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Choosing a Farrier School
by Chris Gregory
IF BECOMING a farrier is in your future, there are some
things you should consider before you send your savings to the first farrier school that
sends you a catalog. So often, schools are selected by students basing their decision on
location, price, or schedule. These are the three worst reasons for selecting a school.
This is like buying a horse for color alone, regardless of the fact that he is lame,
blind, and untrainable, "but he sure is a pretty black and white Paint."
Education is one of the things that people pay a lot of money for. But how often did you
sit in class and wish that the teacher would dismiss early or, honestly, how often did you
miss class because it was such a nice day? When a subject does not hold your undivided
attention and desire, it is hard to maintain interest in it. This is perhaps one of the
first things a prospective student must determine for himself: "Is horseshoeing
something that I am interested in enough to make it work?" If you are interested in
working outdoors with horses, being your own boss, making a good living, and providing a
necessary and beneficial service to the equine, then the answer is probably yes.
The next question to ask yourself: "How much time and money can I spend to learn the
art of farriery?" There are a number of courses available, and the possibilities of
apprenticeships that can last for as long as you can afford them. Education at any level
requires sacrifices, and you need to be sure that you are willing to make them. You will
lose time, money, and a good deal of sweat and blood before you complete your farrier
training. This is actually good, because anything worth having is worth working for, and
it will mean more to you in the long run.
When you are finally on your own, under a horse, all of the hard work pays off. All of the
decisions about how to accomplish the job are your responsibility, and the harder you've
worked at learning, the brighter you'll shine.
Once you have determined that you are going to become the finest farrier to ever wield a
hammer, you next decide on which path to follow. Do you find an apprenticeship with a
local farrier, or do you take the plunge and enroll in school?
The apprenticeship has a lot to offer. Individual attention is perhaps the strongest
argument for apprenticeships. If this is your path, watch for pitfalls. At the start of an
apprenticeship, the apprentice costs the boss money. Training new people is not easy,
especially in a trade of this nature. Also, many times the apprentice gets to do only the
unskilled portion of the job-the shoe-pulling, rig set-up, clinching, etc. The customer is
paying for the experience of the master, and most will not readily accept an apprentice
trimming, shaping, or nailing shoes on his horses.
Another pitfall to the apprenticeship is that often the book work and theory are left out.
Although this may make you happy, it goes back to getting ripped off on your education.
Anatomy, corrective shoeing theory, pathology, and all the rest are taught
for a reason. This stuff is extremely important, Without it,you will be-incomplete as a
farrier. Chances are you will be a good mechanic, manipulating metal and feet, but will
you really be the best farrier that you can be? The next horse just might be the one you hurt because you don't know exactly how the deep flexor tendon is
affected by the angle you create on the- foot~- - ---- -
Horseshoeing schools are set up to teach everything about the trade, and most of them do
their best to see that every student gets out of the course what he is willing to put
into it. You may not be r~iding_ in the cab of the pickup with the instructor from barn to
barn, as you would be in an apprenticeship situation, but I feel that schools are
definitely the way to go. Quite a few seasoned farriers will require that the apprentice
complete a farrier course before being accepted as an apprentice.
The final question to ask yourself: "Who do I want to teach me?" Notice that I
said who not where. Location is an important factor only as far as it
concerns the number of horses available to learn on. Anvils in Texas are made of metal
just like anvils in Florida, and a forge will get a shoe hot in any state in the union.
The real difference between schools is the teachers.
In every trade, there are craftsmen of unsurpassed ability who are unable to teach, which
can be due to personality traits, lack of desire, or just lack of teaching ability. Other
individuals are, perhaps, not the best at their chosen craft, but are good at producing
the craftsmen of tomorrow. A prospective student needs to find a craftsman with top-notch
mechanical ability who is also a gifted teacher. It matters not if the individual is
running a school from a hut on a remote island with lots of horses, or if he is in the
largest college in the world.
Seek out and interview your prospective employee, your instructor, with all of the care
you would if you were hiring a surgeon. Ask for references, not only from past students,
but also from horse owners who have used the school you are considering. Get your personal
farrier involved. Most horseshoers are so snowed under with work that they are eager to
help young up-and-coming farriers make a wise decision about where to enroll. It would not
be out of line to ask for the instructor's resume. Remember, you are about to be an
employer.
Prospective farriers should get information from as many schools as they can. Don't pass
judgment or a school from the brochure. You get an idea of what the school has to offer
from such material, but don't finalize your decision without a visit to the school. When
you visit, talk to the students and stay long enough to see their work. This will give you
the information you need to make a wise decision that may affect the rest of your life.
Best of luck. You can do anything that you set your mind to.
Chris Gregory, an American Farriers Association certified journeyman, owns and operates
Heartland Horseshoeing School (417-682-6896) in Lamar, Missouri.
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