So this is probably a long shot, but are there any Farrier schools/clinics (preferably offered East Coast NC) that don’t require a high school diploma or you need to be over 18? I’d like to just know how to properly trim my horses feet (we do consistant trimming so there’s no angles to fix), but everywhere I’ve looked requires you to have a highschool diploma or GED. The lowest age limit I found was Meredith Manor at 16, but again you needed the diploma. So are there any clinics or programs anyone knows of I could attend over the summer? Or would I be better off asking my farrier to show me some things? He does a good but isn’t consistant in complying to appointment times, which is part of the reason I’d like to try and learn to properly trim her feet myself from a knowledgable source (aka not google or youtube which I know some people do). Thanks!
Lots of people learn to trim by just apprenticing to their own trimmers, with of course various levels of skill being acquired. There are also unaccreditted trimming clinics that may have no entrance restrictions other than paying the fee, and may or may not offer quality instruction.
You don’t need to enrol in a credited farrier school to learn how rasp one or two horse between farrier visits.
Learning how to rasp the feet of your one horse to you own farrier’s specifications is not difficult conceptually, though can be hard on the back!
A real certified diploma-granting farrier program out of a community college is a serious trades program and you would need to learn hot forging, rehab shoeing, gain a high degree of skill, etc. And it’s a serious trades program with the expectation that people will come out competent and earn a pretty decent living from it. Probably way more serious than you need at this point. It would be like enrolling in a full-on heavy duty mechanics course to learn how to change the oil or change the tire on your car.
If you were older, I’d suggest finding a really good local farrier to ride with, who’ll show you the ropes. But I’m not sure that many farriers would be ok hauling around a minor. I could be wrong though. Good trimming is more than just rasping the rough edges so be sure you are learning REAL skills from a truly good farrier.
Thank you guys for your input! I actually found one in Georgia that’s supposed to be really good and tuition looks cheap. Hopefully after the course I can start a small business doing it because from what I’ve heard the farriers around here are a bit annoying (as in don’t show up for appointments, or they do but don’t do a good job). Maybe I could do better is my hopes. Thank you guys again!
