In a message dated 4/1/2006 6:56:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
Jon.Linderman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
.......how many horses do you think a guy can do for $66 a day?
we don't pay our farrier - never did - $66 a day - we pay from
$75-90 for shoes and 25-30 for a trim for each horse. So...if we have him do 2
shoes and a trim let's say, that is at least $175 for about 2 hours of work.
Plain shoes. I will NEVER debate the terrific job our shoer did and we went to
some trouble to be sure he knew how we felt about him and his work. But again,
he would NEVEr have taken tips, because he felt he was being paid for his job
already. If he padded or used a better shoe, it cost more - and that was what we
wanted. Indeed, as a few people have stated, aside from factoring the ACTUAL
costs of doing business (and I don't think you assume a new rasp for every
client every visit), insurance, gas, time, etc (forget travel - no one I ever
worked for ever compensated me for going to work, and yes I had jobs where I had
to bounce around town most every day), it is ridiculous to do what some
"professionals" do now - bill their clients as if no one else in the world can
do what they do. Tipping is VOLUNTARY for extraordinary service - not just for
getting the job done, even when done well. Everyone who goes to college has
college debt just about, and most people don't factor that in to assume that
entitles them to tips.
Our farrier we have now and the one we had
for a dozen years both take pride in their work - and aside from Christmas,
special occasions (such as coming at the last minute when a horse throws a shoe
the day before a race), and lunch, cold drinks in the summer and coffee on cold
winter mornings - they would never take a tip. Top quality shoers, top quality
men.
