Touched

For about 3yrs I have been trimming a couple of Appies that share the farm with my horses. Like me their owner is part of the working poor. She pays me $50 for the two trims. My Dad and farrier constantly harp on me to raise the price. But I know how hard it is to make ends meet sometimes and she works hard helping me do the trims. She also pays the money for the drugs to make Rebel sleepy. Plus I am still learning and do not do farrier work for a living so I figure she deserves a discount for my learning curve.
Anyway Sunday was their four week trim and she gave us a check. This time though she said she had to explain the amount. Part of the amount was to cover hay she bought from us. Next she said that she knew that my work was worth more than she paid, so she added $10 more for the trims. Finally, since she refinanced her house she put an extra money as a thank you for our help with her horses. She felt like we do so much for her and she could not reciprocate. I told her that just knowing that she counts heads in our fields when she comes makes us feel better about our horses. She always watched out for my sister when she came to feed the horses. She also helped us when we bought Rosemary and dealt with a pregnancy for the first time.
This is what I love about my circle of horse people. They are always willing to help each other. So many people have helped me and any time I can pay it forward I do.