farrier

[vickyg]

Hi everyone,
I wondered if anyone had any information on how I could train to become a farrier ? i am also female so wondered if that made a difference as i dont think ive herd of any female farriers. any help would be fantastic.
Vicky.

[raingodz]

I looked in to this last year, cant quite remeber all the details, but I seem to remeber that first you have to go to college and get a forging certificat, then you have to find a qualified farrier to take you on as an aprentis, the apretiship last 4 years.

This web site is probably one you should look at:
http://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/

Sadly with a mortguage I can not take the drop in pay for 4 years so I dropped that idea.

ETA:
You have to do some training at college and the only colleges that offer this training are:

Herefordshire College of Technology
Myerscough College (Preston)
Oatridge College (Edinburgh)
Warwickshire College.

[Wally]

I am female and 'twas a femal farrier who taught me.

You need to find someone willing to take you on as your training master and a collage who will accept you.

What the lass did who trained me did, was to go on general blacksmithing courses, welding ketal work in general. One she could appear in front of the farriers training board interview with a load of her hand made tools she was on a far better steading than a lot of the bloaks. She also studies a lot of farrier books and could quote things like how various kinds of shoe affected foot flight etc. Do your homework and be better than the men and you'll get in.

[teabiscuit]

my brother is a farrier and i saw what he went through during his apprenticeship-i'm not a wimp but i don't think i could've have coped with the sheer physical hard work that he had to cope with. women are not as physically strong as men and i take my hat off to any woman who gets through a farrier apprenticeship if they have to put up with what my brother had to put up with.
how difficult was it physically Wally?

[jovi_y2k2]

Im at warwickshire college which as raingodz said does do a farriery course and ive seen quite a few females on the course

[vickyg]

thanks for all your replies, it has been a great help.
Wally, its great to hear of a female farrier as i was not sure if there were any lol. did you go on any blacksmith courses before you were taken on as an apprentice ? and also does anyone know what formal qualifications are required and how do you go about getting a forging certificate which if i am not mistaken you need before you can apply for an apprenticeship?

[Tanyajayne]

My farrier is female and shes very good

[LindaAd]

There was a female farrier round here - she fixed a loose shoe for me once when my farrier was away. She seemed to be very busy and people said she was good.

Linda

[Wally]

There is not much that makes the sweat actually drip off the end of my nose, but shoeing does, it is not glamourous. You will have hands like sandpaper, they will be ripped to shribbons regularly. You'll end up with shoulders and biceps like a boxer and have a gorillar grip that'll floor any man in a handshake competion.

I'm certain a lot of agrucultural collages do welding and blacksmithing courses, if not try a technical collage.

Shoeing doesn't really come down to physical, brute strength, no man, no matter how strong can match a horse in the strength department. SO brute force will not get a horse shod. You do need to be fit and maybe a bit stronger than average, but a woman might win with her approach to a nervous horse that a man might wind up with attitude. What you gain on the roundabouts you lose on the swings.

[willumau]

Wally

You will have hands like sandpaper, they will be ripped to shribbons regularly. You'll end up with shoulders and biceps like a boxer and have a gorillar grip that'll floor any man in a handshake competion.

Lol I have a very vivid imagination and right now I am going to end up getting fired, cos I am laughing my head off in my office at work. I'm an accountant and this is usually a very sombre place

Lol Really Wally, photo please Lol, I'm in tears now..........

On a sober note...........I watched the finals of a farrier competition last year where there were 4 men and 1 woman (a very attractive cute blonde), she was amazing, she had to make the shoe first and then fit it, and it wasn't an ordinary standard shoe, one was a corrective shoe with a bar, and the other an aluminium shoe. She came third.

[stick2000]

My b/f was training to be a farrier - did it for 4 yrs then quit as was making him depressed and causing him bad joint problems. He was a year off from being qualified.

I think you only needed GCSEs to start and he sent off letters to all the farriers in a 50 mile radius to get a placement. One of the hardest parts is getting a placement. He got one and then enrolled at college - he had to go to Hereford. Went on block release - 2-3 weeks twice a year and had to stay in digs.

There was one female on his course at college but I think she dropped out.

As an apprentice you earn less than minimum wage (revised minimum wage) and work very long hours. My b/f used to start at 7 and in the summer not get home till gone half 9.

The first year in your course you have to learn forging skills and they get assessed at college - ie making hooks, fullering,etc then you learn to make the shoes. You have to have your own tools to rake to college and I remember him taking this massive metal box full of stuff with him to college - he had it on wheels to move it!

When he was first taken on his had to go down the the farriers training council for an interview or something - he went with his farrier.

[Santi]

You could train as an Equine Podiatrist which will take about a year or so depending on how many courses you can do - they are taught throughout the year and there is a theory homestudy course too.
They don't usually use metal shoes but there is alot theory of how and why the hoof responds to environment and rehabilitating feet; how to cure under-run heels, stop abcessing, improve hoof wall etc, as well as the trimming.

AEPA is the UK group or try the Equine Podiatry website (in the US). Equine Podiarty is taught by KC Pierre who is a trained farrier.

I use a female EP who is very good. There appears to be a shortage of them in area of britain.

(Equine Podiatry is absolutely nothing to do with Strausser who will hopefully be banned soon.)

[Herbie's mummy]

What kind of GCSE'S do you need?
I have been thinking of being a farrier for a long time now.

[Wally]

Don't know about the GCSEs but I'd have thought a good english and maths, plus biology might be a help, and some kind of practical ability to knock 7 bells out of a lump of steel!