• Two Weeks (10 days) - This course is designed to teach the student how to properly shoe a normal horse for his own personal use or as a beginner course as a prelude to the six or twelve week course. Your training will consist of  the classroom, actual shoeing live horses, and learning the necessary forging techniques. This course is not designed to make you a professional horseshoer.

• Six Weeks (30 days) -  You will receive training equal to other eight (8) week courses. This allows you to spend less time away from home. You will learn how to change the horse's mode of travel caused by poor leg and hoof conformation or previous  improper shoeing, how to  recognize, prevent and correct lameness, in depth study of the anatomy related to proper balance and shoeing of all breeds and types of horses. You will learn how to set-up your own business and shoeing rig, receive Business Strategy Lectures, classroom time, and extensive live shoeing and forging.
• Twelve Weeks (60 days) - This course prepares the student further to be a professional farrier. After the six-week course you will concentrate your time on  perfecting your techniques. You will work with professional farriers in the Farrier Research Laboratory. You will learn to use the arc welder in making more professional  corrective shoes. You will learn advanced shoeing techniques for lameness of the leg, hoof repair, and leg braces along with continuous live shoeing.. classroom and forging each day.
• Trim Class (2 days) - Designed for horse-owners.

• ACCELERATED CLASS - for beginners meeting our qualifications We only accept a few students. Class is small and much more demanding. You must attend one of our mandatory 2-day evaluations. You will be evaluated on the following:

  •  Your physical ability

  • How well you comprehend the subjects

  • Your horsemanship

  If you qualify for this "ACCELERATED CLASS" you will have a challenging but rewarding experience. The benefits of this class are astronomical! The days are long and demanding.

  The knowledge you gain will be far superior than that of farriers who have many years of shoeing experience.

  The cost of this "ACCELERATED CLASS." is $6,000.00. Class size is very small, only four students are accepted per class. The classes are 6 days a week. This class is open to male and female students, as all of our courses are. The dates of your class will be determined after the evaluation.

  There are no additional fees for the 2 day evaluation, only a commitment on your part that you are serious about your education.

  The accommodations and tool arrangements are the same as offered for all of our courses .
  
  

Course Curriculum

• CLASSROOM

  • Anatomy of the hoof

  • Hoof structure

  • Angle of the hoof

  • Lameness of the hoof

  • Bones of front and hind limb

  • Ligaments and tendons

  • Traveling problems

  • Corrections

  • Aging the horse

  • Shoe and nail size

  • Treatment of hoof cracks, quarter cracks, and other serious hoof problems

  • Horse psychology

  • Manual Provided

  • Business Strategy Program

• SHOP

  • Introduction to cold shoeing

  • Introduction to hot forging

  • Building punches for handmade shoes

  • Determining size of steel

  • Working with heat

  • Shaping factory made shoes

  • Making corrective shoes from bar stock

  • Arc welding when making corrective shoes

  • We provide both gas and coal forges

• LIVE SHOEING

  • Determining angle of hoof

  • Properly balancing the hoof

  • Flattening, mounting, and centering the shoe properly.

  • Safety in handling the horse

  • Correctly driving nails

  • Clinching nails

  • Finishing
  • Treat arising problems--cracks, splits, hoof loss, traveling problems, and correcting mode of travel

• TESTING

  • Written and oral testing

  • Live shoeing

  • Forging skills

• SAFETY

  • We promote safety measures at all times to avoid injuries.   You will be asked to sign a liability release form on your first day. We do request that you wear steel toed shoes for protection and require you to wear safety glasses in the forge room. We recommend that you get a tetanus vaccination for your own protection.

Full or Part-time

Students can attend on a Full- or Part-time basis.

• Full-time Students - Our classes are Wednesday through Sunday, five days a week. Monday and Tuesday are non-school days. Attending five days a week is considered full-time.

• Part-time Students - Students who are unable to attend on a full-time basis and be away from home for a long period of time are welcome to attend on a part-time basis. This can be done during the five-day work week or only on week-ends. It will take longer to complete the training, but you will receive the same amount and type of training as a full-time student. We are the only school in the United States to offer this convenient arrangement. Students who attend part-time may make payments on a daily or weekly basis.

• Classes - Our classes are held weekly Wednesday - Sunday year round, with breaks during holidays. This allows students to attend any time there is an opening. To verify the next available date, we ask that you contact the school office by phone (706) 397-8909 or email with your request.

• Hours - We begin at 8:00 a.m. and train at least 9 hours a day. No evening courses are available.

• Pace - Our students work at their own pace! Whether you attend on a full- or part-time basis, you are able to work at your own pace. This allows you to feel comfortable with your training, instructor, and surroundings. We want you to be successful and will work with you until you achieve your goals. Classes are small, allowing you plenty of time for individual attention.

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