Farrier Schools Meet in Oklahoma City; Educators’ Alliance Formed

A two-day meeting held August 19-20, 2005 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has spawned the newest farrier-related organization.

The “American Farriers Education Council” (AFEC) is a coalition of some of the leading independent farrier schools in the United States.

Many pundits on the sidelines of farrier politics thought that when Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School owner Reggie Kester called a meeting of school owners and instructors, the result would be a massive attack on the American Farrier’s Association, whose task force on education and registration in early 2005 was highly critical of the farrier education system in the U.S.

Instead, the reports from Oklahoma are optimistic and encouraging. “This is the best thing that could have happened,” beamed Doug Butler PhD, FWCF, author of Principles of Horseshoeing III, the textbook used at most farrier schools around the world. “It brought these people together for the first time in years and they are working together for the benefit of education. I am very excited.”

According to Dr. Butler, 16 farrier schools were represented; a total of about 25 school owners and instructors were in attendance.

AFEC certainly did vent its frustration over recent negative publicity, but most instructors are long-time members and supporters of the American Farrier’s Association and are hoping for improvement in relations following the AFA’s mid-year Board of Directors meeting in Omaha in early September; it will include an open forum for policy-related comments from the membership on farrier education and licensing. AFEC’s frustration is outlined in a list of 16 resolutions related to AFA politics and makes clear the AFEC stand that blanket criticism of farrier education will not go unanswered.

According to Chris Gregory FWCF of Heartland Horseshoeing School in Missouri, there are 47 farrier schools in the US. Hoofcare & Lameness has identified 24 private schools and 11 college/university-affiliated schools that offer courses aimed at complete beginners. Our criteria was that a school be “brick and mortar” and teach a residential horseshoeing course. Other schools teach only advanced courses or short seminars as enrichment for working farriers; still others teach night courses for horse owners who wish to learn to care for their own horses. We also found two schools that teach horseshoeing by distance learning (aka “correspondence course” in the pre-Internet days). In the fall of 2005, two new farrier schools will open in the USA that will teach new ideas in farrier science, such as barefoot hoofcare, hoof boots, and plastic horseshoes.

Officers of the new association are Reggie Kester (Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School) President; Bob Smith (Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School) Vice President and Spokesperson; and Susie Goode (Tucson School of Horseshoeing) Secretary-Treasurer.

Among the accomplishments of the group, in addition to the formation of the association and the hashing out of a list of resolutions related to AFA politics, were the resolution that member schools would adopt the use of a standardized curriculum based on the new edition of Butler’s textbook. He will work with AFEC to create testing modules to monitor students’ progress through the lessons in the book. No doubt different schools will interpret the curriculum differently, but the overall skills taught will be somewhat uniform.

Another key development is the addition of continuing education events to attract graduates back to their alma mater farrier schools for upgrading of skills or certification levels on an annual basis.

For more information, please contact Bob Smith: pchs@farrierschool.com or call 916 366 6064. Hoofcare & Lameness Journal was not present at the meeting so I can’t answer your questions.

For more on the “pro” side of farrier licensing, please contact your local chapter of the American Farrier’s Association, or visit www.americanfarriers.org.

--Fran Jurga

Click here to read the official press release from AFEC. (PDF file)

Click here to read AFEC’s 12 resolutions regarding recent negative statements about farrier education and farriers in the United States. (PDF file)

Click here to read a statement from AFEC spokesman Bob Smith about the AFEC meeting and about AFEC’s view of AFA actions. (PDF file)

Click here to read a letter from farrier Henry Heymering (dated 20 August 2005) to AFA task force leader Walt Taylor about professionalism vs licensing. (PDF file)

Click here to go the American Farriers Association web site and read about their reasons for supporting regulation of farriers and farrier schools. The “No Foot No Horse” newsletters contain the most documentation but updates are posted frequently on the home page as well.

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