ll need to develop a system for further educating clients. This is best done one-on-one with specific goals in mind. One of the best ways to educate clients is through the use of human analogy — such as comparing your fingernail to the horse’s hoof.
4. Farriers must position themselves as animal welfarists since animal rights and animal liberation groups will become more vocal and more readily accepted by society. You’ll need to be aware of — and fight legislation — that…