My brother's help almost cost me a client yesterday

I want to share a close call I had with family helping out during a shoeing job. My brother offered to hold the horse steady while I worked on the hooves. He got distracted by a text and let the lead rope go slack. The horse shifted suddenly and I almost burned myself with the shoe. The client was watching and looked really worried about the safety lapse. Now I think twice before letting relatives assist unless they are fully focused. How do you handle family wanting to be involved in your work?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannaht919h ago

Seen this a lot where family tries to help but just adds risk. Their good intentions don't make up for a lack of focus on the task. You're right to be careful about who assists with skilled work.

garcia.kelly9h ago

My uncle wanted to help me rewire a lamp last year, but he kept getting distracted by his phone. His heart was in the right place, but I was worried about safety with all the loose wires. I ended up asking him to just hand me tools instead of doing any actual electrical work. That way he felt involved, but the skilled part was still done carefully. Isn't it better to find a role for them that doesn't put the project at risk? Now I always make clear rules about who does what before starting any work with family.