Farrier Twenty-Four Week Modern Material Course

This course cost – $19,900.00

*To enroll in this course, students must complete a prior course of up to 12 weeks, have one year of prior shoeing experience or be able to demonstrate sufficient skill level to the director.

960 clock hours – This Course is designed for students who wish to obtain a skill level such that they can successfully work on a horse using advanced modern materials or advanced forging skills. This course is designed to teach students the nontraditional methods that are available along with advancing their skills in the traditional blacksmithing methods. This course builds upon everything that the Twenty-four-week course teaches plus adds time with the instructors to learn more about anatomy, modern materials, forging, and shoeing.

AHSS 4000: Advanced Hot Forge 110 hrs
AHSS 5000: Advanced Trimming 260
AHSS 5100: Advance Fitting 330
AHSS 6000: Modern Materials 260
Total – 960 hrs

Some topics covered in the course include;

Students will be required to work on horses with a variety of lameness issues and have the opportunity to build a variety of handmade therapeutic shoes. Some materials covered in this course include;

Glue
Pads
Drilling and tapping
Polymer shoes
Wooden Clogs
Aluminum

You will spend more time working on shoe modifications including stud holes, pads of many varieties, bar shoes, wedges, and more. You will also be required to complete advanced forging exercises and attend clinics outside of class time. This course is designed to go beyond preparing a student to be a good apprentice. After completing this course, students should have the tools and the confidence to shoe for the public.

Graduates of the 24-week modern materials and advanced forging course are able to:

Shoe horses with modern materials such as glue, aluminum, wood, and a wide manner of modifications
Handle most problems in everyday horseshoeing
Treat and identify a wide array of lameness issues with a variety of skills and materials
Recognize more complex problems and be able to discuss them with the owner, along with possible options for referral to another equine professional for treatment

At the end of the 24-week modern materials course, students will take a final exam that is based closely on the Farrier Certification exam of the American Farrier’s Association with a more rigorous forging requirement than the 24-week course and more in depth practical anatomy exam, the students will also show ability to identify, analyze, and provide a specific treatment for lameness.

We strongly recommend an apprenticeship and the faculty will use their network to help you find an appropriate one. At this point a student will have the skills necessary to start their own practice in concert with their apprenticeship. We think it’s the best thing you could do to guarantee success. We promise you we’ll always be here to offer support along the way as well.

Administrative Notes

Course Schedule – New courses start the first Tuesday of each month
Class Schedule – Training is 5 days a week, Tuesday through Saturday starting at 8:30 am and ending at 3:30 pm (if an early day), but some days might run until 8-9 pm.
Boarding – Boarding is not included in the course fee. Separate men’s and women’s bunkhouse boarding with cable TV and WIFI is available for just $50 a month.
Tools – See below
Financial Assistance – Post-9/11 GI Bill® Veterans Benefits and VA Voc Rehab Benefits accepted. Please check with your local VA office to see if you qualify.‘‘GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.”Note: The $500.00 deposit is not required for students using VA benefits.

Tools provided by the school for your use during the course:

Gooseneck vise
Creaser
Tongs (2)
Equipak Gun
Glue gun

Course Hours

Note: Lab time is non-classroom hands-on work with the forge, trimming, fitting, etc.

AHSS 4000 – Advanced Hot Forge

This course better develops forging skills through hands on instruction and practice. Students will learn how to forge more advanced therapeutic shoes by completing several hands on assignments.

24 Week Modern Materials and Advanced Forging Course – There are 10 Clock hours of Classroom time and 100 Clock hours of Lab time for a total of 110 Clock hours for this course.

AHSS 5000 – Advanced Trimming

This course better develops trimming skills through teaching the students more advanced anatomy which will allow them to properly trim the horses foot for special therapeutic cases.

24 Week Modern Materials and Advanced Forging Course – There are 60 Clock hours of Classroom time and 200 Clock hours of Lab time for a total of 260 Clock hours for this course.

AHSS 5100 – Advanced Fitting

This course is an extension of the Advanced Trimming and Advanced Hot Forge. It adds to the anatomy learned from Advanced Trimming and takes the skills learned from Advanced Hot Forge and combines them to allow the student to properly trim the horse’s foot and build a custom shoe that properly fits the horse’s
foot.

24 Week Modern Materials and Advanced Forging Course – There are 60 Clock hours of Classroom time and 270 Clock hours of Lab time for a total of 330 Clock hours for this course.

AHSS 6000 – Modern Materials

This course teaches farriers how to use more modern materials besides traditional blacksmithing techniques. Student will learn how to successfully use materials such as glue and epoxy as well as using plastic shoes and impression material.