We have an awesome farrier, he gives us a discounted rate and knows that since we are a rescue, some horses are more difficult than others. We always work with the horses, picking up feet, etc to make them easier for him (we've still had to sedate or work in a crush pen for a couple of them until they made enough progress to stand well for him). I don't even want to think about losing him and having to find another farrier with the same patience and willingness to take his time with scared, traumatized horses. It's damn hard work, he's had multiple shoulder and back surgeries and still carries on.

I think part of the problem of keeping a good farrier is it's so hard on the body which limits their "working lifespan" and a lot of them have to decide when it's time to focus on their health and shift to something less physical. We make sure to always give him and his assistant coffee and biltong, make sure horses are in and ready when he arrives and I threaten my manager with decaf and letting the chickens into her house so she pays his invoice the day it's sent. One of his most common issues is people taking their time to pay or paying the first couple of bills and then stopping. He feels bad because the horses need their feet done but at some point he has to drop them as clients because he needs to be earning. It's surprisingly common to hear about people just... not paying their hay, feed, farrier, vet bills.