Data from the exclusive American Farriers Journal “Farrier Business Practices” survey offers essential information to help you evaluate how well your business compares with those of other footcare professionals.

Compiled every 2 years, farriers not only use this data for business analysis purposes, but also rely on this data when raising trimming and shoeing prices.

Data for this industry-wide benchmark analysis comes from surveys mailed to a random sample of American Farriers Journal subscribers. A four-page, 68-question survey was mailed this summer to 2,000 subscribers. Some 281 farriers shared detailed information for a favorable return rate of 14%.

The data represents 75% full-time and 25% part-time farriers. Men made up 93% of the full-time farrier respondents compared to 90% for part-time farriers. The average age of both full-time and part-time farriers was 55 years.

Farrier Income Healthy

Even with a lack of confidence in the United States economy, political strife and ongoing concerns in the equine community, high-quality footcare work remains in high demand. Footcare work continues to pay well despite tough economic concerns in the veterinary community where numerous businesses continue to reduce staff numbers as horse owners deal with less disposable income and increased maintenance costs.

The chart "Types Of Horses Farriers Work With" shows the percentage of farriers who handle footcare work in 28 categories across six regions of the country. Here are the five most popular areas in which farriers do at least a limited amount of work:

• The “backyard horse” remains the backbone of the…