Are you ready to build your hoof-care career

The first step in your hoof-care journey is taking charge of your education — the foundation of your career. But don’t stop there. When building a house, construction doesn’t stop with the foundation. You build onto it and improve. Your hoof-care career is no different.

Are You Sure?

How do you do that? First, make sure you have a passion for the trade.

“If you’re meant to shoe horses, there’s nothing like it,” says Chris Gregory of Heartland Horseshoeing School in Lamar, Mo. “If you’re not meant to shoe horses, don’t do it because your whole life will be just misery. Some people learn the skills well enough to make money and realize the incredible living it can be. Then they get stuck in a rut because they don’t enjoy it. But, if it’s your passion, it is incredible.”

Learning to Swim

Many students are ready to take on the world after completing school. Keep in mind that a primary farrier education is no different than learning to become a welder or an electrician in a trade school. You’ve taken the first step, but you’re going to need some practice.

“After the end of the program, we take you to the edge of the cliff, and we push you into the little lake,” explains Bob Smith of Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School in Plymouth, Calif. “The only thing we’ve taught you to do is the doggy paddle. We’re trying to keep you from…