Selecting A School

Getting Started in Hoof Care | 2010

This is a very interesting subject that school owners discuss regularly. We all have stories of folks that came to our school with very little horse experience (for whatever personal motivations) and became very successful as professional farriers because they had excellent people and business skills.

Then there are lots of stories about people with very good horse skills but lack personal drive, common business sense and/or poor people skills and they didn't last six months as a farrier.

The conundrum is trying to list admission requirements for students entering horseshoeing schools so that the vast majority of the graduates are long-term successful farriers. For every recommended requirement you can list, schools have lots of exceptions that would render that requirement unacceptable.

Success as a professional farrier is in the intangibles. It is what is inside the student. Shoeing horses is hard physical work and so, to be successful, shoeing must 'charge your life batteries' or you will eventually be moving on to another profession.

I rarely have a student that has not made significant discoveries about themselves while they attended school, regardless of whether they shoe full-time or not. Shoeing schools can be a good life experience even if it is not a career decision.

  1. Someone who has no knowledge or background with horses, but thinks becoming a farrier would be a good occupation.
    1. Would my lack of horse experience prevent me from getting the most out of your school?
    2. How much time is spent on basic horsemanship/horse handling?
    3. Do you have a list of things I could do prior to attending your school that would help me get the most our of my education?
    4. Will I be working on ill-mannered, unbroken horses?
    5. How much experience does the instructor(s) have in the farrier profession?
    6. Do you have email addresses or phone numbers of people that have gone through your school, with my limited experience?
    7. How much experience does the instructor(s) have in the teaching profession?

    A student with no horse handling skills may to have a tough time gaining the maximum amount of education from any school. It would be very important that the everyday instructors have many successful years shoeing and posses horsemanship skills related to ground handling horses.

  2. Someone who has some experience with horses, such as having taken riding lessons or being around a sister or girlfriend who has horses.
    1. Will I be working on ill-mannered, unbroken horses?
    2. How much experience does the instructor(s) have in the farrier profession?
    3. How much experience does the instructor(s) have in the teaching profession?
    4. Do you have email addresses or phone numbers of people that have gone through your school, with my limited experience?
  3. Someone who grew up on a farm or ranch with horses or has been involved with them for much of his or her life.
    1. How much experience does the instructor(s) have in the farrier profession?
    2. How much experience does the instructor(s) have in the teaching profession?
    3. Do you have email addresses or phone numbers of people that have gone through your school that are of a similar age and background as myself?

Once a student has narrowed his/her search to a few schools it would be important that they call and speak with the person that will be training them; not the owner or a secretary but their actual instructor. Ask questions about the teachers teaching style, their philosophy and expectations of students. With just a short conversation most students should be able to tell if they are compatible with the instructors teaching style.