In the upcoming December issue of American Farriers Journal, I wrote about a conversation I had with Steve Kraus...I won't give a way too much detail from the magazine story, but the head of farrier services at Cornell University's veterinary clinic explained how he sees too many cases of poor horseshoeing come into his shop.

If you're seeing more rescue horse operators asking for sponsorship dollars or free hoof care, you aren't alone. With more folks getting involved in rescuing horses, several farriers have told me that they're getting more requests than ever before.

There is an article in the November issue of Horse & Rider magazine that may provide some help for farriers. The article looks at some core areas of horse ownership in which corners are cut to save money.

Every 2 years, we conduct the exclusive American Farriers Journal Farrier Business Practices Survey, which reveals the latest trends and statistics on how hoof-care professionals operate their businesses. In the latest survey published a year ago, part-time farriers represented 26% of the farriers that took the time to answer our 4-page, 70-question survey.

As has been the case for a number of years, there's still considerable interest and controversy among farriers when it comes to the theories behind Duckett's Dot. But there's no doubt the concept has played a key role in the evaluation of the horse's hoof.

When you don't take the time to answer a client's question, you might allow someone else to become their footcare expert.