It's impossible to bring an apple for the teacher but the learning and knowledge are just the same. 

Online classes have burst onto the scene everywhere, spanning courses in business to law to the fine arts. So why would equine education be any different?

At Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, N.M., equine education has joined the hundreds of other programs now featured online for people who cannot find the time or cannot travel to a college campus. 

Taught by Nate Allen, an American Farrier’s Association (AFA) Certified Journeyman Farrier, Equine Anatomy and Physiology (ANSC 151) moved online in August to the benefit of horseshoers around the world.

Point, Click And Go

While many farriers might consider taking classes to freshen up on anatomy and physiology, some may be a little leery about doing it through the Internet. Farrier Dan Bradley of Lockwood, Calif., had never taken an online class before enrolling in Allen’s course at Mesalands. 

“I wanted to see what it would be like,” admits Bradley. “It was very self explanatory. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to do this. 

“As a computer user, I’m about average. I’m not exactly computer savvy, but I’m not dumber than a box of rocks either.”

Allen, knowing that most of his students would be new to this kind of learning (actually, none of his first-semester students had taken an Internet course before), wanted to make signing up and accessing the information as easy as possible. 

“You can register by mail…