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Continuing Education Is A Key To Success


Pictured Above: Participating in forging contests, such as the World Championship Blacksmiths, offer competitors the opportunity to get hands-on lessons from experienced farriers, such as Hall Of Fame member Craig Trnka.

Are you as good a farrier today as you will ever be? Do your current abilities guarantee you will have a successful career?

Graduating from farrier school won’t be enough. Industry leaders point to an increasing emphasis on continuing education and professionalism in the farrier world — the ongoing need to add to your knowledge and skills.

Continuing education can earn credentials from farrier organizations to document your competence and expertise, and those credentials can be shared via business cards, websites and word-of-mouth to win the confidence of horse owners and turn them into clients.

Farrier Takeaways

  • Hammer-ins, forging contests and certifications are great opportunities for a new farrier to gain some hands-on experience.
  • Finding a mentor is an effective way of beginning your networking circle to enhance your growth as a farrier.
  • Forging competitions can help contestants improve their skills in the fire while getting hands-on instruction from experienced farriers.

“Having formal education standards is a key factor for the future of the industry,” says Bryan Quinsey, the executive director of the American and International Associations of Professional Farriers (AAPF/IAPF). “We want to be able to show horse owners a farrier’s ongoing commitment to continuing education.”

Available Credentials

The AAPF was created in 2011 to promote continuing education (CE). The organization’s founders wanted to encourage and support ongoing…

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Ron perszewski

Ron Perszewski

Ron Perszewski is a freelance writer and former associate editor of Ameri­can Farriers Journal.

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