THIS FARRIER DOUBLED HER CLIENTS
IN THREE MONTHS—THANKS, IN PART,
TO EQUINET
After years of maintaining military aircraft, Shelby Helmerichs brought her stringent documentation standards to her farrier practice—and found the perfect tool to support her work.
THIS FARRIER DOUBLED HER CLIENTS
IN THREE MONTHS—THANKS, IN PART,
TO EQUINET
After years of maintaining military aircraft, Shelby Helmerichs brought her stringent documentation standards to her farrier practice—and found the perfect tool to support her work.
Meet Shelby
Farrier name: Shelby Helmerichs
Business name: Alchemic Hoofcare
Specializing in: Composite/glue-on applications
Located in: Sedalia, Colorado
Size of her team: 1
Horses seen per month: Approx. 100-120
Shoeing since: 2019
EQUINET user since: 2024
What does Shelby say to other farriers about EQUINET?
“I’ve suggested EQUINET to probably 10 or 15 of my friends so far. The big selling point for glue-on people like me is EQUINET helps us keep track of what products we’re using. We can see what we’re using, we can put exact numbers in for costs, and we can be more precise and more individualized in our pricing.”
Business name: Alchemic Hoofcare
Specializing in: Composite/glue-on applications
Located in: Sedalia, Colorado
Size of her team: 1
Horses seen per month: Approx. 100-120
Shoeing since: 2019
EQUINET user since: 2024
What does Shelby say to other farriers about EQUINET?
“I’ve suggested EQUINET to probably 10 or 15 of my friends so far. The big selling point for glue-on people like me is EQUINET helps us keep track of what products we’re using. We can see what we’re using, we can put exact numbers in for costs, and we can be more precise and more individualized in our pricing.”
Shelby Helmerichs might be one of the only farriers who started as an aircraft mechanic—but the transition makes more sense than you’d think.
Her aircraft career began with the United States Air Force, and continued at Lockheed Martin, where she worked on Ospreys, complex vertical takeoff aircraft, for 13 years.
But horses kept calling her back.
“I like to work with horses because they’re harder,” Shelby says. “Planes are very linear—it’s ‘this equals this equals this’, from a mechanical aspect. With horses, it’s all about biomechanics, and the ‘mechanics’ aren’t separate from the ‘bio’.”
So, for five years, Shelby worked both jobs—maintaining aircraft during the day and building her farrier practice on nights and weekends.
In August 2024, she left her six-figure engineering career to go full-time with farriery.
Her aircraft career began with the United States Air Force, and continued at Lockheed Martin, where she worked on Ospreys, complex vertical takeoff aircraft, for 13 years.
But horses kept calling her back.
“I like to work with horses because they’re harder,” Shelby says. “Planes are very linear—it’s ‘this equals this equals this’, from a mechanical aspect. With horses, it’s all about biomechanics, and the ‘mechanics’ aren’t separate from the ‘bio’.”
So, for five years, Shelby worked both jobs—maintaining aircraft during the day and building her farrier practice on nights and weekends.
In August 2024, she left her six-figure engineering career to go full-time with farriery.
“Where can I store all this data?”
In aviation maintenance, documentation isn’t optional—it’s life or death. Every measurement, every adjustment, every part gets recorded with precision. It’s a habit Shelby relied on, and with horses, she wanted just as thorough documentation.
But she struggled to find a tool to help her do it.
For a while, Shelby was piecing together her own systems, using the notes app and loose photos.
Soon she had over 10,000 photos on her phone—some in folders, some not—and finding anything specific was a gamble.
She tried some other farrier apps, including iForgeAhead and Best Farrier, but she says she found them “clunky”. “I didn’t find them very easy to use,” says Shelby,
But she struggled to find a tool to help her do it.
For a while, Shelby was piecing together her own systems, using the notes app and loose photos.
Soon she had over 10,000 photos on her phone—some in folders, some not—and finding anything specific was a gamble.
She tried some other farrier apps, including iForgeAhead and Best Farrier, but she says she found them “clunky”. “I didn’t find them very easy to use,” says Shelby,
That’s when she discovered EQUINET.
When Shelby realized EQUINET would let her store all her photos and notes in one place, she knew she had the tool she needed.
“Now I can attach pictures to each one of my reports,” she says. “I take those pictures, attach them directly to the invoice, and have quantifiable data each time.”
“Now I can attach pictures to each one of my reports,” she says. “I take those pictures, attach them directly to the invoice, and have quantifiable data each time.”
“
I really like that EQUINET makes our lives as farriers a little easier.
EQUINET is helping her business grow.
Shelby’s systematic approach is paying off. When she started using EQUINET, she was managing about 60 horses. Three months later, she’d doubled that to 120 horses.
“I did not expect to get clients that fast,” she laughs. “I thought, ‘Oh, God, this is way faster than I thought it was going to be! Ah, oops.”
But the growth was no accident. Before going full-time, Shelby spent months building connections with other farriers and potential clients in Colorado.
“I did not expect to get clients that fast,” she laughs. “I thought, ‘Oh, God, this is way faster than I thought it was going to be! Ah, oops.”
But the growth was no accident. Before going full-time, Shelby spent months building connections with other farriers and potential clients in Colorado.
Shelby also credits the growth to her professional systems, like EQUINET, which attract clients who appreciate her detailed approach.
“Being able to give exact numbers and show clients exactly what products I’m using helps me be more individualized and accurate in my pricing,” she says. “It takes away any gray area.”
“Being able to give exact numbers and show clients exactly what products I’m using helps me be more individualized and accurate in my pricing,” she says. “It takes away any gray area.”
“
I don’t need a million different apps to get what I need; it’s all in one place with EQUINET.
She’s using EQUINET to get even more precise.
Shelby recently invested in a gyroscopic sensor system, which captures detailed movement data of the horse’s foot—mid-stance landing patterns, flight patterns, etc.
“I’m going to import the images from that, and put it into my EQUINET reports,” she explains. “So every time I do an invoice, I can show: ‘Okay, here’s our flight pattern from last time. Did our work change anything? Are we moving in the right direction?’ And it’s statistical.”
“I’m going to import the images from that, and put it into my EQUINET reports,” she explains. “So every time I do an invoice, I can show: ‘Okay, here’s our flight pattern from last time. Did our work change anything? Are we moving in the right direction?’ And it’s statistical.”
EQUINET keeps her on track.
With such rapid growth, Shelby also appreciates EQUINET’s scheduling features, which directly tie into navigation.
“I can open my phone and say, ‘Okay, what am I supposed to be doing today?’, she says. “And I can see, I’m here, I’m here, I’m here. Then I just use the navigation function to say, ‘Yep, navigate me to my next appointment.’”
If there’s one word to describe Shelby’s approach, it’s intentional. She’s planned out the kind of work she wants to do, the kind of work/life balance she wants to have (“I don't feel like we do our best work if we’re constantly tired.”), and the kind of tools she needs to have.
EQUINET fits her high standard and is helping her build the business she wants.
“I can open my phone and say, ‘Okay, what am I supposed to be doing today?’, she says. “And I can see, I’m here, I’m here, I’m here. Then I just use the navigation function to say, ‘Yep, navigate me to my next appointment.’”
If there’s one word to describe Shelby’s approach, it’s intentional. She’s planned out the kind of work she wants to do, the kind of work/life balance she wants to have (“I don't feel like we do our best work if we’re constantly tired.”), and the kind of tools she needs to have.
EQUINET fits her high standard and is helping her build the business she wants.
Want a more streamlined approach for storing notes, photos, and documentation?
Try EQUINET for free and see how it can simplify your business.
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