While back a client had a big Impressive bred halter horse. No too bad to work on at home, but in the excitement of another venue could be bad. Owners had him for sale, were stretching the cycle. Headed for Colo State Fair. He blew up in the trailer, kicking the wall and knocked of a hind shoe. Had the show farrier redo him. Several weeks later, headed for a show at Colo fair grounds. He needed shoes, they called apologetically to see if I could work him in, said they guessed they might get Troy to do him down there, but would rather have me do it. I told them that I'd talked to Troy and he'd also rather have me do it. They were amazed we'd talked to one another.
I just had a owner confrontation. Totally lost it on some poor psychotic old lady who thought she was a horse whisperer. Telling telling me her horse was a left brain freethinker. I lost it actually trimmed half the horse Before throwing my tools in my truck. Telling her I have absolutely no problem with the horse just her.
I have plenty of namaste hippie I am connected to the horses and I can speak horse, clients. This one clearly stood out I believe she was a hippie queen of the coast I've never met a more magical person
My whole life I have dealt with horses. underneath them on top of them training and shoeing them, cutting them, groundbreaking them. I deal with the good horses the bad horses and the real bad horses. I know what is dangerous and what isn't what works and what doesn't. Hippie psychobabble treats petting and cooing do not work And never have. I don't mind the hippie psychobabble mentality as long as it doesn't interfere with my process In dealing with nasty horses. When a woman who only has one horse that is a complete piece of poo poo tells me I can't do something That will keep me safe I don't have to deal with that. I won't deal with that. instead of just losing half my clients I would lose all of my clients because her horse mucked me out and broke some of my bones. We'll see what the next ferrier does when the horse strikes at his head and she asks him to give it a treat. So it will know he's nice. I will not compromise my safety to put up with or accommodate an idiot.
Sounds like a guy I used to work for. He would blow up and fire people if the wind blew wrong, and then fire any other customers within sight, just for being in the same vicinity.
I think the area where Tejun and I work has a very high rate of wacko nut job psychics per capita. With the ones that don't end up wrecking the horse, only because it has enough sense, you can have a lot of fun teasing them. I remember the first client I fired. I told my wife and she agreed that it was good to get rid of them, but then she added; "honey, don't get used to doing that".
I do almost wish I would have handled it differently as the day wears on... Let us see if I can test my diplomatic skills and put out this bridge fire. But forewarned this one is a rager, 500 foot flames and the bridge is crumbling into the water. Yes Bill, the frequency or density of the nut job psychics horse whisperers is jaw dropping. It is the liberal Oregon tree hugging coast of all places. I can't remember the last time I saw a horse that wasn't a 'rescue'.... eh.... just kidding I do a lot of ranch and performance horses but still, all the rescues, I appreciate them and love the checks and cash, but seriously there are a ton of them everywhere I look. It is like Oregon is the Florida for horses. All the old and crippled come to die here.
Tejun; Just pack up your tools and leave. that's all you have to do. if they ask...."well apparently I can't give you the service that YOU require...." they argue......BUT BUT BUT My Horse!..........tell them that when they get someone hurt and they get sued and the state charges them with depraved indifference with the intent to maim...which carries a 20 year sentence in state prison.......they may want to get the lawyer. Ps. these so called horse whispers have done more damaged to horses and to the general horse owning public........than any racetrack or professional horse handling technique ever.
Bill and Tejun, you might enjoy this story. I had a very "soft hearted" client similar to the one you described. One day after the horse had pulled his foot away from me for about the 10th time, and had received his 11th treat, I said to the lady "do you mind if I try horse whispering on him?" I could almost see her heart swell, and tears were welling up, as she exclaimed "Oh Yes, that would be wonderful". I got up on my toes and whispered in his ear "I've got a gun, you bastard". The quiet soft hearted little lady went into a rage like I've seldom seem. It was cool!!! Regards
Rick, I tell them that I do whisper to horses, but that's only when there's children and decent folks around who shouldn't her that kind of language.
As we're talking about customers, I heard something today from a new client that I have never heard before. I meet the new client with her 950lb. arab gelding to be trimmed, and of course the gal weighed at least 300 pounds. This is an invariable size weight ratio between women and their arabs. Smaller the horse bigger the women. I finish up and get paid (a nice tip even) and she asked me if I thought she was too heavy to ride the horse! I was (momentarily) speechless. Caught completely of guard. Of course later I thought up all kinds of mean things I could have said, but I was nice and agreed that she shouldn't do more than a slow walk on soft ground. So maybe in another twenty years I'll meet someone else concerned about putting too much weight on a small arab.
We get some dumb stuff ask and said..this week it was explained to me that when the horse walks off they dont like it sounding like a tap shoe but like a post...then ask if I knew what they ment...I said kinda I have heard a tap shoe but never heard a post walking off..
The question that always gets me is "does my horse need shoes?" My immediate response is 'how the hell should I know, I've never ridden it?!' but I manage to stifle that before it gets past my mouth and then proceed to ask some pertinent questions. Amazes me what people think farriers know about a horse by looking at its feet!
A good one from today. I went to the local horse show, hoping to just spend a nice relaxing day. I'm sitting in the bleachers, with a bunch of other people, hoping nobody will really notice I'm there, given my "rock star" status and all. I don't mind visiting with people, but at the shows, I don't want to talk, I want to watch. Well this client comes up, sits down, and then talks about 20 minutes straight about how her horse isn't going right ( It's due for it's 8 week appointment Wednesday), and that the horse just bucked on her in the practice ring, yada yada yada. She says she's going to have someone else ride him for the day. The vindication: The horse then proceeded to win his first three under saddle classes, probably more, but I left at the lunch break. I'm thinking about sending the substitute rider flowers. Regards
