We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannon Cole Veloz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shannon , appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Successful people continue to have vision and new ideas and goals that they work towards every day. They get out of bed excited to go to work doing what they love. They are continuing to learn and better themselves so they can improve their skills. Successful people actively create their lives in order to be happy, comfortable and have enough time to rest and connect with meaningful relationships in life. They have an excellent support system of spouses, family, friends and coworkers.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a lifelong horsewoman who grew up with horses through several disciplines and who owned a carriage company for nearly 20 years in the Dallas area specializing in weddings from India. Sadly, due to Covid, I closed the business in May of 2020 after all the cancellations and no new calls. I had already had my Farrier practice since 2009, Happy Trails Farrier Service, shoeing and trimming horses in the surrounding communities of North Texas. After a terrible accident that injured my horses and myself, I got back to school to become an Equine Sports Massage Therapist in the Fall of 2015. In 2017 I passed my Certification in the International Association of Professional Farriers as an Accredited Professional Farrier. In 2018 I became a PEMF Therapist using pulsed electromagnetic field therapy to reduce inflammation and heal injuries in horses and their owners. In 2021, I learned to Kinesiology Tape horses for support of injuries and to reduce other injuries. This training over the last 6 years enabled me to become an Equine Rehab specialist and rename my business Happy Trails Holistic Horse Services. I literally help horses from the ground up by balancing their hooves, muscles and body, and minds. My motto is “For the Love of the Horse”. What sets me apart is that there are not many farriers who are also bodyworkers for horses in this country, let alone the world. I work together with Veterinarians who do the diagnostic work, the trainers, riders and owners together as a team to get the horse healed and back to performing or retiring comfortably. I am most proud to see video or in person training of a horse who could barely walk, after therapy being ridden again or even doing better than the previous illness or injury.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best source of new clients is from word of mouth from previous clients, Veterinarian and trainer referrals. My professional farrier association also send new clients to me frequently. I also do business from Facebook.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I have already had a Social Media presence since 2008. My previous carriage business established me in the horse world. I use Facebook as a tool to share educational articles and case studies that I have done rehabbing hooves from pathology or injury. I share my experiences of teaching Equine Massage School with my partner who taught me, Jeannie Gentry. I am passionate about educating owners, trainers and riders about how to best help their horse recover from injury or illness. I give them stretching exercises, nutritional advice to reduce inflammation and am willing to talk or communicate throughout the healing process and even for aftercare. Social media is a powerful tool if used correctly. When someone first starts out, I tell them to share as much educational articles on their topic and as many case studies as they can post about. Be a helpful presence and answer clients in a timely matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://happytrailsfarrierservice.yolasite.com
- Instagram: happyfarrier
- Facebook: Shannon Cole Veloz Apf-I, Happy Trails PEMF, Happy Trails Holistic Horse Services
- Linkedin: Shannon Cole Veloz APF-I, ESMT