Sound Hooves, Sound Business: The Farrier's Craft 08-04-2025

Where craftsmanship meets commerce - explore the world of farriering, from its artistry and understanding of equine physiology to the practical realities of running a fee-for-service business. Learn how farriers juggle self-employment, equipment and medical costs, and the importance of mentorship and injury prevention. We also discuss a horse's wellbeing through routine hoof care, honest owner communication, and the use of modern technology. Whether you're choosing a certified farrier or are interested in becoming one, visit the Maryland Farrier's Association or the American Farrier's Association.

Maryland Farriers Association - Home

American Farrier's Association

Pre-Certification Clinics - American Farrier's Association

Transcript

Audio file

RCP Podcast Farriers Part 2 Total Release Date 8-4-25.mp3

Transcript

00:00:00 Speaker 1

This is a business.

00:00:01 Speaker 1

It is skill.

00:00:01 Speaker 1

It is art.

00:00:02 Speaker 1

It is balance.

00:00:03 Speaker 1

It is a bit psychology.

00:00:05 Speaker 1

It's animal science.

00:00:07 Speaker 2

Social media has turned into the place to shop for farriers.

00:00:11 Speaker 2

And that is, to me, like you're getting somebody you don't know referring you to a farrier.

00:00:16 Speaker 2

Use your vet.

00:00:17 Speaker 2

Use your friends.

00:00:19 Speaker 2

Use people you know that can give you a really good recommendation.

00:00:25 Speaker 1

Today's podcast is brought to you by Mariah Bell Manor Kennel, offering dog boarding, bathing, and daycare in an eco-friendly environment.

00:00:33 Speaker 1

Our pet care with a personal touch is not just a motto, it's really what we do.

00:00:37 Speaker 1

Our touch extends to the food without preservatives, quality and natural shampoos, inclusive boarding, and a green living environment.

00:00:45 Speaker 1

Sounds like I might want to check in.

00:00:47 Speaker 1

Visit us anytime on our Facebook page, Mariah Bell Manor Kennel, or MariahBellManorKennel.com.

00:00:53 Speaker 1

Enjoy your program.

00:00:57 Speaker 1

Welcome to Raising Connections, connecting your community to others through Critters, Companions, Commerce, and Agriculture.

00:01:04 Speaker 1

I'm Ray Shan Mayer.

00:01:05 Speaker 1

Let's raise some connections.

00:01:06 Speaker 1

Here we go.

00:01:08 Speaker 1

We've talked about what it takes to be a farrier.

00:01:10 Speaker 1

What does it take to have a farrier business?

00:01:13 Speaker 3

The one thing you got to have is a work ethic.

00:01:15 Speaker 3

You have to be able to say, man, I don't feel great.

00:01:18 Speaker 3

I got a splitting headache or I'm sick with a cold.

00:01:20 Speaker 3

Don't you go steal through those horses?

00:01:21 Speaker 3

Because if you don't work, you don't make any money.

00:01:23 Speaker 3

We don't have a job where we got a union or workman's compensation.

00:01:27 Speaker 3

We can't get that.

00:01:28 Speaker 4

We have to compensate for all of our own benefits, our own health insurance, our own retirement.

00:01:36 Speaker 1

How about the medical care for those backs?

00:01:38 Speaker 3

You need to find a good chiropractor.

00:01:40 Speaker 2

And there's been another farrier in our community that has really

00:01:43 Speaker 2

been like, hey, you need to go outside of work and do cross-training, strengthen the muscles that you're not using every day so that you can hold up to it.

00:01:51 Speaker 2

If you're not doing other physical things outside of your profession that help to complement the muscles that you don't use every day, that's an important thing, too.

00:02:00 Speaker 3

And the other thing is, you don't want to spend all day underneath that horse.

00:02:04 Speaker 3

If you look at him, pretty much, he'll tell you how you got to trim his feet.

00:02:07 Speaker 3

The old fellow that taught me how to shoe, he said, look, if you're running there more than five minutes trimming horses, what you've run is too long.

00:02:13 Speaker 3

Know what

00:02:13 Speaker 3

to do when you pick the horse's foot up.

00:02:15 Speaker 4

You look at the foot, you look at distortions within that hoof cap, or even if I'm on a front foot, I'll be looking at the back foot, replanning what my game plan is going to be.

00:02:28 Speaker 1

When someone thinks as a client, not your horse that you're serving, but your person-client, you've not been there long enough, you didn't earn your bill, what they're really paying for is the skill for you to observe and not be under the horse for a long period of time.

00:02:41 Speaker 2

But also, our vehicle, our equipment, all of that costs money.

00:02:46 Speaker 2

The insurance is different on a commercial vehicle than it is on a personal vehicle.

00:02:50 Speaker 2

We've got so many miles that we put on these vehicles every year that we have to also plan ahead of repairs and eventually having to replace that vehicle.

00:02:58 Speaker 2

So we don't have the overhead of having a clinic that you come to.

00:03:02 Speaker 2

I mean, our clinic is a mobile clinic, and then that's our workshop, that's our office.

00:03:07 Speaker 2

That's part of what we have to think about.

00:03:09 Speaker 2

We've got to charge enough that everything that we need to run that business is paid for.

00:03:15 Speaker 2

If somebody's not charging enough, they're barely paying for their vehicle.

00:03:19 Speaker 3

That's what people don't see.

00:03:20 Speaker 3

Right.

00:03:20 Speaker 3

People don't understand, though, versus...

00:03:23 Speaker 3

Fifty years ago, when I first thought of shoeing horses, it was $6 a shoe a horse.

00:03:27 Speaker 3

Now the reason is $200 is because some of these shoes are $20 a pair.

00:03:31 Speaker 2

You could also get hot dogs.

00:03:32 Speaker 4

I hope they're going to be more expensive now.

00:03:35 Speaker 3

But people don't realize that.

00:03:36 Speaker 3

If you don't keep your pricing up with your outlay, you're not gonna make it.

00:03:40 Speaker 3

People don't understand that.

00:03:41 Speaker 1

So it's a service.

00:03:42 Speaker 1

It's a business.

00:03:43 Speaker 1

Somebody's livelihood.

00:03:45 Speaker 1

This is how you're paying your housing bill.

00:03:47 Speaker 1

This is how you're paying your grocery bill.

00:03:49 Speaker 1

This is how you're making your living.

00:03:51 Speaker 1

So it is a service, but it is also a business.

00:03:54 Speaker 1

And back to the vehicle question, the type of vehicle you drive.

00:03:57 Speaker 1

If we're driving to 20 ton trucks because of all the shoes that we have in there or the anvil that you might have in there or the equipment to address customer

00:04:05 Speaker 1

fitting the shoes, it makes a difference.

00:04:07 Speaker 2

All of it adds up and it has to reflect in our price that we charge.

00:04:11 Speaker 2

We love what we do.

00:04:12 Speaker 2

The majority of us really love what we do, but we're not doing it just for that.

00:04:16 Speaker 2

Like when I first started my profession, I'd get done working and I'd be like, oh, that's right, I get to get paid for this.

00:04:22 Speaker 2

I enjoyed what I was doing, but I also had to realize I had bills I had to pay, I had a vehicle I had to put gas in.

00:04:29 Speaker 2

So it was one of those that I really was happy to do what I did, but I like, I still have to survive.

00:04:35 Speaker 2

So, and I need to be able to survive and do more.

00:04:38 Speaker 2

We've got to make sure that we're not just surviving.

00:04:40 Speaker 1

You need to be thriving.

00:04:41 Speaker 2

Exactly.

00:04:42 Speaker 2

And there are some people that have this impression that we are just paid laborers.

00:04:47 Speaker 2

In history, the saying of strong back and a weak mind was

00:04:51 Speaker 2

But there's so much that goes into this profession.

00:04:53 Speaker 2

It is a science and an art, and you have to be strong.

00:04:56 Speaker 2

Barriers are tough.

00:04:57 Speaker 2

What we have to put up with every day, and a client only see us for a small portion of our day, but they don't know what else has happened.

00:05:04 Speaker 2

Previous appointments, like getting thrown around by two horses just to get trimmed and then showing up and you're already half exhausted and you've got more work to do and you muscle through it.

00:05:15 Speaker 2

You get it done, but they don't see.

00:05:17 Speaker 2

Not everybody sees what everything we do in a day does to us.

00:05:21 Speaker 3

When we started out, we were all hungry and we did everything we could do.

00:05:24 Speaker 3

And I've told people more than once, run your business and don't let it run you.

00:05:28 Speaker 3

And as you get older, you can do that a lot more.

00:05:31 Speaker 3

When you're starting out, you know, you want to do everything you can.

00:05:33 Speaker 3

I can remember when I first moved to Washington County back in '78, there were some people up there that had some horses and the guy said, yeah, you come see my horse.

00:05:41 Speaker 3

Yeah, well, okay.

00:05:42 Speaker 3

Well, I got up there and you can hardly touch him.

00:05:44 Speaker 3

Well, the last guy that shot him, we threw him down and tied him up.

00:05:47 Speaker 3

I said, well, if that's what you want me to do, that's what I'll do.

00:05:49 Speaker 3

And that was the last time I've done that.

00:05:51 Speaker 1

I bet.

00:05:51 Speaker 3

Then I don't want to pay for it.

00:05:52 Speaker 3

Oh, geez.

00:05:53 Speaker 1

By having an organization around you and by having the classes, the continuing education, this is a business, it is skill, it is art, it is balance, it is a bit psychology, it's animal science.

00:06:06 Speaker 1

When do you learn to pay the taxes and when do you learn from it?

00:06:10 Speaker 1

For the business end of this?

00:06:12 Speaker 2

That's where having a mentor is really important because learning it all yourself the hard way, like don't do that.

00:06:20 Speaker 2

Get advice from people who have been there.

00:06:21 Speaker 2

Everybody does it a little bit differently.

00:06:23 Speaker 2

And that's the beauty too of like, there's a great community here.

00:06:27 Speaker 2

Maryland is, we're spoiled.

00:06:28 Speaker 2

We have a wonderful community of farriers here.

00:06:31 Speaker 2

I've lived elsewhere.

00:06:32 Speaker 2

It's hard when you don't have that community to take advantage of learning from people who've been there, done that, paying taxes

00:06:40 Speaker 2

This is what we have to do.

00:06:41 Speaker 2

Like we don't have a W-2 that it's taken out.

00:06:43 Speaker 2

You've got to set down.

00:06:45 Speaker 2

This is how much money you're projected to earn this year.

00:06:48 Speaker 2

So you need to think about how much money you need to set aside to pay your taxes.

00:06:51 Speaker 4

Not only that, but being self-employed to get a loan, you have to show that.

00:06:57 Speaker 4

tax returns.

00:06:58 Speaker 4

And then when you go to collect Social Security, it's based on what you pay in.

00:07:04 Speaker 4

And I've known a number of people that have put most of their horseshoeing money under the table, and then something happens and they go to collect Social Security and they get a pence because they didn't report it.

00:07:19 Speaker 3

It's a business.

00:07:20 Speaker 4

Like you said, you got to learn to plan for when you do come.

00:07:22 Speaker 4

When the last horse is done, you got to be able to sit back and say, I can live right now.

00:07:27 Speaker 4

just like I did when I was working, but very few people do that.

00:07:30 Speaker 5

And employ other professionals, an accountant or at least financial advisor to set you on a decent path because there's a lot that we need to pay attention to.

00:07:43 Speaker 5

And let's be honest, financial stuff is pretty complicated sometimes and I

00:07:49 Speaker 5

I would just rather talk to somebody who does that as their job, and I'm paying them to advise me and take care of me in that capacity.

00:08:00 Speaker 1

Because after all, you want to be respected as professionals and use the other professionals to make yourself better.

00:08:06 Speaker 1

All the bodes rise together.

00:08:07 Speaker 5

And it's a write off on your tax return.

00:08:10 Speaker 1

I was waiting for somebody to say that.

00:08:12 Speaker 1

You have clients.

00:08:14 Speaker 1

What do you want them to know?

00:08:16 Speaker 3

Well, you got some must in there saying, you didn't hardly sweat you

00:08:19 Speaker 3

that horse.

00:08:20 Speaker 3

I say, okay, here, put this apron on.

00:08:22 Speaker 3

Half of them can't even get under the horse, let alone be comfortable.

00:08:25 Speaker 3

Man, how do you do that?

00:08:26 Speaker 3

You're all contorted.

00:08:27 Speaker 3

Yeah, you're right.

00:08:28 Speaker 3

That's what we feel like we do.

00:08:29 Speaker 3

So it's not just, you know, it took me a little while to do this, and you think it should have took me longer.

00:08:34 Speaker 3

It's our skill that's coming out.

00:08:35 Speaker 3

You don't pay me for how much I trim off, you pay me for what I don't trim off.

00:08:38 Speaker 3

And there's a big difference.

00:08:40 Speaker 3

If you say it to people, then they'll think, oh, yeah, I guess he's right.

00:08:43 Speaker 1

When you pull up to the barn, what would you like them to know?

00:08:47 Speaker 5

I just know that I'm there for the benefit of their horse.

00:08:50 Speaker 5

And if I show up to a new client's place, I'm there to take care of their horse's feet to the best of my ability.

00:08:58 Speaker 5

And I want to know about what this horse does and its history.

00:09:02 Speaker 5

And if you can fill me in on anything quirky that this horse does or has had go on, that's great because it's going to be beneficial in the whole process of getting the horse done.

00:09:17 Speaker 5

We've all shown up to do horses and we do these horses and nobody says squat about anything until afterwards.

00:09:26 Speaker 5

And then something happens, a horse has an issue or it becomes upset about something.

00:09:33 Speaker 5

And then they'll say, oh, by the way, or oh, I forgot to tell you.

00:09:39 Speaker 5

No, that's not the time to come up with that.

00:09:42 Speaker 5

We need to know this stuff ahead of time.

00:09:44 Speaker 5

That's the biggest thing.

00:09:46 Speaker 5

I'm there to benefit your horse and do the best job I can.

00:09:50 Speaker 5

Please inform me of stuff that's going on.

00:09:53 Speaker 1

Have your owner and your handler available for the appointments.

00:09:56 Speaker 5

Especially for the first time.

00:09:58 Speaker 5

If you're doing something for the first time, yes, it needs to

00:10:02 Speaker 5

It could be something where the owners there can actually give you decent information.

00:10:08 Speaker 3

And that's another thing.

00:10:09 Speaker 3

A lot of people won't tell you, of course, those little quirks, because they're afraid you won't do it.

00:10:13 Speaker 1

Those would be important quirks to know, whether you're under there or whether you're looking for a specific result.

00:10:18 Speaker 3

Back in 1971, I went to a place, trimmed this horse for all four of his feet, picked up his left front foot, laid his shoe on it.

00:10:25 Speaker 3

He cow kicked me two times, broke my knee.

00:10:27 Speaker 4

Oh my.

00:10:28 Speaker 3

And I had an old truck down, had a tailgate on, and I set up on it.

00:10:30 Speaker 3

I could actually see my knee swelling up.

00:10:32 Speaker 3

And the guy said, you think you're going to be able to finish shooting him?

00:10:34 Speaker 3

Well, I'm not going to tell you what I told him.

00:10:36 Speaker 3

And then I found out later on that there had been two other guys there and he couldn't even get him trimmed.

00:10:40 Speaker 3

The guy never opened his mouth.

00:10:41 Speaker 1

So keeping your clients that you're providing services for their horses, be honest with what you got going on.

00:10:47 Speaker 3

And I guess I was lucky, well maybe I wasn't, but at least I got his feet trimmed.

00:10:50 Speaker 3

And I found out that another farrier couldn't get near him.

00:10:53 Speaker 1

What would you like to tell clients that aren't yours yet?

00:10:55 Speaker 2

Gary hit a lot of the nails on the head.

00:10:57 Speaker 2

I mean, the first thing is, be honest.

00:10:59 Speaker 2

And be honest for other reasons, too.

00:11:01 Speaker 2

Like, if something's not working out, if I'm not the right farrier for you, be honest with me.

00:11:06 Speaker 2

Don't ghost me.

00:11:07 Speaker 2

Don't make up excuses.

00:11:08 Speaker 2

Don't tell lies.

00:11:09 Speaker 2

Say, look, you know what?

00:11:10 Speaker 2

I'm not sure we're a good fit.

00:11:12 Speaker 2

I'd like to go a different direction.

00:11:13 Speaker 2

I want to be honest with you.

00:11:15 Speaker 2

Be honest with me.

00:11:16 Speaker 3

Yeah, farriers all got different mentalities, and I've had horses that I couldn't show, and someone else is going to stand fine for that.

00:11:22 Speaker 1

Why do you fire clients?

00:11:24 Speaker 4

I typically have fire clients usually because the client doesn't treat their help well.

00:11:31 Speaker 4

Sometimes it's the horses or I try and give them advice and they won't listen to it.

00:11:39 Speaker 4

Only give people so many strikes.

00:11:41 Speaker 2

It's really frustrating to show up and there's an issue and you're like, look, you need to address this issue.

00:11:47 Speaker 2

This is your hallmark.

00:11:48 Speaker 2

I want you to do this between this showing and the next showing and nothing's done.

00:11:51 Speaker 2

Founder is

00:11:52 Speaker 2

a huge thing that we see.

00:11:54 Speaker 2

Overweight horses.

00:11:55 Speaker 2

It needs to be on a diet.

00:11:56 Speaker 2

Even the vet saying, Hey, you've got to get weight off this animal.

00:12:00 Speaker 2

It's heartbreaking for us to come back in six weeks and see this animal in the same level of pain that it was in previously six weeks.

00:12:06 Speaker 2

And they're like, Oh, they just need their feet done.

00:12:08 Speaker 2

No, you have to fix the problem.

00:12:10 Speaker 2

The problem isn't their feet.

00:12:11 Speaker 2

The feet are a result of the problem.

00:12:13 Speaker 2

So that's a huge thing.

00:12:15 Speaker 2

Do your homework.

00:12:16 Speaker 2

If you're a farrier or vet says, You need to change something, change it.

00:12:20 Speaker 4

Well, there's a lot of horse owners around

00:12:22 Speaker 4

versus horse people.

00:12:23 Speaker 1

I absolutely agree with you.

00:12:24 Speaker 4

Another big rub was the fact that people have a horse with a lameness issue and they take it to the vet for x-rays or whatever.

00:12:35 Speaker 4

When the horse needs to have his feet done, they'll pick the horse at the end of the shoeing cycle and then the vet's like, well, the toes are too long.

00:12:44 Speaker 4

It needs wedge pads, as opposed to a freshly shot or trimmed foot that is in its

00:12:52 Speaker 4

proper alignments.

00:12:54 Speaker 1

Is it worth as an owner of a horse, as a horse person, to have your vet with the x-ray machine there with your farrier at the same time?

00:13:03 Speaker 1

Absolutely.

00:13:04 Speaker 5

Every once in a while that will transpire where the two worlds can come together and be at the same appointment.

00:13:11 Speaker 5

But especially now, the ability to take digital x-rays and then send them by text or e-mail, big game changer.

00:13:21 Speaker 5

I don't know.

00:13:22 Speaker 5

how many times through the years, early in my career, where a horse would be x-rayed, the x-rays would have to be developed, they'd have to put them in a light box and analyze them, and then you'd have to consult with the vet, meet with the vet, and then look at the x-rays yourself.

00:13:39 Speaker 5

And so now a lot of that's eliminated and everybody can be informed and in the loop in a much quicker timeframe.

00:13:48 Speaker 1

What are the questions that you want the horse community in Maryland to know?

00:13:52 Speaker 1

You've got a $3 billion impact in the state of Maryland, and you've got the mic.

00:13:58 Speaker 1

What do you want to tell them?

00:13:59 Speaker 4

Keep their horses on a regular sketch.

00:14:02 Speaker 2

Yeah.

00:14:02 Speaker 2

There's another thing that has popped into my head recently.

00:14:05 Speaker 2

So I left the area, I went to northern Pennsylvania, which was an eye opener for me, and then come back.

00:14:10 Speaker 2

And social media has turned into the place to shop for farriers.

00:14:15 Speaker 2

And that is, to me, like you're getting somebody you don't know referring you to a farrier.

00:14:20 Speaker 2

Use your vet.

00:14:22 Speaker 2

Use your friends.

00:14:23 Speaker 2

Use people you know that can give you a really good recommendation.

00:14:28 Speaker 2

If somebody's slipping around the internet for a farrier, I'm like, why haven't they called their vet?

00:14:33 Speaker 2

Because vets are great about saying, yes, these are great farriers.

00:14:36 Speaker 2

Here are their names and numbers.

00:14:38 Speaker 2

We work with them.

00:14:39 Speaker 2

They would be great people to hire.

00:14:41 Speaker 2

That's something that I think people really need to think about when they're hiring a farrier, because it's kind of like going through the yellow pages.

00:14:47 Speaker 2

If you don't know, look for somebody that has some level of certification.

00:14:51 Speaker 2

Go to the AFA website and look up Find a Farrier.

00:14:54 Speaker 2

Go to the Maryland Farriers Association website, find a farrier.

00:14:58 Speaker 2

These are people who are part of the community, and being part of that community, you are held to a higher standard because all of your peers want you to succeed.

00:15:06 Speaker 2

So we share ideas, we can look at each other's work.

00:15:11 Speaker 3

A problem with their horse.

00:15:12 Speaker 3

Most of the time, they can get a fair to come and look at it for the veterinarian.

00:15:16 Speaker 3

They can go there and say, well, this is out of my hand.

00:15:18 Speaker 3

You need to call the veterinarian.

00:15:19 Speaker 3

But there's times when he's just got an abscess.

00:15:22 Speaker 3

You know, he opens it up a little bit and doesn't drain and put it in that salt and he's fine.

00:15:25 Speaker 3

Most of the time, they need to call the veterinarian first, if they can.

00:15:29 Speaker 5

I would concur with Dean

00:15:31 Speaker 5

When you have a horse or get a horse, buy a horse, things need to be maintained.

00:15:36 Speaker 5

And maintaining the horse's feet is probably one of the simplest and most straightforward ways to keep your horse sound and useful.

00:15:45 Speaker 5

Why would anybody have a horse and pay all this money if they can't use them for riding?

00:15:50 Speaker 2

There's another thing that just popped into my head.

00:15:52 Speaker 2

We come every six weeks.

00:15:54 Speaker 2

How often does your vet come?

00:15:55 Speaker 2

Maybe once a year.

00:15:56 Speaker 2

We are horse people.

00:15:57 Speaker 2

We have a lot of knowledge.

00:15:59 Speaker 2

We are not veterinarians, but there's been a number of times where I've shown up just to trim a horse's feet or to shoe them, and I see another health concern that's not related to my profession.

00:16:09 Speaker 2

And I say, Look, you should probably get this checked out.

00:16:12 Speaker 2

You need to call your vet.

00:16:13 Speaker 2

And they were oblivious to it.

00:16:14 Speaker 2

So there's a benefit to us coming out as well, not just for the horse's feet, but we can identify that there may be another problem.

00:16:21 Speaker 3

Sometimes when you're under a horse, they'll tell you that it hurts, and the people won't even realize it.

00:16:26 Speaker 3

I get the vet coming over.

00:16:28 Speaker 3

It's a Hoxford store.

00:16:29 Speaker 3

They don't know that.

00:16:30 Speaker 1

It's all about the communication, the education, the relationships, keeping communication lines open, keeping education open.

00:16:38 Speaker 1

And we are in a really unique position here in Carroll County, Maryland, to have an organization for which you all belong.

00:16:44 Speaker 1

Can you give us a plug for that, Tony?

00:16:46 Speaker 2

The Maryland Farriers Association is an association that's connected to the American Farriers Association.

00:16:52 Speaker 2

So we are a chapter of the American Farriers Association.

00:16:55 Speaker 2

It is not a heart association to join if you are a farrier in the area and would like to join.

00:17:01 Speaker 2

Our arms are open.

00:17:02 Speaker 2

We're welcoming everyone.

00:17:03 Speaker 2

It's a wonderful way to network.

00:17:05 Speaker 2

It's a wonderful way to improve your skill, to pursue certification.

00:17:10 Speaker 2

If you're not interested in pursuing certification, being part of this community will help.

00:17:14 Speaker 2

It also helps because we network.

00:17:16 Speaker 4

Network, we have an angle dissection clinic that's typically hosted at Damascus Equine.

00:17:24 Speaker 4

And knowing what the inside of a horse's foot and leg looks like is invaluable.

00:17:30 Speaker 4

And a lot of times when you get into it, you see how little you really have to work with and how amazing the structure is to deal with the weight of the horse, the weight of the rider, the impact of the ground.

00:17:45 Speaker 2

In the dissection

00:17:46 Speaker 2

clinic is open to horse owners as well.

00:17:48 Speaker 2

There are horse owners that have come and participated because they want to understand the horse's foot.

00:17:53 Speaker 2

So we do so much in our community.

00:17:55 Speaker 2

It really is a benefit to be a part of our association.

00:17:58 Speaker 2

And maybe there's some people that are hesitant to join because they feel that they'll be judged.

00:18:03 Speaker 2

And we're not that way.

00:18:04 Speaker 2

Go ask for help.

00:18:05 Speaker 2

I don't know one of us in the association that would say, no, I'm not going to help you.

00:18:09 Speaker 2

Absolutely.

00:18:10 Speaker 2

Come right along.

00:18:11 Speaker 2

My door is open.

00:18:12 Speaker 2

And it's been that way for a long time.

00:18:13 Speaker 4

I think another thing that would help horse owners come and join

00:18:16 Speaker 4

to Maryland Farriers Association, come and see what we do, and that will put a better light on everything that we do for your horse deal.

00:18:22 Speaker 4

And a lot of them, they don't understand that a lot more than they do now.

00:18:26 Speaker 4

It's the same with the American Farriers Association.

00:18:30 Speaker 4

They do have a membership for horse owners that are not farriers.

00:18:36 Speaker 4

And they get all the educational perks that go along with it.

00:18:40 Speaker 4

If it wasn't for the American Farriers Association and the education

00:18:46 Speaker 4

they provided me, I wouldn't have been a barrier that I was.

00:18:52 Speaker 1

I think that's a powerful statement.

00:18:54 Speaker 4

It's true.

00:18:54 Speaker 4

It's true.

00:18:55 Speaker 4

The AFA has helped every single one of us.

00:18:58 Speaker 4

The Maryland chapter started in 1979.

00:19:02 Speaker 4

We are the eighth chapter of the AFA, and now there's 40 some chapters.

00:19:11 Speaker 1

It's grown, it's expanded, the professionalism has increased.

00:19:14 Speaker 1

Thank you for joining us here today.

00:19:16 Speaker 1

If you

00:19:16 Speaker 1

If you have questions that are listeners, give us a contact at hello@raisingconnections.com.

00:19:22 Speaker 1

If you're looking for your farrier, if you want to be a farrier, maybe you're someone who needs to seek out professional services, give these folks a holler, the Maryland Farrier Association and the American Farrier Association.

00:19:34 Speaker 1

I hope the connections we've raised today stay with you as you engage your community through critters, companions, commerce, and agriculture.

00:19:41 Speaker 1

Join me again next week.

00:19:42 Speaker 1

We'll make some more connections.

00:19:45 Speaker 1

This program is a production of Raising Connections Media Company, hosted and produced by Roshan Mayer and edited and mixed by Robin Temple.

00:19:52 Speaker 1

For more information about our programs, visit raisingconnections.com.