I believe it is a tragedy if farriers don’t continue to learn. I am grateful that I have recognized that one’s skill level can and must continually improve — especially when I look back over my own difficult experience.

Yet, there are no defined or required policies for established farriers to continue their education. For example, after leaving the scheduled environment and curriculum at farrier school, how would that new farrier continue to learn and improve their skills? After all, the farrier school experience should only be the foundation of getting started.

Nonetheless, there are many conferences, clinics and competitions available. But how can you prepare to get the most out of these events and then return and apply what you have learned to your business? This is critically important when one considers the time and financial investment made in pursuing various avenues of continuing education.

I was fortunate to grow up in the farrier industry with some incredible opportunities. However, things did not come naturally, and I struggled to achieve my own individual skill level. It required me to possess a strong desire, which continues to motivate me to continue even when things don’t work for the first, second or third time.

There are many skill areas that farriers strive to excel at. These take time to develop. From my vantage point as an educator, it is interesting to observe new farriers because one skill may come easier than another. We often gravitate toward a particular skill because it comes easier. Unfortunately, we then neglect other areas because they are harder and require more effort.

As farriers, we must push ourselves to become competent in every area. I have found that as I work on one skill area and it becomes better — I then can work on the next; continually striving to maintain each skill area. Through my roles as an educator and student, I have developed some insight on how to effectively plan out continuing education for the practicing farrier.

Necessary Traits Required To Excel

Desire is one of the most important traits to possess for effective learning. How bad do you want what you initially set out for? This trait motivates us to keep going when presented with difficulty while we learn and work on improvement. As everyone is presented with different opportunities, what will each individual receive or make out of their particular situation? Our attitude and perspective influences our choices.

Things don’t always work out as we might first envision. Ask yourself, “can I learn from or build on this experience?” Assuming there is a desire to be the best possible in relation to one’s abilities, realize it will take dedicated effort and time to improve and excel. This may consist of both short- and long-term goals. Our world today compels many to want things faster, yet they don’t want to put in the effort and time necessary. Often this may be because they don’t have something to aim for or work toward.

Therefore, it is crucial to set goals and prepare for achieving them. That latter part is important to remember. We may imagine achieving, but fail to recognize the commitment and amount of work involved in achieving it. By initially understanding what goes in, we then can understand how to better prepare.

A helpful resource in preparation and pursuit of a goal is mentors. The correct mentor will be where you want to reach. Through their own experiences, they have traveled the road that you are just beginning. Mentors have a knowledge base and are able to communicate that experience and knowledge effectively. They provide motivation to keep us going, but can deliver insightful critique in a helpful way, pointing out the need for improvement and getting back on track.

Let’s examine the student in the farrier school setting. Most students have a fresh perspective as they are exposed to principles and techniques for the first time. It is exciting to watch a student’s eagerness and enthusiasm as they try something and then recognize it takes a little while to develop the foundations of that skill. The level of their commitment is tested when that realization hits, recognizing they are not going to get this as quickly as they possibly thought.

Like the student, the feeling of an obstacle in the pathway to our goal can quickly test us all. I recommend building a schedule for study and pursuing opportunities to use what you are learning to overcome perceived obstacles.

Often the perspective can come as one may ask after receiving some critique “…but it is good enough, right?” They are asking for justification; defending what they probably did not mean to do. Whereas the perspective and attitude should be, “What can I do better?” There is a sense of satisfaction when a student recognizes what they could do better as they evaluate/analyze their own work. They can work through a mental checklist of what they did do or didn’t do. These individuals will continue to excel because they are thinking about it and holding themselves accountable.

Another scenario is when an individual seems to have talent or great potential. They really could do anything but have no desire to nurture or develop that skill area. As a teacher observes this, it can be disheartening realizing the full potential that remains untouched. It is important to be honest with ourselves, not to take any shortcuts as we commit to the finish from the beginning. Are we taking advantage of the opportunities?

Stephen King’s book On Writing shares a story about his son Owen, who heard musician Clarence Clemons play the saxophone and knew that he wanted to play like that. So King and his wife indulged him and bought Owen a saxophone and paid for lessons. After 7 months, the parents suggested maybe it was time to stop since Owen would only practice during the periods the teacher had set up for him.

“Owen mastered the scales and the notes — nothing wrong with his memory, his lungs or his eye-hand coordination, but we never heard him take off, surprising himself with something new, blissing himself out. And as soon as his practice time was over, it was back into the case with the horn, and there it stayed until the next lesson or practice-time.

“What this suggested to me was that when it came to the sax and my son, there was never going to be any real play-time; it was all going to be rehearsal. That’s no good. If there’s no joy in it, it’s just not good. It’s best to go on to some other area, where the deposits of talent may be richer and the fun quotient higher.”

This passage solidifies the idea of being honest with ourselves as farriers. Does the work give you joy? So much joy that you will break through those obstacles and reach your full potential? If so, here are several suggestions and strategies to reinvigorate you toward excellence.

When you are looking to improve, work with a mentor who has been through the same challenges you are facing. Farrier Sam Olsen works with Dick Becker on building a bar shoe at an Iowa State University clinic. 

Dedicate And Schedule Time To Improve

When I was in college I set aside time to study for each class. As the classes began I realized I might have to alter or change the amount of study for each class depending on how I would manage with the subject and material. Changes would come about through the experience of recognizing when I wasn’t doing so well that I needed to devote additional time to these areas. This same idea could be applied to our farrier skills. As mentioned before, some skill areas might come easier compared to others that require more dedication dependent on the practitioner.

There are more effective times of the day when we are fully engaged in what we are doing — we are able to concentrate and focus. For example, I know for me, morning is a more effective time since I have a fresh slate compared to the evening when I am exhausted from that day’s events.

As you seek to improve skill level and work on our individual goals, try different times of the day and find what works best for your schedule and engagement. The length of this set aside time should be consistent to allow for adequate study and practice time with minimal distractions. The commitment to excel motivates one to keep the study appointment and follow-through, until it begins to become a habit.

Maintain Focus, Minimize Distractions

After a time is selected, what is most helpful in deciding what to study? Topics of study may come from questions from customers or areas/topics we realize we don’t understand. Most frequently, a long-term goal or idea will motivate us to be better and work toward an area we desire to master. You want to make yourself interesting to your clients.

How should you break things down and know where to start? I find that in frustration students express a justification when things don’t work out on the current trim or shoeing. It is better to exclaim that the next one will be improved.

There is some truth to the idea that each one will get better but the concept should be to pull apart and measure each integral part of what was done accurately. Then ask, “What could be done better?” Every horse needs to be completely trimmed and maybe shod. As we work on an individual task, can we take extra time, focusing on a specific element or part, where we are consciously thinking about what we are doing and how to make it better?

This gives beginners a way to measure where they are and what to work on. Notes can be made on the parts that one wants to work on and then review them and make a plan to make it better. One example is how beginners “gut” or dip the quarters. First, they must recognize the problem. Then as they come to the quarters, they can reduce the amount cut and start coming out to avoid this area.

Another way is to practice different aspects of the job like shaping and fitting to patterns of feet. In a certification or competition when a time limit is enforced, there are areas that one needs to improve on. A simple example might be for the certified farrier exam with a 1 hour time limit to divide that time into three 20-minute increments like the trim, shoe shaping and fitting and nailing and finishing. The time could be divided in any number of ways, as one recognizes what would take less or more time.

As we divide the job into several sections, some are able when they are working to do several projects at the same time. It is recommended when we are studying or practicing that we minimize any distractions, so we can focus on what is being done. Eventually, our full attention is not required, as we learn and the job becomes automatic or subconscious.

Be Patient With Yourself

As you go out and work to improve your skills and knowledge, don’t be discouraged when things don’t work out the first time. Be patient and keep going. In observing my own children as they learn something new, they often will take the easier way when they say, “I can’t do it.” They have never tried it before; of course they can’t do it. However, the older we get, we recognize the amount of time it takes to learn things and our approach improves as we maintain diligence and patience.

Sometimes it can be discouraging when it takes longer than we were planning or thinking it should take. This again tests our motivation and commitment to improvement.

Review Goals And Hold Ourselves Accountable

We need a way to measure where we are and what could be better. Write and keep present a list that you can check off what was done correctly or what needs more attention next time. It is important to recognize each shoe or job isn’t perfect. None will ever be perfect. You need to ask what can you learn and strive to do better the next time. Hold yourself accountable, not justifying your performance due to factors that you have no control over, by not defending something that could be better.

Set a date that you want to achieve the individual steps and goal by. If you don’t there always will be something else that will be more important. The date will motivate you to schedule time to work toward the goal. 

2017 Getting Started In Hoof Care Contents