LFP 50 The state of the Industry & the Solution! ForgeSmart.co.uk Tom Smith FWCF GradDIP ELR

Recently there has been a lot of discussions and social media debate about the apparent crisis within the farriery profession.

This has centred around the economy of farriery as a profession and the lack of training providers and people coming into the profession.

Like all farriery rants on social media, we all shared it on our feed so no doubt your customers can see it and feel sorry for you! Id like to add at this point “they don’t care”. I have personally thought for some time in the UK that we are most of the time subsidising their hobby and their want to own a horse compared to the prices with the rest of the developed world.

To fix this it will take more than farriers sharing a well written post by another farrier on their social media. We need to get in a room together discover how we got in this situation in the first place, work on strategies to improve our value and to raise the price of farriery and go up together.

Up until this point apart from moaning no one has proactively done anything to resolve this situation until now.

Tom Smith FWCF, an experienced farrier who has been in the business since 2006, discusses his career journey, the challenges faced by the farrier industry, and the need for change.

He highlights the potential lack of farriers in the future, the struggle with proper pricing, and the undervaluation of their work.

Tom introduces 'Forge Smart,' a 10-month program designed to help farriers improve their business acumen, raise their prices collectively, and enhance the professionalism of the industry.

The discussion covers the importance of community, professional development, and re-evaluating traditional practices to ensure the sustainability and growth of the farrier profession.

www.forgesmart.co.uk

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