From High Tech to Low Via the Internet

Hey there Chris (aka Rein Man)!  To answer your question, most of my clients here in Norco California (aka Horsetown USA) are western performance or pleasure oriented, from trail riding to barrel racing to "reining".

 And yeah, it was quite a change to go from a job that had no physical requirements to one that is one of the most physically demanding that there are.  Suffice to say that in the first year, until my body adjusted to the daily demands of the job, there were days that I thought I would perish on the spot.  And there are still days (100+ degrees in the middle of summer working on a rank horse) that I long for the feel of a refreshingly cool cubical....but only briefly.  Now I see all the layoffs STILL going on and it seems that things are no better then when I got out in '02.  Very sad, especially for my friends that are still in the industry.

The Internet has been an interesting bridge between the two worlds.  Having been in the tech business since the 70's (starting out as a computer operator and then a tech carrying a bag), I have an appreciation for todays technologies that most in the business don't have, when in order to fix something, you actually had to know how it worked and "repair" it.  Now everything is simply swapped out or exchanged for a newer model.  But none of this applies to shoeing horses, where, as they say, "art meets science".  There simply aren't ways to "automate" the process of putting steel on the bottom of a horses foot.

When I first started out on my own as a farrier, I tried to ride with another more experienced farrier, but had no luck finding one.  So, I did the only thing I could...went out on my own, and utilized the internet to act as my "virtual mentor" when I needed advice or information.  What shocked me is how fast this enabled me to learn stuff that many of my counterparts here in town didn't know...ones that had been farriers for many years.

Anyway...I seem to be blogging on, so thanks for the comments.

Very enjoyable post, and I echo the comments of the others here. It is important for people to realize that being "laid-off", "downsized", "outsourced", etc can be a whole new beginning. I'm very tired, already, of all the negativity surrounding the current economic conditions. I think that ultimately there will be many people who are doing things they enjoy more, and a bunch of companies that are being operated in a more responsible manner.

Hopefully your example is just the start of technology being used to show people that the world is not ending, just changing and the people who embrace the changes, whether using technology or not, will be happier and beter off for it.

Thanks for the brief respite from all the techno talk.

Hey there Jim, Certainly not familiar with the horseshoe industry,  although I 've thrown a ringer or two in my day. Does your client base come from racing or farming or some other form of enterprise?

After  surviving 9/11, I quit Wall Street and became a Union Carpenter (Local #2250 out of Red Bank, NJ). I'm since retired from that field but still carry a union book. I completely understand the satisfaction of knowing you've put a real days work in. 

I'm happy to see you've ponied up and went on to do something you find so rewarding, it just makes horse sense.

Congratulations, Jim... as a fellow refugee from a desk job, I understand the satisfaction of working on things that are tangible. When you can touch and see the deliverables, it's a lot more satisfying. But like you, I didn't become a Luddite when I left the rat race... Finding the balance between all the beauty of a simpler life and the collaborative efforts of a connected life is where it's at.  Thanks for a great post!

 And Terry, I definitely believe you're right. As the economy worsens, it makes sense to more and more people to get back to the things that can't be outsourced, and that have to be done person to person. Or in Jim's case, person to horse! 

Really interesting blog, Jim... as our economy recedes or contracts, my sense is a lot of folks will trade in more traditional desk jobs for these kind of back-to-basics employment -- may everyone who goes from high tech to low, as you put it, come out the other side with as much satisfaction and improved quality of life as you've appreantly found.

I find it tough to recall life before the Internet, even though most of my life was lived before the Web. But it's good to be reminded that there are still vocations and avocations that don't require connectivity. If we are astute, though, the Internet can augment these activities.

So when I'm hit with nostalgia for the "old days," which were supposedly less complicated, it's good to be thankful for the conveniences the Internet allows -- and the boost to a simpler life it can give us.