Dave Farley, a farrier based in Wellington, Fla., started a practice decades ago to improve farrier-client communication and understanding. In the 1980s, he began sending his clients a yearly newsletter in early January. The contents of this newsletter could include product usage changes, tips for properly cleaning hoofs or life/business updates, but uniquely, the newsletter also included the price changes Farley was going to enact for the coming year for his services.

Sometimes the smallest change makes the biggest difference in your own business. That’s what Steve Wiberg, a Hayward, Calif.,-based farrier discovered when he made the switch from leather impact horseshoe pads to plastic pads. 

A farrier gets a call. The voice on the others end of the line asks how much to shoe a horse. He is told. That voice then says he needs his horse Dobbin shod by tomorrow late afternoon. The prospective client gives an address and signs off, “See you then.” 

Who has directly influenced your farrier career? If you’re just starting out, your list likely isn’t long. A little time and initiative will eventually fill the gaps. If you have some skin in the game, your list might resemble the one compiled by Chris Gregory in his book, For Want of a Nail, the Shoe Was Lost.

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