Today I had just started to trim the first front foot for a reset when I got a phone call from daycare - sick child, please come ASAP to pick him up. So I managed to get the husband to pick him up and take him to work for one more hour while I did both front feet, then I packed up my stuff and had to leave. My question is how you handle this type of situation (obviously I did not want to leave the horse without a shoe or just with one foot done). I will do his hinds tomorrow first thing in the morning, but I really feel bad about this. Have you been in a situation like this where you are the only one taking care of feet and had to leave during a shoeing job due to an emergency? Thanks for your answers.
Take care of your personal emergency, of course. The horse will still be there, none the worse for wear, with only one shoe. Step back and look at the big picture, Stef. Regards
What if the horse had kicked you and broken your leg or arm or neck? You wouldn't have been able to finish it then either. As Rick said, keep perspective. It's good that you feel loyal and responsible to the client, but kids are higher on the list. A bit different situation, but 12 years ago we lost my son Mike. I was to shoe a horse for a show and of course couldn't be there. The client understood and called another Farrier, Cameron Moore, who came out and did the job. He had the client send the check to me. There good guys out there.
Steff, as has been pointed out ,take care of the family 1st.... think of it, after getting the news of a problem at home,how much were you actually focusing on the horse? my guess is that you were finishing up so you could get home and deal with your family, the horse ,I ll bet a pint , really didn t mind, think thrown shoe, if it bothered the owner, well that s another subject. also,i hope everything tuned out ,ok, with your little one, as i typed a reply to you i had my 3 month old grandson on my lap, and he was being fussy, turns out he was busy having a bm, and i think he was enjoying shyting on grampa. ray
Thanks a lot, guys, I feel much better (and the little one, too). Horse was still alive the next day ;-). And the owner - my best friend and boss - totally understood. Just posted that train wreck shoeing job on the Everyday Thread....
One thing I've learned, the majority of horse owners understand, as they also have things that happen. Make a new appointment to get the rest of the horse done. Horse owners are not happy when you don't contact them or explain situations.