I don't charge extra for things that make my job easier/faster. I do charge extra for things that make my job more difficult/time consuming (be it difficult horses or customers) or cost me more in mtl. We all charge more for either dealing w/ the Vet or customers we don't care like for various reasons. Likewise, we all give small breaks to those customers that make our job a bit easier or more enjoyable. Got to go to work. Peace out Farrier B!*#hes! *drops mic and walks away*
Now just have to make another 100 or so. LOL I think I'm gonna order some 5/16" x 7/8" and 3/8" x 1" and start stocking my truck with handmades over the winter for next spring.
It was a yearling with a septic pedal bone, worth about £12. But had £5000 insurance on it. I made a hospital plate, very fiddly... It was £460 as VAT WAS 15% at the time.
I think it also depends on why you're using a hand made shoe vs a keg. I think there's enough specialty products out on the market right now that you really never "have" to turn a shoe anymore. Repunching, chopping, welding... yeah that's occasionally necessary to do stuff right with store bought stuff, but hand fabrication is mostly a personal preference in todays market. If you're making shoes for customer horses just to improve yourself or practice for a cert/contest, I think it's a little inappropriate to charge more for the work, especially if there is no real reason to use a handmade shoe. If you're handmaking 13-1/4" bar shoe from 3/8" for a 1500# halter horse because you need a more stable shoe for the foot than is available off a shelf then damn right you should be charging extra. That said, I've nailed on dozens of pair of 3/4 fullered shoes and I've never charged more than what I would for a keg shoe. Mostly because none of those horses needed a handmade version of a SSP. OTOH I have no problem charging $50-80 for a pair of hand made specialty shoes.
Clint, how do you factor the charge/or lack of for the "time saver/job easier product that costs you more mtl. wise? say clipped shoes or front hind pattern etc.? thanks Ray
This is a pic of a team I shoe. They always go for an annual Christmas tree cutting trip. They are Frederiksborg, a Danish breed.
Ray, I factor charges/discounts based on mood. Usually if a break/discount is given at a particular stop, it's not long before my mood changes and I make up for it at another stop. I sometimes go minuets w/o changing moods. I have even charged a customer extra, given them a break then charged extra again while shoeing the same horse. For this reason I only talk in generalities about money till I'm done working. In all honesty, If it costs me a couple bucks and they are a good customer then I'll not charge for it. Say a set of clipped keg fronts. Savings comes from me not having to take the call that there's a shoe off the day before a ride and then go fix it. There's lots of small stuff that adds up later when I charge for real on something more serious.
One thing keg shoes can miss out on....pitch. Most shoes made for America have none. Handmade can be a real advantage on a thin walled TB.
Michael those look like snow pads under the shoe? But I don't see any snow or corks! Just asking Thanks Rob.
A couple from today. I don't get the opportunity to work with other farriers but I learn a lot on here.
