The art and craft of horseshoeing used to be passed on from master to apprentice, but today there are schools, books, DVDs and other opportunities and tools available for learning. However, apprenticeships still provide the best way to learn the trade.
George Walker, the owner of Walker Farms in Beldenville, Wis., says his entire career has been based on a series of apprenticeships, which has allowed him to hone his craft and continue his education.
“Even if you go to a school, I believe it’s very beneficial to do at least a short apprenticeship afterward to not only experience shoeing, but to also learn more about the business and people skills,” he says. “I still struggle with some of the business parts of my practice such as pricing, billing, advertising, taxes and inventory.”
There are also aspiring farriers who aren’t able to get to a school, so an apprentice situation suits them just fine.
“I worked full time and was unable to go away to a school for an extended period of time,” says Derek Grimwood of Grimwood’s Farrier Service in Chapel Hill, Tenn. “I knew I needed help and couldn’t get started on my own. Because of the willingness of farriers to share their knowledge and answer my questions, I felt very encouraged as I began my own learning process.”
The benefits of training with an established farrier include:
- Working on a variety of horses.
- Receiving hands-on learning.
- Obtaining a daily evaluation of your work.
- Learning a particular aspect of horseshoeing.
- Developing a sense of the overall footcare industry.
- Getting started with methods that work rather than having to learn through trial-and-error.
Leah Clarke, who currently apprentices with International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame member Tom Curl of Vero Beach, Fla., sought a professional apprenticeship despite growing up with five other farriers in the family and already possessing the knowledge to do a basic shoeing job.
“Although I was 16 when I shod my first horse, my motivation really set in when I was 20 and I decided I wanted the lifestyle that shoeing horses provides,” says the Temecula, Calif., farrier. “Since then I’ve continued to apprentice to move myself into more highly specialized fields.”
Getting Connected
Sometimes finding a mentor involves networking and asking questions to locate someone who’s a good fit for you. This means knowing what you want to learn, how your schedules will mesh and even whether or not you can get along and have a laugh from time to time. But, sometimes a mentor can practically fall from the sky.
Knowing what kind of footwork you want to specialize in can take some time and effort, but it will help you focus on the types of skills you need and whom you should learn them from.
“I had pleasure horses for most of my life, and one day about 25 years ago the crusty old barn owner told me I was the perfect size and build, so why wasn’t I shoeing my own horses,” says Grimwood. “I told him I didn’t know how, so he stood over me and taught me how to shoe my first horse.”
Marty Maddalena of Double M Horse Services advises looking for a mentor that shares a similar level of passion, as well as enthusiasm for the teaching.
“I called several possible farriers to work with,” says the Three Forks, Mont., farrier. “I ended up choosing Jake Bereth out of Athol, Idaho, as he was also the most excited and willing mentor.”
David Hallock of Hallock Farrier Service in Dansville, Mich., advises getting an early start and having a discerning eye when it comes to selecting someone to learn from.
“You’re better off learning things the correct way rather than spending a ton of time trying to unlearn what was shown to you incorrectly,” he says. “Start looking either before you’re in school or during school, and be sure to find someone you can get along with. The ones I’ve worked with that are now great friends are the ones I learned the most from.”
Networking and research pays off in information and contacts that can point you to a farrier who’ll be a good fit for what you want and need in the way of a mentor.
Finally, remember the horse world is one where news spreads quickly via the grapevine, and oftentimes your reputation will precede you. So, if you’re a solid worker with good skills you might actually be in demand as an apprentice.
“I was connected to my mentors by word of mouth,” reports Clarke. “As found commonly through the equine industry, your work ethic and enthusiasm will be spoken about.”
What Would You Like To Learn Today?
As with many things in life, there are many choices:
- Do you want to be a generalist, or would you rather specialize in a particular type of footcare work?
- Is there one breed or discipline that’s predominant in your area?
- Do you want to shoe at racetracks or in backyards?
- Are you already established but seeking to branch out?
Getting to those answers can take some time and effort, but it will help you focus on the type of skills you need and whom you should learn them from.
Although he started apprenticing as a teenager and worked with a local farrier, Walker’s learning process has been ongoing throughout his entire life.
“I apprenticed for 2 years before I started shoeing on my own, and now 17 years later, I’m apprenticing again,” he says. “This time it’s with Dave Kidd, who’s also from Beldenville, as he’s grooming me to eventually take over the shoeing short course offered at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls.”
Maddalena says no one should ever feel that they know it all. “I’m constantly attending clinics, asking questions and picking brains,” he says.
Chris Richardson of Richardson Farrier Service in Delaware, Ohio, had a decade of blacksmithing under his belt by the time he decided to try horseshoeing.
“I was an avid horseman when I was young, so I had a fair amount of experience with horses in addition to 10 years as a practicing blacksmith,” he says. “I looked for farriers I respected and spent time with them. They’ll teach you without even thinking about it.”
Best Way To Learn Is How You Learn Best
The majority of people are identified as primarily “visual” learners, meaning they learn best by watching something being done. Other learning styles include auditory (hearing) and kinesthetic (doing). Usually farriers are a mix of several, with one learning style typically being somewhat dominant.
A mentor has not only an apprentice’s needs to consider, but the overall needs of his or her business and clients. They’ve set up their business so it works for them and not for an apprentice.
Understanding your own learning style is important in choosing your mentor. If you’re the type who learns best from hands-on experience, you won’t want to apprentice with someone who teaches primarily by lecturing.
“When learning a manual skill, I first have to see how it’s done, Then I try it, get critiqued and then do it again and again,” says Richardson. “I was lucky to have a mentor that could laugh at things and still see that I was learning from my mistakes. However, it irritated him if I kept making the same mistake over and over.”
Sometimes past experiences can be applied to the topic at hand, or it can provide the research skills needed to dig up resources.
“I was an industrial design major in college, and it helped me visualize shape and balance,” says Grimwood. “I also sought out information on things I needed to understand. I learned farrier terminology and anatomy from books and videos, and gained a great deal of knowledge from attending clinics and symposiums, especially the International Hoof-Care Summit. Attending the Summit helped me learn about reading and understanding X-rays, communicating with clients and corrective shoeing approaches.”
When It’s Really Up To You
While a mentor may determine when you’re ready to progress and provide you with more challenging situations, ultimately it’s up to each apprentice to manage their own learning experience.
“My boss has always had apprentices and after the first year, he gives out trimming or shoeing clients when he feels you’re ready,” reports Tom Bennett Dalgliesh of Bennett Farrier Service in Mount Albert, Ontario. “I always tried to get right in there and do the work since I learn best through hands-on activities. But if I wasn’t sure about something, I’d tell him what I thought was the right thing. Then he’d either correct me or tell me I was right and to continue.”
For self-starters, managing the learning process can include asking questions and reviewing books, DVDs and online videos. Another option is to test yourself by coming up with possible solutions to problems before asking for answers. If you can think of your brain as a sponge, there’s no end to the information you can soak up, much of it simply by observing what’s going on around you.
“Every time you step into someone else’s rig, there’s something to learn,” advises Clarke. “That could be any number of things, such as horsemanship skills, craftsmanship, forging techniques, time-saving tips, scheduling, billing methods, communication with clients and even when or when not to do something.”
Ask About Liability
While many apprentice arrangements were pretty casual in the past, today’s litigious society plus stringent regulations and insurance requirements can mean an entirely different approach is needed.
A signed waiver covered the liability issue for Maddalena and his mentor, but at the time he felt the workload was excessive. “I thought I was being worked too hard, but now I realize it was crucial to my upcoming as a farrier,” he says.
Negotiate, Then Deliver
Factors such as workload, scheduling and compensation are also variables worth discussing.
With each of his three mentors, Hallock says financial arrangements were typically a set fee for the day. Since he had been through school and had started on certification, he was able to be of use under normal shoeing conditions.
Walker didn’t discuss payment with his mentor. “Jim and I never had an agreement as far as compensation,” he says. “I got an education out of the deal, and at the end of my time there, I was getting under a lot of horses for him.”
Clarke believes there are situations where apprentices should be paid and others where they shouldn’t.
“I’ve grown up in a family of highly qualified farriers,” she says. “I came to my apprenticeships with top horsemanship skills, such as how to catch and hold horses properly and safely and how to ease around with a toolbox, as well as the skills to shoe a horse. These things all provide value to a mentor.”
In situations where someone is stepping into an apprenticeship where he or she is not qualified, Clarke says it’s only realistic to expect to work without pay.
“If I’m not truly benefitting anyone except for my own personal knowledge, the knowledge is compensation enough for a period of time,” she says. “I would want this mentor to know that I am worth the effort, and sometimes the mental frustration, that it takes to teach someone new skills.”
Working Together
Even under the best of circumstances, working in close proximity can result in friction or lost tempers. A mentor has not only your learning needs to consider, but the overall needs of his or her business and clients. They’ve set up their business so it works for them, not for you.
“As an apprentice, you’re working in someone’s business that they have built over the years. And, working one-on-one with someone in their own space can take some getting used to,” advises Walker.
In addition to those qualities and asking your mentor how things should be done, consider how your professionalism — or lack thereof — can affect your mentor’s business and your future business. Is your work and behavior something that will inspire trust and confidence or will it cause clients to run the other way?
Don’t forget social media. Clients can find content posted on Facebook when searching the Internet, so exercise caution before you post anything disparaging or unprofessional.
How Do You Know When You’re Done?
Wrapping up an apprenticeship appears to be less clear-cut than, for example, graduating from farrier school. Sometimes the end arrives when a mentor feels you can step up and handle clients and horses on your own; sometimes it’s when problems arise or circumstances change.
“I apprenticed for over a year, taking on my own clients after about 6 months. Then my wife’s job caused a move, so the apprenticeship ended,” says Richardson.
While his apprenticeship is officially over, Maddalena says in one way it’s still going on. “After 2 years I left the area, but I’m still in contact with my mentor and I spend a week every year with him shoeing horses,” he says. “Being an apprentice has been an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
Two-Way Street
Knowing how to do something and teaching it to someone else are two very different things, says Walker, whose first apprenticeship ended the day a client couldn’t bring in his horses.
“My mentor preferred to shoe horses in his shop, so he asked if I wanted to go out and work on a horse,” he says. “I loaded up my Jeep and off I went, and I’ve been on my own ever since.
“It’s been a blessing to do what I love every day. There is always someone who has been doing this longer or that does it better than me, so I’ve always allotted time to learn. I look forward to continuing that lifelong education and have gratitude for others who took a chance on me.”
Grimwood puts into words what many in the shoeing world already know. “All of the farriers I’ve ridden with have been eager to help me because I wanted to learn, and I appreciated what they had to share,” he says.
“That help, such as the guidance I received leading up to certification, has allowed me to progress in my career. You’ll never find a profession where so many are so willing to help. If you’re honest and respectful and want to learn, the sky is the limit.”
