Farrier Schools in Michigan

A farrier is a person who fits horses for shoes, trims hooves and works with horses in regard to proper hoof-care. Farriers are skilled in therapeutic and corrective shoeing, including shoeing for inflammation of the laminea or founder, white line disease and navicular syndrome. Educational options in Michigan for people wanting a career in farriery range from courses lasting a few weeks to apprenticeships lasting two years.

Wolverine Farrier School offers a 16-week farrier program. Students complete 576 hours of course study. Students spend one hour in lecture and seven hours in lab each day. Although there are no formal educational prerequisites to enrolling at Wolverine, applicants must be able to read and comprehend the English language at a high school level. Applicants must also be in a physical condition that enables them to perform the physical tasks of a farrier. Students under the age of 18 must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian and must undergo an interview to determine whether or not the student is appropriate, mature enough and prepared to enter the school.

Students in the farrier program learn not only horseshoeing but also handmade tool fabrication and forging. After students learn the basics of forging hot steel as well as equine foot and limb anatomy and physiology, students begin to have hands-on training. Students will work on horses on campus as well as horses at equine facilities in the region. In 2010, the cost of tuition was $7,500. Lab fees and supplies, housing, and supplies to make a shoeing box and a textbook are included in the cost of tuition. Hand-tools are not included in the cost of tuition. Graduates are awarded a certificate of completion.

Wolverine Farrier School 3104 E. Stevenson Lake Rd. Clare, MI 48617 989-386-7430 wfschool.com

Schools of Horseshoeing operates 17 horseshoeing schools, one of which is in Belleville, Michigan. Schools of Horseshoeing offers a four-week farrier program. Students in the farrier program learn to make a handmade shoe; crease and punch a handmade shoe; how to forge, weld and braze; all about horse anatomy; about liability issues; how to operate a farrier business and how to work with vets. Students learn how to properly shoe trotters, pacers, thoroughbreds, hunters, jumpers, Arabians and draft horses. Other areas of study include the use of borium or drill technology; use of a stall jack; types of shoes; corrective trimming and shoeing; making a spice hook; the correct use of pads and wedges; and Tomlinson molds, which are fiberglass molds for foundered horses. In 2010, the cost of tuition was $1,750. Graduates are awarded a diploma from the Horseshoeing Schools and certificate from the Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association.

Schools of Horseshoeing P.O. Box 423 Belleville, MI 48111 313-697-9331 schoolsofhorseshoeing.com

Chesterfield Farrier Service offers an apprenticeship program. Apprentices learn basic forging skills, anatomy, physiology, locomotion and mechanics of farrier science. All practical and written instruction is directed toward students becoming certified farriers. Students are paid during their apprenticeship. Compensation includes a salary, workers compensation insurance and free room. Both one- and two-year apprenticeships are available. Students completing a one-year or a two-year apprenticeship with Chesterfield are eligible to sit for exams to become certified farriers. The apprenticeship program focuses on the necessary skills and knowledge base needed to pass the American Farrier's Association (AFA) certification test. The AFA has two certification levels. One year of shoeing is required to sit for the “AFA Certified Farrier examination." Two years of shoeing experience is required to sit for the “AFA Certified Journeyman Farrier” examination.

Chesterfield Farrier Service 32850 26 Mile Road Chesterfield, MI 48051 586-749-3511 chesterfieldfarrier.com