It’s never the horses that are a problem - always the owners ! *rant*

J&S said:
I have heard of this happening to friends who are professionals. Such bad etiquette and not nice for the horse either.
Do you think, as she was a youngish person, that it was pure ignorance? Obviously the mother did not know how things should be done either.
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Possibly, I don’t think the mother was horsey at all by the looks of her. Horse wasn’t in the best of condition either - no muscle and on the verge of being a little on the thin side which again made clipping more difficult. I actually asked her if it was an old more but she was only 13! My 22 year old is in much better condition. I wouldn’t be surprised if the horse had cushings with the amount of hair and the pot bellied appearance (or possibly worms). I think you can tell a lot about how a horse is looked after just by looking it over and it’s coat and overall condition. And then you get a sense of what type of person you are dealing with.
 
I am self employed in a different, also customer-facing business. Over the years I have learned that your reputation is what makes or breaks your business, so it is better to walk away from situations in which you risk doing a less than ideal job for circumstances outside of your control. It saves you money in the long-term!
 
spotty_pony said:
Possibly, I don’t think the mother was horsey at all by the looks of her. Horse wasn’t in the best of condition either - no muscle and on the verge of being a little on the thin side which again made clipping more difficult. I actually asked her if it was an old more but she was only 13! My 22 year old is in much better condition. I wouldn’t be surprised if the horse had cushings with the amount of hair and the pot bellied appearance (or possibly worms). I think you can tell a lot about how a horse is looked after just by looking it over and it’s coat and overall condition. And then you get a sense of what type of person you are dealing with.
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Possibly especially if it’s a new client then you need to give them a list of what you expect and implications if those needs aren’t met.

ie clean and dry, bathe minimally 24hours before and keep clean and dry thereafter (grease in coat blunts blades), that the overall finish will be impacted if this is not the case, that horse needs to be held otherwise there will be an increased charge, if horse can’t be safely clipped then there is a fixed price cancellation charge etc

If clients aren’t informed and are novice then they probably feel they have a genuine grievance
 
Fred66 said:
Possibly especially if it’s a new client then you need to give them a list of what you expect and implications if those needs aren’t met.

ie clean and dry, bathe minimally 24hours before and keep clean and dry thereafter (grease in coat blunts blades), that the overall finish will be impacted if this is not the case, that horse needs to be held otherwise there will be an increased charge, if horse can’t be safely clipped then there is a fixed price cancellation charge etc

If clients aren’t informed and are novice then they probably feel they have a genuine grievance
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I *don’t* bath before clipping in winter, but my horse has a clean coat, is full neck rugged, brushed, hot towelled as needed. I *do* present my horse clean to be clipped.

I do hot cloth after clipping.
 
Fred66 said:
Possibly especially if it’s a new client then you need to give them a list of what you expect and implications if those needs aren’t met.

ie clean and dry, bathe minimally 24hours before and keep clean and dry thereafter (grease in coat blunts blades), that the overall finish will be impacted if this is not the case, that horse needs to be held otherwise there will be an increased charge, if horse can’t be safely clipped then there is a fixed price cancellation charge etc

If clients aren’t informed and are novice then they probably feel they have a genuine grievance
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To be honest if they are that novice they shouldn’t be owning a horse yet!
 
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