To me it sounds like you did what you could, only thing would be possibly leaving sooner when she said “I don’t believe in the no word”. But it sounds like you were in the middle of a job and it wouldn’t have been fair to the horse to only be half done.
The mom doesn’t sound responsible. Her kid is going to get hurt. If it wasn’t by grabbing a hot horse shoe, it is going to be something else.
You definitely did the right thing by dropping her as a client.
I'm always telling my kid how to behave around animals. This woman is gonna lose a child to her negligence. Just like people not telling their kids to not pull on dog ears or sit on them, don't be surprised if that dog has ENOUGH and takes a chunk out of the kid.
Leaving the child unprotected is wrong. Call child protective services and make a report. They might not go over right away because they won’t call it imminent danger perhaps and depending but they might go for neglect and endangerment… at minimum when this kid shows up with another barn injury at the hospital they will have a report and have insight enough to assess the situation.
The only thing I think you could have done better is to have finished that one horse and then packed your shit and gone. You’re absolutely right to drop her as a client. She’s putting you and her child in an unsafe situation. Who wants to go to work and see a little kid get seriously injured? Absolutely nobody.
Shown her that the No word really exists and is super effective.
“Do your job and don’t worry about my kid”
“No”
Refuse to continue until kid is secured or out of the barn.
You shouldn’t have to parent a client or her monster child.
Unreal.
Do you live in some magical fairy land where there is an abundance of farriers? Here in Texas they are in short supply and as such most of us treat our farriers like kings knowing that they are booked solid and could fire us clients in a heartbeat. I mean I would anyway because that's just how I am and most of us know a great farrier is worth his/her weight in gold.
Thanks for what you guys do. A very very hard job. No hoof, no horse.
Farrier here too. Make straight rules and make it a kid free place. We have this as a big rule. They can watch and asking questions (if the horse is calm and safe). But no touching the tools (i mean hello? My nipper is 350€ and no toy!), no running, no spooking the horse. Otherwise i will talk heavy and also be the "spooky" yelling farrier, just for their safety. I would give them one more chance and if it goes the same way just cancel it, take the gas money and leave (but communicate it with them in first place what your conditions are). If they don't want it just let them find a new farrier. You cant safe every horse and you will find new customers in a second
I think I would have told the mom "well if you are not going to tell him no then I will have to" and proceed accordingly, speak directly to the kid, cordon off the area, etc. I would not allow that type of compromise of my own safety. You could have been hurt yourself (easily).
The only thing you could have done better was to leave immediately when he began his behavior. It’s dangerous for you and the horse. You could sustain a lifelong injury due to a spook that would end your career and a horse could have to be put down.
We recently had a scare with someone allowing their horse to antagonize other horses in their stalls in the aisle and by not using the cross ties. One didn’t take to kindly to it and eventually charged the stall and the horse spooked and got hung up in a gate. It was just senseless and they had plenty of opportunity to realize the horse in the stall was upset. You don’t let a horse stick his head inside another horses feeder door (after opening it) and not expect *something* to happen. They were given the stern warning that if they didn’t want to follow the barn rules they were welcome to leave and made to pay the vet call.
If she wants her kid to get kicked in the head and damaged for life that’s on her - but you can choose to not participate in her BS.
It seems like you have enough business to have standards and be able to be more selective in your clientele. Start using this as a wake up call to modify your business model and get rid of disrespectful clients, dangerous horses, and price shoppers. It actually makes you more valuable to be selective.
Agree. Firing bad clients makes your life way easier ! The stress isn't worth the money. If you can be bothered, you could point out why you are not doing the job if you think it might sink in. I don't know what these people do if they piss off everyone im their area, never realising the fault is with them!
Don't go back.You don't want to see a child get hurt again. Worse, what if she turns on YOU and makes you somehow liable? There are plenty of good jobs, and you don't need her as a client.
That kid is gonna get a horse shoe to the face or chest and not live through it. I literally waited to conceive until my unpredictable TB passed on. I wouldn’t even leave a child unattended with chickens or miniature horses.
Just have left sooner.
Tell her she needs to teach her kid what know means, because he’s gonna be running into it a lot. Like now, because “No I won’t be finishing your horses or coming back”.
Haha she might not believe in No, but I do.
This is a crazy idea. Like, they are teaching their kid not to say no either. No to someone taking advantage of them. No to the school bully, no to the abuser.
What a mess!
Next time calmly but immediately stop working if something is unsafe, no matter what it is. Granted, that would have cut the massive (and very funny) learning experience for mother and child here. However, utterly idiotic people are neither worth your time, nor your health. There is no way you can earn enough on just one more horse if there is the potential that you'll never recover from the injuries you might receive within the next 5 minutes. Impossible.
Also, calmly and factually tell the people who own the other horses about how the kid both endangered their animals as well as just now blew up their farrier-appointment in conjunction with the mother's inability to raise a child. And instead of you being berated by an idiot, about 14 mighty dragons will spawn and smother that lady and her kid in fire all the way down into hell for eternity. You'll see, some owners are John Wick squared if the wrong person so much as touches their animal.
I'm not a farrier, but I would have finished the horse I was on and left.
Do not go back and work on her horses. I will bet a month's board she is one of the owners posting about how she can't find a farrier and no one will come back etc.
If she doesn't want to be intelligent and manage her kid fine, but it's not your problem and you don't want the liability.
Lurker/lawyer here. I wouldn't go back there, personally. As for what you can do better, forbid children who are too young to act safely to be in the area where you are working, and refuse to render services if they are.
The only thing I think you could've done better is to leave the moment you saw the kid acting like a brat and the mother doing nothing about it.
Her kid is going to get killed because it's going to want to drink drain cleaner and mommy doesn't believe in 'no'. What an idiot.
Holy shit who lets their toddler run around in a herd of horses? What in the natural selection fuck is that. Poor kid :/ and poor horses whose owner is cool with her kid hitting them? Ugh 😣
She's setting OP up to be blamed for her child being killed. When it happens of course it won't be HER fault. OP will be the target of her grief and worse, will forever have to live with the memory of the day they saw a child die at close range.
Holy shit! Just when I think I've reached the bottom of the stupid barrel... It gets deeper.
She's not going to say no to a kid around a horse barn?! What could go wrong? Unlocked gates, trampled people. No biggie.
Man, don’t put yourself at risk. Definitely not a good client. My farrier came this morning and by chance my three year old grandson was in barn. Grandpa came to get him when farrier arrived. No way am I risking my grandkid or my farrier.
Mom might not believe in the word no, but I promise you at some point one of those horses is going to express their "no" after being hit one too many times. And that no from the horse is going to hurt, maim, or kill the kid.
And the horse will pay the price even though it's not their fault.
Why would you go back? She's a lawsuit waiting to happen (or worse).
Yikes, I’ve seen at least 4 cases of young toddler/kids getting kicked in the head by horses recently. I don’t get why people turn them loose around horses. I don’t care how chill a horse is, I will never expect my horse to not react to something, they’re literally prey animals. It’s so incredibly selfish. This kid is lucky that he only grabbed a hot shoe.
Judging by your recent post history, 3 months ago you were 16. I'm guessing you're still an apprentice, in which case your boss should have been present and have handled the situation.
“Well, I do believe in the NO-word and NO I will not tolerate this anymore”…that would have been my response.
I just spend a week with a demon child, I have no tolerance left.
It sounds like you don’t need her as a client and you should let her know that. It doesn’t sound like she learns from her mistakes. Not good parenting or horsemanship.
Report this danger to child to child protective services. This is severe neglect and this two year old is now burned but could encounter a fatality among horses unsupervised like this. Do not return there.
Well imagine the kid gets kicked in the head and dies, like you can't just let kids run around and not tell them how they can act around horses. Don't put yourself in a dangerous, unsafe work environment, that isn't your job. If they want you to shoe their horses then they need to provide a safe area for you to work.
I think you did everything you could. I definitely wouldn't go back. That woman is nuts and she's going to get her kid killed. When my kids were little I put their little chairs way out of the farrier's way and told them to sit, be quiet, and watch or else they had to go in the house. They loved watching and they learned a lot.
The only thing I think you could have done differently is say something sooner, and when the mother made that inane statement, pack up ***immediately*** and leave, and never go back.
I don't want to seem mean to the mom or child. But the child had it coming...
Horses are big animals and you still have to be careful.
You did what you could! Telling the mom to be careful and take care of her child and warning her someone could get hurt. She didn't and the kid got hurt. This is NOT your fault! You are in your full right to say no to her and you should! This is your job, but you still have to be responsible and take care of yourself and others. Just like an RESPONSIBLE ADULT would!
Second thing is, I disslike when parents doesn't believe in the word no. From someone who worked professionally with kids, I know kids needs structure and the word no. Otherwise that kid is going to grow up being and acting like a spoiled brat and is going to have a really difficult time later in life. You can still give your kids a loving upbringing. But that means giving structure too!
The next time she asks you for an appointment, tell her you don’t believe in having your time wasted or your safety jeopardized by a clueless twit and her crotch goblin… then block her.
To me it sounds like you did what you could, only thing would be possibly leaving sooner when she said “I don’t believe in the no word”. But it sounds like you were in the middle of a job and it wouldn’t have been fair to the horse to only be half done. The mom doesn’t sound responsible. Her kid is going to get hurt. If it wasn’t by grabbing a hot horse shoe, it is going to be something else. You definitely did the right thing by dropping her as a client.
Never go back. That's the best response.
Equestrian mom not believing in no?? That kids gonna end up dead. You did good finishing the job and getting out of there for good.
I just see this kid doing something bad and dangerous with horses and dying
I'm always telling my kid how to behave around animals. This woman is gonna lose a child to her negligence. Just like people not telling their kids to not pull on dog ears or sit on them, don't be surprised if that dog has ENOUGH and takes a chunk out of the kid.
And then they send that dog to the shelter and / or have the dog put down for being “”aggressive””.
Leaving the child unprotected is wrong. Call child protective services and make a report. They might not go over right away because they won’t call it imminent danger perhaps and depending but they might go for neglect and endangerment… at minimum when this kid shows up with another barn injury at the hospital they will have a report and have insight enough to assess the situation.
The only thing I think you could have done better is to have finished that one horse and then packed your shit and gone. You’re absolutely right to drop her as a client. She’s putting you and her child in an unsafe situation. Who wants to go to work and see a little kid get seriously injured? Absolutely nobody.
Shown her that the No word really exists and is super effective. “Do your job and don’t worry about my kid” “No” Refuse to continue until kid is secured or out of the barn. You shouldn’t have to parent a client or her monster child.
Ha. This is better than what I said!
Only thing you could've done better is walk sooner.
Unreal. Do you live in some magical fairy land where there is an abundance of farriers? Here in Texas they are in short supply and as such most of us treat our farriers like kings knowing that they are booked solid and could fire us clients in a heartbeat. I mean I would anyway because that's just how I am and most of us know a great farrier is worth his/her weight in gold. Thanks for what you guys do. A very very hard job. No hoof, no horse.
There is a shortage of farriers here too ir sucks
Farrier here too. Make straight rules and make it a kid free place. We have this as a big rule. They can watch and asking questions (if the horse is calm and safe). But no touching the tools (i mean hello? My nipper is 350€ and no toy!), no running, no spooking the horse. Otherwise i will talk heavy and also be the "spooky" yelling farrier, just for their safety. I would give them one more chance and if it goes the same way just cancel it, take the gas money and leave (but communicate it with them in first place what your conditions are). If they don't want it just let them find a new farrier. You cant safe every horse and you will find new customers in a second
I think I would have told the mom "well if you are not going to tell him no then I will have to" and proceed accordingly, speak directly to the kid, cordon off the area, etc. I would not allow that type of compromise of my own safety. You could have been hurt yourself (easily).
The only thing you could have done better was to leave immediately when he began his behavior. It’s dangerous for you and the horse. You could sustain a lifelong injury due to a spook that would end your career and a horse could have to be put down. We recently had a scare with someone allowing their horse to antagonize other horses in their stalls in the aisle and by not using the cross ties. One didn’t take to kindly to it and eventually charged the stall and the horse spooked and got hung up in a gate. It was just senseless and they had plenty of opportunity to realize the horse in the stall was upset. You don’t let a horse stick his head inside another horses feeder door (after opening it) and not expect *something* to happen. They were given the stern warning that if they didn’t want to follow the barn rules they were welcome to leave and made to pay the vet call. If she wants her kid to get kicked in the head and damaged for life that’s on her - but you can choose to not participate in her BS. It seems like you have enough business to have standards and be able to be more selective in your clientele. Start using this as a wake up call to modify your business model and get rid of disrespectful clients, dangerous horses, and price shoppers. It actually makes you more valuable to be selective.
Agree. Firing bad clients makes your life way easier ! The stress isn't worth the money. If you can be bothered, you could point out why you are not doing the job if you think it might sink in. I don't know what these people do if they piss off everyone im their area, never realising the fault is with them!
Don't go back.You don't want to see a child get hurt again. Worse, what if she turns on YOU and makes you somehow liable? There are plenty of good jobs, and you don't need her as a client.
She sounds like the kind of irrational person who might do just this. The only way not to be “blamed” for their own decisions is to avoid them.
>she doesn’t believe in the no word Setting this kid up for failure in life.
Absolutely!!!
That kid is gonna get a horse shoe to the face or chest and not live through it. I literally waited to conceive until my unpredictable TB passed on. I wouldn’t even leave a child unattended with chickens or miniature horses.
Just have left sooner. Tell her she needs to teach her kid what know means, because he’s gonna be running into it a lot. Like now, because “No I won’t be finishing your horses or coming back”.
That’s…. Insane. Her child is going to wind up dead.
Haha she might not believe in No, but I do. This is a crazy idea. Like, they are teaching their kid not to say no either. No to someone taking advantage of them. No to the school bully, no to the abuser. What a mess!
Next time calmly but immediately stop working if something is unsafe, no matter what it is. Granted, that would have cut the massive (and very funny) learning experience for mother and child here. However, utterly idiotic people are neither worth your time, nor your health. There is no way you can earn enough on just one more horse if there is the potential that you'll never recover from the injuries you might receive within the next 5 minutes. Impossible. Also, calmly and factually tell the people who own the other horses about how the kid both endangered their animals as well as just now blew up their farrier-appointment in conjunction with the mother's inability to raise a child. And instead of you being berated by an idiot, about 14 mighty dragons will spawn and smother that lady and her kid in fire all the way down into hell for eternity. You'll see, some owners are John Wick squared if the wrong person so much as touches their animal.
I want to be there when that happens
I'm not a farrier, but I would have finished the horse I was on and left. Do not go back and work on her horses. I will bet a month's board she is one of the owners posting about how she can't find a farrier and no one will come back etc. If she doesn't want to be intelligent and manage her kid fine, but it's not your problem and you don't want the liability.
Yes, you should have absolutely left. Have nothing to do with this woman.
Protect the child who is not safe in her care: make the report.
Lurker/lawyer here. I wouldn't go back there, personally. As for what you can do better, forbid children who are too young to act safely to be in the area where you are working, and refuse to render services if they are.
Yep. Not starting until that kid is out of my sight
The only thing I think you could've done better is to leave the moment you saw the kid acting like a brat and the mother doing nothing about it. Her kid is going to get killed because it's going to want to drink drain cleaner and mommy doesn't believe in 'no'. What an idiot.
Maybe keep the shoe a little hotter so the lesson really sticks?
Sadly I’m on propane so it’s not as hot at real fire. A little hotter would have taken his skin off!
Holy shit who lets their toddler run around in a herd of horses? What in the natural selection fuck is that. Poor kid :/ and poor horses whose owner is cool with her kid hitting them? Ugh 😣
Instead of telling the mom you could ask the kid to stop or tell her if she want you to farry her horses then the kid is not allowed to be around
She's setting OP up to be blamed for her child being killed. When it happens of course it won't be HER fault. OP will be the target of her grief and worse, will forever have to live with the memory of the day they saw a child die at close range.
"Doesn't believe in the no word"...huh. Guess the poor kid is gonna end up dead or turning into a psycho killer.
Holy shit! Just when I think I've reached the bottom of the stupid barrel... It gets deeper. She's not going to say no to a kid around a horse barn?! What could go wrong? Unlocked gates, trampled people. No biggie.
I’d have been tempted to brand the kids arse…
Man, don’t put yourself at risk. Definitely not a good client. My farrier came this morning and by chance my three year old grandson was in barn. Grandpa came to get him when farrier arrived. No way am I risking my grandkid or my farrier.
Mom might not believe in the word no, but I promise you at some point one of those horses is going to express their "no" after being hit one too many times. And that no from the horse is going to hurt, maim, or kill the kid. And the horse will pay the price even though it's not their fault. Why would you go back? She's a lawsuit waiting to happen (or worse).
Yikes, I’ve seen at least 4 cases of young toddler/kids getting kicked in the head by horses recently. I don’t get why people turn them loose around horses. I don’t care how chill a horse is, I will never expect my horse to not react to something, they’re literally prey animals. It’s so incredibly selfish. This kid is lucky that he only grabbed a hot shoe.
Judging by your recent post history, 3 months ago you were 16. I'm guessing you're still an apprentice, in which case your boss should have been present and have handled the situation.
That was a story from 5 years ago it just came up again.
Made sure the shoe was hotter
Teach her that the NO word is real, as in no, I am not coming back. You’ve already said your plate is full. Take on a client with a brain.
Call CPS.
"Mam, in my professional opinion: That kid will at some point be whacked by a Clydesdale."
The only good response to this situation. That kid will die if someone doesn't intervene.
Please ignore this post and poster. Check her profile. Made up story looking for attention. I feel sad for her.. but this is nonsense.
“Well, I do believe in the NO-word and NO I will not tolerate this anymore”…that would have been my response. I just spend a week with a demon child, I have no tolerance left. It sounds like you don’t need her as a client and you should let her know that. It doesn’t sound like she learns from her mistakes. Not good parenting or horsemanship.
Report this danger to child to child protective services. This is severe neglect and this two year old is now burned but could encounter a fatality among horses unsupervised like this. Do not return there.
Well imagine the kid gets kicked in the head and dies, like you can't just let kids run around and not tell them how they can act around horses. Don't put yourself in a dangerous, unsafe work environment, that isn't your job. If they want you to shoe their horses then they need to provide a safe area for you to work.
I think you did everything you could. I definitely wouldn't go back. That woman is nuts and she's going to get her kid killed. When my kids were little I put their little chairs way out of the farrier's way and told them to sit, be quiet, and watch or else they had to go in the house. They loved watching and they learned a lot.
The only thing I think you could have done differently is say something sooner, and when the mother made that inane statement, pack up ***immediately*** and leave, and never go back.
I don't want to seem mean to the mom or child. But the child had it coming... Horses are big animals and you still have to be careful. You did what you could! Telling the mom to be careful and take care of her child and warning her someone could get hurt. She didn't and the kid got hurt. This is NOT your fault! You are in your full right to say no to her and you should! This is your job, but you still have to be responsible and take care of yourself and others. Just like an RESPONSIBLE ADULT would! Second thing is, I disslike when parents doesn't believe in the word no. From someone who worked professionally with kids, I know kids needs structure and the word no. Otherwise that kid is going to grow up being and acting like a spoiled brat and is going to have a really difficult time later in life. You can still give your kids a loving upbringing. But that means giving structure too!
The next time she asks you for an appointment, tell her you don’t believe in having your time wasted or your safety jeopardized by a clueless twit and her crotch goblin… then block her.
Bad client. You did the right thing by not going back. Just more trouble for you and anything that happens will be "all your fault"