Horse Shoeing Schools

Whether you are interested in learning about shoeing your own horses for private use, are interested in becoming a professional farrier, or something in between, there are numerous horseshoeing schools around the country that tailor classes to your needs. Courses range from basic to professional and include topics such as anatomy, proper shoeing techniques and horse health.

  1. Oklahoma Horseshoeing School

    • The Oklahoma Horseshoeing School was founded in the summer of 1973. The school features a low ratio of students per instructor and graduates range in age from 13 to 65. A new group of students gets welcomed to the school each Monday and they learn corrective shoeing every day until graduation on Saturday. More intensive courses are available including a two-week basic horseshoeing class, an eight-week professional horseshoeing course and a 12-week advanced horseshoeing and blacksmithing course. You must either bring your own tools, such as clinch cutters and hoof knives, or purchase tools at the school.

    Kentucky Horseshoeing School

    • The Kentucky Horseshoeing School was founded in 1978 and is situated on 40 acres of pasture. Courses are available in two, 12-, 24- and 36-week increments, and internships and independent study courses are also available. The two-week course is for those who want to learn how to shoe their own horses when no professional farrier is available, and the course emphasizes basic limb and foot anatomy. The 24-week course is the school's minimum recommended training for entry-level farriers.

    Butler Professinal Farrier School

    • The Butler Professional Farrier School in Crawford, Nebraska, includes instruction from Doug Butler, an internationally known farrier and teacher with more than 45 years of professional experience. Courses are six weeks long and feature one-on-one instruction at both the basic and advanced levels. Both options are 300 hours long including 60 hours worth of homework. Course objectives are to produce farriers qualified to work on sound horses and to produce farriers qualified to work to perform therapeutic work on specialized horses, respectively, according to the school website.

    Casey and Son Horseshoeing School

    • Casey and Son Horseshoeing School in Lafayette, Georgia, was founded in 1989 and features two-, six- or 12-week courses, which you can take whenever your schedule allows or fulltime. The two-week course is for private owners who want to learn how to shoe their horses, while the six-week course features horse health classes including how to recognize, prevent and correct lameness. The 12-week course is for those interested in becoming a professional farrier and includes advanced shoeing techniques such as leg braces.