AVMA Farrier Exemption Elimination Will Affect Hoof Care

I’m writing in response to your online article, “AVMA Proposes Elimination Of Farrier Exemption From Veterinary Practice Act.” Most vets I know are busy enough without adding farrier work to their practice, nor do they want to be involved with it in its entirety. I believe this will eventually backfire because the majority of the market cannot afford to have a DVM/farrier team take care of their horses every 6 to 8 weeks. Eventually the majority of recreational horse owners will only address their horses’ feet a couple times a year.

— Jordan St. John, Sandy Hook, Va.

Editor’s Note: Read the article be­ing referenced, “Farriers Ques­tion AVMA’s Proposed Elimina­tion Of Exemption” and visit americansfarriers.com/avmachanges.

Farrier Organizations Should Pursue Industry Standard

Lately, there has been much discussion about farrier licensing becoming a reality; I do not believe most farriers really understand what the ramifications could be. In addition to being a farrier, I have been a licensed professional engineer for many years. Licensing may be needed to protect the public in some cases (in this case, horse owners), but it could be expensive and restrictive for farriers.

You can expect that farrier licensing would be in the hands of individual states that would require farriers to be licensed in each state they work in. Each state will adopt its own standards and licensing laws. Generally, such laws require a minimum of education and experience, and a written test. Since licensing states…