Fauna Friday : We didn't know how lucky we were

Our farriers whom we used for years and years were a father and son. How we cursed them at times! They did a good job - when they did it. You had to ring and ring and ring and leave messages for weeks before they rang back and told you if and when they could come. They'd never book you in in advance or commit themselves until the day before, then you had to drop everything and fit them in, which was always frustrating, but as they worked on any day of the week, day and evening, they were worth hanging onto. Sadly, the father died 18 months ago and after a year or so the son decided to go to unversity and study for something completely different. You saw the son on my last blog. Maybe the father too, I can't remember. Anyway, since then we have been without a farrier. (Yes, I am sorry to say their feet have been unattended for months but as they don't wear shoes they seem to keep their own feet reasonably well trimmed.) However I am sure they must be uneven and they will have little holes and seedy toe and all the rest of it - things that farriers spot that I don't). So we do need somebody PDQ. (S'cuse the mud and Quasar's filthy feet but it's the weather!)

I have found three in the area. One at 30 miles away (J), one about 37 miles away (D) and one 25 miles away (C). (The father and son were about 20 miles away.) J made two promises to come on weekday evenings; we made huge efforts to get home early both times and J simply failed to turn up on both occasions. Actually when I did get hold of him he made an excuse which I later found out was a lie because he had been seen that day where he told me he wasn't. Hubby was so incensed he doesn't want us to use him ever.
D will only come to me at the same time as coming to some existing customers in this village, but they can only have him at times when I simply can't.
C doesn't do weekends or evenings either but I think I could have him on a Thursday when I'm 'working at home'. The trouble is, I can't handle Skylark very well and hubby has always held him. Hubby can't be there on a Thursday during the day. I will just have to bite the bullet and do my best to cope with Skylark.

We just didn't know how lucky we were when we had the two farriers who were prepared to work all daylight hours. And as I myself do all I can to avoid working evenings and weekends and complain bitterly whever I do, I don't feel I can complain if the farrier feels the same - ALTHOUGH.... big 'although' .... people with horses and ponies normally keep them for recreation, meaning they usually have day jobs, and need those jobs to fund the horses and ponies, so I think that farriers should be prepared to be a bit more flexible and work outside office hours. Most likely those three farriers have plenty work so they can call the shots. There does seem to be a dearth of farriers in the area. There are too few of them and they can dictate their own terms.We need more farriers in the area to create a bit of competition.

(Phew! That was a long post, for me!)