12 Week Farrier Course

This course cost – $10,900.00

It includes:
GREGORY’S Textbook of Farriery- 2011 Hardcover edition

 480 clock hours – This Course is designed for students who wish to obtain a skill level such that they can competently shoe a horse with therapeutic issues considering its confirmation, therapeutic problems and do so within two hours, make a pair of handmade therapeutic shoes from beginning to end within an hour and a half to a specific pattern, correctly identify and have a firm grasp of the many different foot diseases, injuries, and conformation problems, and begin work as an independent farrier, though apprenticeship is still recommended.

In the 12-week course at the Arkansas Horseshoeing School, we build upon the knowledge acquired in the 8-week course. This more advanced course will cover:

  •  AHSS 1000: Hot Forge 80 hrs
  •  AHSS 2000: Trimming 80
  •  AHSS 2100: Fitting 240
  •  AHSS 3000: Hoof Problems and Diseases 80
    Total – 480 hrs

Some topics covered in the course includes;

  • Introduction to Farrier Science
  • Horse Handling
  • Equine Anatomy and Physiology
  • Hoof Trimming and Balance
  • Using the Forge and Anvil
  • Basic Horseshoeing: Putting It All Together
  • Handmade Shoes
  • Hot Shaping
  • Lameness
  • Therapeutic Horseshoeing
  • Business Management
12 week farrier course

 

Our mission to make your educational experience at our school as much like an apprenticeship as possible becomes more obvious to students in this more advanced work. During the years Paul Dorris, Jr. has worked with apprentices, he has developed a very effective style of teaching. This is especially evident in complex cases of therapeutic shoeing encountered at the school or at barns and clinics when students travel in the field with him.

As he works, he provides a wealth of background information so that in one case students might connect the details he presents to what they’ve learned about anatomy, hoof disease, contributing environmental factors and more. The skill and art of the work come alive as all the pieces fall together. An anatomical term is no longer just a cold fact to be memorized when it’s studied as part of an interesting case history.

 

Graduates of the 12-week horseshoeing course are able to:

  • Shoe healthy horses
  •  Handle most problems in everyday horseshoeing
  •  Treat basic lameness issues
  •  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 12-week course, students will take a final exam that is based closely on the Farrier Certification exam of the American Farrier’s Association with more rigorous forging requirements and practical anatomy exam than the 8-week course. We strongly recommend an apprenticeship and the faculty will use their network to help you find an appropriate one. 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.

Upon successful graduation from the course you will receive a course completion certificate and will also have acquired a strong foundation with which to take the next step in your farrier career.

 

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 if VA benefits used.

$2500 of New Tools for Horseshoeing Provided for Your Use:

* If you graduate, Paul will even give you all of these tools to help you start your farrier business.

Farrier tool set

 Tools you will use in your  8, 12, 16 or 24 week farrier course.


Forge
Anvil
Rasp & Handles (2)
Nippers
Clinchers
Crease Nail Pullers
Rounding Hammer
Driving Hammer
Pull offs
Nail Cutter
Tongs (2)
Apron
Hoof Knife
Hoof Gauge
Tool Box
Hoof Stand 
Creaser (24-week course only)

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Pay Deposit Fee

Course Hours

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

AHSS 1000 – Hot Forge

This course develops forging skills through hands on instruction and practice, by completing several hands on assignments.  Students first get comfortable with the forging tools which include safety precautions and then take those skills to the next level by building custom shoes that properly fit the horse’s foot.

80 Clock hours – There are 5 Clock hours of Classroom time and 75 Clock hours of Lab time (hands-on).

AHSS 2000 – Trimming 

This course develops trimmings skills through teaching the students anatomy which will allow them to properly trim the horse’s foot.  They will learn how to properly balance a horse’s foot, which is necessary to performing farrier work properly.

80 Clock hours – There are 30 Clock hours of Classroom time and 50 Clock hours of Lab time (hands-on).

 AHSS 2100 – Fitting

This course is an extension of the Trimming and Hot Forge.  It adds to the anatomy learned from Trimming and takes the skills learned from 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.

240 Clock hours – There are 40 Clock hours of Classroom time and 200 Clock hours of Lab time (hands-on).

AHSS 3000 – Hoof Problems & Diseases

This course develops skills that will enable the student to diagnose possible hoof problems and diseases.  This course teaches students how to work with Veterinarians (such as reading x-rays) to better help the horse with foot problems and diseases.

80 Clock hours – There are 20 Clock hours of Classroom time and 60 Clock hours of Lab time (hands-on)for this course.

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