How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, man, practice.

Although it’s an old joke, there’s plenty of wisdom that can be applied to any situation — including farriery. Participating in certifications, credentialing and forging competitions are great ways of improving your skills, but to do well, you still have to practice. Without practice, an aspiring farrier won’t get very far. And how one practices might just determine how successful one might be.

Practice the Elements First

When practicing for certification or a contest, it might seem logical to grab a piece of bar stock and forge shoe after shoe. Instead, simplify your practice.

“I think one of the big mistakes that farriers make is that they practice the whole shoe instead of elements of the shoes,” says David Hallock, a Dansville, Mich., farrier and an American Farrier’s Association certification tester…