RE: Scheduling the Farrier

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Marci Cunningham mcunningham@calcot.com
Each year prior to the start of the endurance season I sit down
with the ride schedule and a calendar.  I pencil in the rides
I plan on riding and then set up a shoeing schedule for the
year at approximately 6 week intervals.  Sometimes I may have
to shoe at 5 weeks but usually I keep it at no more than 6 weeks.
I put this schedule on the computer and mail a copy to my shoer
in December.  Granted there may be adjustments to the schedule
but that happens very rarely.  I also call my shoer the Sunday
evening prior to his scheduled visit just to touch bases with
him.  We keep our horses in our backyard and sometimes someone
is home and sometimes not.  My shoer brings them up from the
pasture with a little hay, parks his rig under a shady tree and
goes to work on 3 shoeings and 1 trim.  I always let him know
when my next ride is so that horse is done in plenty of time prior to the ride.  If he has an emergency he knows which horse
needs to be done and will do that horse and take care of the 
others later in the week.  This is a shoer that has a full book
and seldom takes new customers.  All of his clients are on a
regular schedule depending on how many weeks a client wants
between shoeings.  His rates are reasonable ie shoeing $65.
The area I live in is fortunate to have a number of good shoers
and good vets to choose from.  Hay is also reasonable and
plentiful as there are lots of hay farmers in the southern
San Joaquin Valley of California.  Many endurance rides are
within 3 hours and land is reasonably priced.  The weather is
hot in the summer but it is great conditioning weather for Tevis.

Happy Trails,
Marci Cunningham
Bakersfield CA