In our industry and many others, the word profession and professional are used to describe a variety of things. Both words have legal and non-legal definitions and meanings.

Defining The Terms

What is a profession? It is simply an occupation, practice or vocation requiring mastery of a complex set of knowledge and skills through formal education and/or practical experience. Farriery is a profession by general definition.

Legally, what is a profession? It is a state-licensed occupation, authorizing you to practice that occupation in that state. In the United States, farriery is not a legally licensed occupation or profession.

What is a professional? It is a person engaged in a profession and conforming to the standards of a profession , who is formally certified by a professional body of belonging to that profession by virtue of having completed a required course of studies, certification, license and/or practice.

It has nothing to do with how hard one works, whether you act and dress professionally, or where you work. Some farriers are professional; some are not.

Licensed Or Not?

Legally, what is a licensed professional? It is a person who is in a licensed occupation, who conforms to the rules and regulations of a state board of regents. Licensing is a non-voluntary process by which an agency of government regulates a profession. It grants permission to an individual to engage in an occupation if it finds that the applicant has attained the degree of competency required to ensure the public health, safety…