From 1915 to 1981, Illinois was I believe the first of only two or three states to have a licensing requirement for farriers. One of the requirements for a license was having completed a 3-year apprenticeship. Most farriers I spoke with who were affected by the licensing law had nothing good to say about it. They felt that it was unfairly applied and discriminatory. If you were friends with the examiner and/or they needed more farriers at that time, you had a much easier time of passing the test and being licensed than if you were not friends with the examiner or if they did not need more farriers — no matter how good you were.
Farrier licensing adopted in the United Kingdom 30 years ago boosted the careers of shoers there, according to Simon Curtis, a prominent U.K. farrier who often speaks at conferences and clinics in the United States.
Spot check of reaction to AFA survey plan finds university-based farrier programs endorse the effort, while private schools will open their doors, sometimes warily
There are more than 60 horseshoeing schools in the U.S. and Canada, so it would be risky to predict their general reaction to the planned American Farrier's Association survey based on the comments of a few. Just as telling, perhaps, is that several smaller schools did not return phone calls requesting their opinion on the subject.
DURING THE American Farrier’s Association annual convention in Chattanooga, Tenn., in late February, members re-elected Bob Earle of Chino Valley, Ariz., as vice president and Walt Taylor of Albuquerque, N.M., as treasurer.
American Farrier’s Association proposal eyes minimum curriculum standards and could grow to uniform testing for new farriers, registration for all horseshoers
Pointing to a need for increased professionalism and catching its own board of directors by surprise, the Executive Committee of the American Farrier’s Association and a task force it quietly created have proposed standardized education, testing and registration of farriers nationwide.
During more than 30 years of shoeing, Red Renchin of Mequon, Wis., has developed a unique approach that has helped him build a thriving practice that includes many high end hunters and jumpers.
One of the most important - yet often overlooked - aspects of shoeing, is the dangerous and difficult working conditions that farriers must endure. Of all the barns I've ever worked at, only two have made any effort to install the safety improvements I requested! At one large barn, I played electrician (since nobody else would) to install badly needed lighting for an area I often worked in. I received no assistance in this effort. In fact, while I was doing this electrical work, the 'jefe' was working on the barn-owner's sailboat.
Farriery requires knowledge and skills to provide proper equine hoof care. In this series, sponsored by VICTORY, American Farriers Journal visits Heartland Horseshoeing School in Lamar, Mo. In this edition, Chris Gregory discussed his journey to becoming an educator, his focus in teaching farrier students and the state of farrier education.
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