Six hours a week will be spent in the classroom. Seven hours a week will be spent in the forge. Safety glasses and apron must be worn at all times when in the forging area. While at the forge horses will be brought in for trimming and shoeing. We will also watch horses move to learn how to recognize gait, lameness and how a shoe effects the movement of a horse. Based on the advancement of your skill we will work toward each student working with their own horse. Majority of time will be spent in the field trimming and shoeing. We will teach you how to trim horses, donkeys, goats, sheep and maybe even a pig. There will be demonstrations by other farriers. Just because I do something one way does not mean you have to. There is more than one way to reach your goal and you need to find what works best for you.
Week 1
Classroom: Introduction to the school and curriculum. Basic horseshoes and tools used to shoe a horse. Basic understanding of terms of direction, anatomy, and structures of the foot.
Forge: Forge safety and tools used to work with steel. Assignment of forge and tools. Plain stamped, front pattern shoe. Plain stamped, hind pattern shoe.
Hands-on: Basic horse handling. How to position yourself under the horse. Use of tools. Pulling shoes and trimming feet.
Week 2
Classroom: Beginning to discuss anatomy of the leg. Including bones, main tendons and ligaments. Also, how the shoeing of a horse relates to how it moves.
Forge: Rocker toe, front pattern shoe. Cut heels with pad, hind pattern shoe.
Hands-on: Shoeing and trimming
Week 3
Classroom: Anatomy exam and begin discussing conformation.
Forge: Side clips, front pattern shoe. Quarter clips, hind pattern shoe. How to modify a keg shoe for clips.
Hands-on: Shoeing and trimming
Week 4
Classroom: Continuation of conformation and field trip.
Forge: Forge welded, egg bar, front pattern shoe. Square toe and trailer with quarter clips, hind pattern shoe.
Hands-on: Shoeing and trimming.
Week 5
Classroom: A field trip, and learning different types of lameness, their causes, signs, treatments and prognosis.
Forge: Straight bar, forge welded front pattern shoe. Egg bar, hind pattern, gas welded, brazed hind shoe.
Hands-on: Shoeing and trimming.
Week 6
Classroom: Continuation of lameness, and have a veterinarian guest speaker discuss radiographic interpretation and nutrition as it relates to the foot.
Forge: Rolled toe, with borium on heels, front pattern shoe. Lateral heel extension, hind pattern shoe.
Hands-on: Shoeing and trimming.
Week 7
Classroom: We will finish discussing lameness, and we will go over shoeing techniques for different disciplines.
Forge: Aluminum, drilled and tapped, front pattern shoe with clip. Slider hind pattern shoe.
Hands-on: Shoeing and trimming, and shoeing and trimming exam.
Week 8
Classroom: We will discuss business management and take the final exam.
Forge: Review
Hands-on: Shoeing and trimming.
Each student will receive the following tools: Shoeing box, driving hammer, clinch block, apron, knife, rounding hammer, nippers, clinchers, shoe pullers, clinch cutters, nail pullers, rasp, hoof gauge and divider. These supplies are included in the tuition price and are yours to keep at the end of school.
Students will be responsible for keeping living space and their work area clean. You will also be responsible for the care of the horses on site.
