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| I just got to thinking about this. Someone asked me if I knew of a reputable certified farrier in their area. They will not let anyone who is not certified touch their horse. I explained that a "Certified" farrier nearly crippled my colt over a 3 year period of time and it took a year of a " Non" certified one to fix the damage. A lady boards her horse at my house that uses a " Certified" farrier and I just cringe whenever i see that person working on a horse. Just out of curiosity I asked about how you would get certified. He told me he went to farrier school in Oklahoma for 9 weeks, but he decided to " Extend" another 3 weeks for personal growth, and explained that most in his class did not extend. THis person had never been raised around horses, owned horses, ridden horses... His sister took english riding lessons when he was younger and he was fascinated by watching her horse get new shoes. Both parents are doctors and sent him to ivy league college that just wasnt for him, so off to farrier school he went and he is now certified. He knows who my farrier is and warned me about using non certified farriers!! And the dangers of doing so. My farrier shoes for some of the top 15 in the rodeo world and flys all over the country sometimes by request of these people to take care of their horses while they are on the road. He was born and raised around horses, has competed his whole life on them, and his family raises and trains top barrel horses. But he is NOT certified.... Just curious... |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| The Oklahoma horse shoing school is a joke.
Five Star horse shoing school is also in Oklahoma, and they're the real deal.
Someone can only be as good as their education and experience. I always ask where they've been, who they shoe for, and how long they've been in business. I want to know what programs they've been in, what their farrier rank is, and if they attend veternarian and farrier seminars. I like to know if they attend competitions, and how they do there. I don't like using the back yard guy, they do more harm than good usually. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1898
 
| Certification means absolutely nothing to me. Our neighbor kid down the street became "certified" 2 years ago. This kid is afraid of horses, doesn't like them and has absolutely no business around them. He begged and begged me to let him shoe my horses. There was no way on earth I would let him touch my horses with a 10 foot pole! He has crippled more horses in this valley than I care to discuss, because he is cheap and his clients really don't know any better, they keep having him come back. I cringe. My sister has had the liberty of fixing the feet on three different clients horses who suffered the brutality of this guy. That is just one example. A very good friend of mine went to shoeing school and got certified in Montana, he told us that his final exam was to build a 3 degree wedge shoe. He took a keg shoe, tacked a 3 degree pad on it and turned it in, he got an A on his final and was the highest marked guy in the class. Disgraceful.
There is a farrier here who is very good and went to school for it, but before he went to school he learned from his father who was a graduate of one of the most prestigious shoeing schools in the state, when a certificate actually meant something. The kid only went to school for the paper, so he could shoe for people who believe that is what makes a good and reputable farrier.
For me, experience, understanding of conformation, and the mechanics of the foot and leg is far more important than a piece a paper that says you passed a class.
Edited by cyount2009 2016-01-27 12:14 PM
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  Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | cyount2009 - 2016-01-27 12:11 PM Certification means absolutely nothing to me. Our neighbor kid down the street became "certified" 2 years ago. This kid is afraid of horses, doesn't like them and has absolutely no business around them. He begged and begged me to let him shoe my horses. There was no way on earth I would let him touch my horses with a 10 foot pole! He has crippled more horses in this valley than I care to discuss, because he is cheap and his clients really don't know any better, they keep having him come back. I cringe. My sister has had the liberty of fixing the feet on three different clients horses who suffered the brutality of this guy. That is just one example. A very good friend of mine went to shoeing school and got certified in Montana, he told us that his final exam was to build a 3 degree wedge shoe. He took a keg shoe, tacked a 3 degree pad on it and turned it in, he got an A on his final and was the highest marked guy in the class. Disgraceful. There is a farrier here who is very good and went to school for it, but before he went to school he learned from his father who was a graduate of one of the most prestigious shoeing schools in the state, when a certificate actually meant something. The kid only went to school for the paper, so he could shoe for people who believe that is what makes a good and reputable farrier. For me, experience, understanding of conformation, and the mechanics of the foot and leg is far more important than a piece a paper that says you passed a class.
This ^^^^. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| cranky B4 10am - 2016-01-27 12:21 PM cyount2009 - 2016-01-27 12:11 PM Certification means absolutely nothing to me. Our neighbor kid down the street became "certified" 2 years ago. This kid is afraid of horses, doesn't like them and has absolutely no business around them. He begged and begged me to let him shoe my horses. There was no way on earth I would let him touch my horses with a 10 foot pole! He has crippled more horses in this valley than I care to discuss, because he is cheap and his clients really don't know any better, they keep having him come back. I cringe. My sister has had the liberty of fixing the feet on three different clients horses who suffered the brutality of this guy. That is just one example. A very good friend of mine went to shoeing school and got certified in Montana, he told us that his final exam was to build a 3 degree wedge shoe. He took a keg shoe, tacked a 3 degree pad on it and turned it in, he got an A on his final and was the highest marked guy in the class. Disgraceful. There is a farrier here who is very good and went to school for it, but before he went to school he learned from his father who was a graduate of one of the most prestigious shoeing schools in the state, when a certificate actually meant something. The kid only went to school for the paper, so he could shoe for people who believe that is what makes a good and reputable farrier. For me, experience, understanding of conformation, and the mechanics of the foot and leg is far more important than a piece a paper that says you passed a class. This ^^^^.
And a lot of those pieces of paper can be bought saying you are a member of a farriers association and don't mean squat. |
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Expert
Posts: 5290
| Thanks all, just making sure I wasnt being to harsh.. and as for the above post on Oklahoma, I have no idea which one he attended. Next time I will ask, if there is a next time.. lol |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | Honestly I couldn't tell you if my farrier is certified or not.
I go by who their other clients are, how their horses perform, etc.
I just changed farriers, mainly for convenience, as the last one went back to a 9-5 job and just doesn't really have time. We were struggling to meet up on a regular basis.
The new guy did change a couple things on my gelding, more technique than anything. He didn't go crazy changing up his angles or anything major. But different people shoe differently. He explained what he changed and why, without bashing the other guy. Time will tell!! Very subtle changes could make a positive, negative, or no difference lol. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| None, my farrier learned from his dad who had a reputation as one of the best in Texas. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 312
Location: KS | Ive never asked but im almost certain mine is not certified. And he does a really nice job, I keep mine barefoot most of the time and don't mine keeping them trim myself but like to have him come through spring and summer months to keep them up a little nicer. He shows up in a pickup, homemade stand, one small bag of tools. Does a really nice job, and 2nd thing I always look for is someone with patience/kindness towards a horse. If I had the best farrier out there and he's short with the horses, im done.
This is the first farrier Ive seen bring his own fly spray and spray every horse down before he works on them, had him do a colt for me that whose feet hand only been handle a few times, did amazing.
Had a guy I kinda grew up with doing mine before, his patience was short and he eventually got to where he would only work 9-5. No offense to anyone, but i like a farrier thatll work weekends or evenings so i don't have to take off work to meet them, this guy wouldn't meet me even if I hauled (he lived about 5 miles from me which made it worse). |
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| My farrier happens to be certified but it means nothing to me. He's been around horses his whole life and his wife rides and barrel races for fun. He KNOWS a horse's foot, inside and out, and he understands conformation. Those are things that are important to me. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2135
Location: Somewhere else | I would much rather have experience over a piece of paper. I've had both work on my horses and the 'certified' farriers was a joke. Wanted to dope my horse cause he wouldn't stand completely still for the 30 mins it took him to do just 1 foot. Experience is what counts. Love the farrier I have now, he will work with the horses and he's patient with them. I've seen too many certified farriers dope a horse up and kill it. Nope, take the expeirence. It will save you alot in the long run. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | dakota88 - 2016-01-27 3:16 PM I would much rather have experience over a piece of paper. I've had both work on my horses and the 'certified' farriers was a joke. Wanted to dope my horse cause he wouldn't stand completely still for the 30 mins it took him to do just 1 foot. Experience is what counts. Love the farrier I have now, he will work with the horses and he's patient with them. I've seen too many certified farriers dope a horse up and kill it. Nope, take the expeirence. It will save you alot in the long run.
Wow where do you live to have seen so many horses killed by certified farrier's? Now that is scary.. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Up here we have certified farriers whose only schooling was a weekend course. They have the certificate to prove it, and advertise themselves as certified, and charge 40/trim.
I believe word of mouth is better then looking at certification. This goes for anything |
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Expert
Posts: 3147
| classicpotatochip - 2016-01-27 12:09 PM
The Oklahoma horse shoing school is a joke.
Five Star horse shoing school is also in Oklahoma, and they're the real deal.
Someone can only be as good as their education and experience. I always ask where they've been, who they shoe for, and how long they've been in business. I want to know what programs they've been in, what their farrier rank is, and if they attend veternarian and farrier seminars. I like to know if they attend competitions, and how they do there. I don't like using the back yard guy, they do more harm than good usually.
The Ok State Horseshoeing School in Ardmore is not a joke. I know nothing about the Ok. Horseshoeing School in Purcell. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| WrapN3MN - 2016-01-27 12:43 PM
Means nothing to me.
Same here - and I'm SCARED of most of them if that's all they have! |
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 Fact Checker
Posts: 16572
Location: Displaced Iowegian | Nateracer - 2016-01-27 12:42 PM cranky B4 10am - 2016-01-27 12:21 PM cyount2009 - 2016-01-27 12:11 PM Certification means absolutely nothing to me. Our neighbor kid down the street became "certified" 2 years ago. This kid is afraid of horses, doesn't like them and has absolutely no business around them. He begged and begged me to let him shoe my horses. There was no way on earth I would let him touch my horses with a 10 foot pole! He has crippled more horses in this valley than I care to discuss, because he is cheap and his clients really don't know any better, they keep having him come back. I cringe. My sister has had the liberty of fixing the feet on three different clients horses who suffered the brutality of this guy. That is just one example. A very good friend of mine went to shoeing school and got certified in Montana, he told us that his final exam was to build a 3 degree wedge shoe. He took a keg shoe, tacked a 3 degree pad on it and turned it in, he got an A on his final and was the highest marked guy in the class. Disgraceful. There is a farrier here who is very good and went to school for it, but before he went to school he learned from his father who was a graduate of one of the most prestigious shoeing schools in the state, when a certificate actually meant something. The kid only went to school for the paper, so he could shoe for people who believe that is what makes a good and reputable farrier. For me, experience, understanding of conformation, and the mechanics of the foot and leg is far more important than a piece a paper that says you passed a class. This ^^^^.
Edited by NJJ 2016-01-28 9:17 AM
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Expert
Posts: 5290
| Adding to my thread here hopefully someone will see it. I would REALLY be interested in learning to trim my own horses and even learn to " Tack a shoe back on" that gets lost at a rodeo etc... Not so much learn to shape feet, or anything but kind of learn the basics to get me by in a pinch. lol Any ideas? I guess ask my shoer to teach me... Now I have to find the time.. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I thought certified meant they had tested with the farrier association, not just completed a course. As far as I know, mine learned from apprenticeships, and doing clinics and competitions. I'm thinking he might be a certified journeyman, but I'm not sure. I do know he worked wonders for some messed up feet from my previous shoer and he tries hard to work with me if I or my vet think something needs tweaked. Been with him almost 3 years now. |
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 Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | The fault I see with alot of farriers, is they know more than we do, however they see the horse only once every 6 - 8 weeks vs us seeing them every day. I think that they are often in a rush to get as many customers a day in rather than ensuring a quality job on every horse they encounter and taking the time to measure, then rasp, then measure again to ensure balance both front to back as well as laterally. There are things I have asked my farrier to improve upon, and I also have a hoof stand and a rasp and trim a couple of my horses myself, as most of mine are now barefoot. I don't have any certification, but I try to educate myself and pay very close attention to what i'm doing, measuring the foot, and making sure I have a very balanced foot.
A certificate doesn't prove to me that someone takes pride in their work or that they are conscientous. The proof is in the pudding there for me.
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Expert
Posts: 5290
| Herbie - 2016-01-28 9:13 AM
The fault I see with alot of farriers, is they know more than we do, however they see the horse only once every 6 - 8 weeks vs us seeing them every day. I think that they are often in a rush to get as many customers a day in rather than ensuring a quality job on every horse they encounter and taking the time to measure, then rasp, then measure again to ensure balance both front to back as well as laterally. There are things I have asked my farrier to improve upon, and I also have a hoof stand and a rasp and trim a couple of my horses myself, as most of mine are now barefoot. I don't have any certification, but I try to educate myself and pay very close attention to what i'm doing, measuring the foot, and making sure I have a very balanced foot.
A certificate doesn't prove to me that someone takes pride in their work or that they are conscientous. The proof is in the pudding there for me.
OMG... I am fortunate not to have a quick farrier that is into quantity rather than quality.. lol He takes about 1.5-2 hours PER HORSE making sure everything is dead on perfect... lol
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 Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2075
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | I used a farrier for a short bit - he volunteered that he wasn't certified, but he'd been shoeing/trimming for a long time also worked for a huge rescue operation, so I soaked in all of his talk/views. He was good with the horses and had a lot to say.
I have a question, though - one of my horses had the crack in the wall, split towards the front wall on his fronts. I was expecting that he could resolve it soon, but after a few trims the cracks were not disappearing and his angles were way off - this horse has a steep shoulder and steep pasterns, but this farrier had his toes growing way out in front of him. He explained that he would eventually change the angle, but right now he was cutting more off the heel and leaving the toe long to take pressure off the crack. Does that sound right?
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | txbredbr - 2016-01-28 1:06 PM I used a farrier for a short bit - he volunteered that he wasn't certified, but he'd been shoeing/trimming for a long time also worked for a huge rescue operation, so I soaked in all of his talk/views. He was good with the horses and had a lot to say.
I have a question, though - one of my horses had the crack in the wall, split towards the front wall on his fronts. I was expecting that he could resolve it soon, but after a few trims the cracks were not disappearing and his angles were way off - this horse has a steep shoulder and steep pasterns, but this farrier had his toes growing way out in front of him. He explained that he would eventually change the angle, but right now he was cutting more off the heel and leaving the toe long to take pressure off the crack. Does that sound right?
That doesn't sound right to me. One of mine was cracked and flared badly. My guy notched top and bottom and they grew out beautifully. He never messed with her angles, her feet stayed balanced. |
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 Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
Location: southeast Texas | My farrier is a master farrier. He apprenticed under a great farrier in the area. Been with him as my shoer over 15 years.
When I lived in Baton Rouge, used a wonderful farrier that apprenticed with some of the areas best horse shoers. He did not have that piece of paper.
Great friends with the both of them.
Edited by roxieannie 2016-01-28 2:15 PM
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Expert
Posts: 2135
Location: Somewhere else | My husband has 20+ yrs experience, he worked under his dad forever. He goes to every clinic he can get to. Anything he can get to that will help him and his clients he goes to. So many things keep changing in the farrier business that you have to go to clinics to stay updated on the new tools, new shoes, new ways to treat certain problems and the different ways to shoe certain horses that have special needs/problems. I've gone to several of the clinics with him and you learn so much at these clinics.
Edited by dakota88 2016-02-02 9:32 AM
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 Poor Cracker Girl
Posts: 12150
Location: Feeding mosquitos, FL | txbredbr - 2016-01-28 2:06 PM I used a farrier for a short bit - he volunteered that he wasn't certified, but he'd been shoeing/trimming for a long time also worked for a huge rescue operation, so I soaked in all of his talk/views. He was good with the horses and had a lot to say.
I have a question, though - one of my horses had the crack in the wall, split towards the front wall on his fronts. I was expecting that he could resolve it soon, but after a few trims the cracks were not disappearing and his angles were way off - this horse has a steep shoulder and steep pasterns, but this farrier had his toes growing way out in front of him. He explained that he would eventually change the angle, but right now he was cutting more off the heel and leaving the toe long to take pressure off the crack. Does that sound right?
No - leaving the toe long will put more mechanical force on the crack and make it worse. Back up the toe and keep it flare-free. The crack will just grow out. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Three 4 Luck - 2016-01-28 9:31 AM
I thought certified meant they had tested with the farrier association, not just completed a course. As far as I know, mine learned from apprenticeships, and doing clinics and competitions. I'm thinking he might be a certified journeyman, but I'm not sure. I do know he worked wonders for some messed up feet from my previous shoer and he tries hard to work with me if I or my vet think something needs tweaked. Been with him almost 3 years now.
This sounds just like my farrier. Where do you live T4L? |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Chandler's Mom - 2016-01-29 2:53 AM Three 4 Luck - 2016-01-28 9:31 AM I thought certified meant they had tested with the farrier association, not just completed a course. As far as I know, mine learned from apprenticeships, and doing clinics and competitions. I'm thinking he might be a certified journeyman, but I'm not sure. I do know he worked wonders for some messed up feet from my previous shoer and he tries hard to work with me if I or my vet think something needs tweaked. Been with him almost 3 years now. This sounds just like my farrier. Where do you live T4L?
Between Mcgehee and Dumas. Tom Wright? |
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Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2075
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | Three 4 Luck - 2016-01-28 2:04 PM txbredbr - 2016-01-28 1:06 PM I used a farrier for a short bit - he volunteered that he wasn't certified, but he'd been shoeing/trimming for a long time also worked for a huge rescue operation, so I soaked in all of his talk/views. He was good with the horses and had a lot to say.
I have a question, though - one of my horses had the crack in the wall, split towards the front wall on his fronts. I was expecting that he could resolve it soon, but after a few trims the cracks were not disappearing and his angles were way off - this horse has a steep shoulder and steep pasterns, but this farrier had his toes growing way out in front of him. He explained that he would eventually change the angle, but right now he was cutting more off the heel and leaving the toe long to take pressure off the crack. Does that sound right?
That doesn't sound right to me. One of mine was cracked and flared badly. My guy notched top and bottom and they grew out beautifully. He never messed with her angles, her feet stayed balanced.
That's what I thought, too - and he explained it and used hand motions to back up his theory. But the angles made me cringe and I'd have to call him out after 3 weeks because toes were too long, already (didn't seem to take much off to begin with) and I quit using him. |
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Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2075
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | TrackinBubba - 2016-01-28 2:34 PM txbredbr - 2016-01-28 2:06 PM I used a farrier for a short bit - he volunteered that he wasn't certified, but he'd been shoeing/trimming for a long time also worked for a huge rescue operation, so I soaked in all of his talk/views. He was good with the horses and had a lot to say.
I have a question, though - one of my horses had the crack in the wall, split towards the front wall on his fronts. I was expecting that he could resolve it soon, but after a few trims the cracks were not disappearing and his angles were way off - this horse has a steep shoulder and steep pasterns, but this farrier had his toes growing way out in front of him. He explained that he would eventually change the angle, but right now he was cutting more off the heel and leaving the toe long to take pressure off the crack. Does that sound right?
No - leaving the toe long will put more mechanical force on the crack and make it worse. Back up the toe and keep it flare-free. The crack will just grow out.
Thanks -- that made sense to me, too. I stopped using him pretty quickly. To me, that seems like a really basic theory and a common problem that should have a tried and true resolution. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I guess I have no clue if my farriers are certified...I just went with the one guy everyone here uses and recommends and now that he's so busy, my barn manager does my horse now and he does an amazing job. |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Three 4 Luck - 2016-01-29 7:10 AM
Chandler's Mom - 2016-01-29 2:53 AM Three 4 Luck - 2016-01-28 9:31 AM I thought certified meant they had tested with the farrier association, not just completed a course. As far as I know, mine learned from apprenticeships, and doing clinics and competitions. I'm thinking he might be a certified journeyman, but I'm not sure. I do know he worked wonders for some messed up feet from my previous shoer and he tries hard to work with me if I or my vet think something needs tweaked. Been with him almost 3 years now. This sounds just like my farrier. Where do you live T4L?
Yep, we love Tom!!! |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | The only ones that have every screwed up the balance of my horse's feet were certified. The only ones that have NEVER screwed mine up were non certified. My favorite is a 71 yr old rancher that learned how to be a farrier while he was in the service-Vietnam Era. He learned from a WWI Calvery officer. |
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 Blaines and Beauty
Posts: 1431
| My husband is a farrier and did not have any schooling and he shoes some of the top horses in the state. He learned from some great shoers and also vets that study feet. I think sometimes the ones that go to school are too by the book. They don't want to learn anything different, don't want to try stuff that might not be the "norm" and don't want to think outside of the box. I have seen so many out of farrier school that had never been around horses much and just wanted a way to make quick cash, no matter if it cripples the horse or not. My husband has been raised with top notch cutting horses and then got into barrel and team sorting horses. He shoes the normal horse full, shorter toe and heel and follows the natural angle of the pastern. The shoe is made to fit the horse, not the other way around. I'm not saying all farriers out of school are like mentioned above by any means but sometimes I feel that doing lots of hands on stuff is better than anything a school can teach. |
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Expert
Posts: 2121
Location: The Great Northwest | The schooling is great but experience is important to educate further in all sorts of situations. As always the more experience one has the more valuable one is. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | I don't know if someone can 'buy' their way through this or not. It looks like a good endorsement if it's honest. http://americanfarriers.org/certification/
Edited by komet. 2016-02-03 1:15 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 482
Location: Texas, and loving it | There is a big difference between having a certificate from a school and being certified. Certified means you are a member of the the American Farriers Association and have completed training and testing. You are required to make certain shoes, shoe horses, etc. You are judged by some of the top fairriers in the world. It is a tough deal. Alot of them don't pass the first time. They can go on to journeyman and master farriers. I don't think there is anyway you could "buy your way in". Most of them attend competitions and seminars on a regular basis not because they "have" to but because there is always new techniques and products. Not saying just because they are certified they can't do things wrong.....they are people and make mistakes too. |
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 Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | Herbie - 2016-01-28 10:13 AM The fault I see with alot of farriers, is they know more than we do, however they see the horse only once every 6 - 8 weeks vs us seeing them every day. I think that they are often in a rush to get as many customers a day in rather than ensuring a quality job on every horse they encounter and taking the time to measure, then rasp, then measure again to ensure balance both front to back as well as laterally. There are things I have asked my farrier to improve upon, and I also have a hoof stand and a rasp and trim a couple of my horses myself, as most of mine are now barefoot. I don't have any certification, but I try to educate myself and pay very close attention to what i'm doing, measuring the foot, and making sure I have a very balanced foot.
A certificate doesn't prove to me that someone takes pride in their work or that they are conscientous. The proof is in the pudding there for me.
Agree! I've gone to trimming my own and the ranch horses now too. I can put in the time to get them just right and my horses feet have never looked better. |
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Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | TrackinBubba - 2016-01-28 1:34 PM txbredbr - 2016-01-28 2:06 PM I used a farrier for a short bit - he volunteered that he wasn't certified, but he'd been shoeing/trimming for a long time also worked for a huge rescue operation, so I soaked in all of his talk/views. He was good with the horses and had a lot to say.
I have a question, though - one of my horses had the crack in the wall, split towards the front wall on his fronts. I was expecting that he could resolve it soon, but after a few trims the cracks were not disappearing and his angles were way off - this horse has a steep shoulder and steep pasterns, but this farrier had his toes growing way out in front of him. He explained that he would eventually change the angle, but right now he was cutting more off the heel and leaving the toe long to take pressure off the crack. Does that sound right?
No - leaving the toe long will put more mechanical force on the crack and make it worse. Back up the toe and keep it flare-free. The crack will just grow out.
^ This! |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| just because they have a certification, means they passed a test, not that can make sure your horses feet have proper angles and is level. |
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Member
Posts: 23
| IMO having a certification, whether it be with AFA, BWFA, etc... Shows that your farrier is doing what they can to continue their education. Passing the certifications is hard, and takes a lot of time to accomplish.
That's not to say that there aren't a lot of excellent farriers that have no certification. But, to me (and I am a farrier, and married to one too so I am a little biased maybe) it shows a continued commitment to the trade, and pushing your skills to be the best you can possibly be.
I wouldn't let anyone who's not certified under my horses, but it's easy for me to say. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 434
Location: Northwest Florida | I've actually never chosen a farrier based on certification. I go by reputation. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 324
| I honestly couldn't tell you if my farrier has any certification or not, and he's been my farrier for years. I picked him based on his reputation. He is the only one I have found that I trust to shoe my babies.
You can go take a course and do the work and they'll give you piece of paper, but that doesn't mean you know what you're doing.
But you can't fake experience and reputation!! |
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 Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Certificates don't mean as much to me as reputations. However, even with reputations, I stay level minded knowing some people will never be happy no matter how good the work is.
What is important to me is how educated and good the farrier is. A farrier can be top notch and highly educated without being certified. As for certificates, there are different ones, and certain ones automatically tell you that that person has gone out of his way to get educated. But at the same time that doesn't necessarily mean that person is a great farrier. You can have all the education in the world, but you still need maturity, capabilities, and desires.
I have had both certified and non certified work on my horses. My best farrier wasn't certified as far as I knew, and several others were and still are great farriers without being certified. I have had good certified ones as well.
That being said....I got sick and tired of going through farriers and having horses sored, crippled, etc etc....(we move alot becuase of the military so have to change a lot). After my last experience here in Missouri, I quit riding, pulled all shoes, and gave up.
My husband got inspired at that time. He only did a 2 week farrier course, but apprenticed under good guys here, and he is now my full time farrier. At first he did make mistakes, as expected, and we just worked through them. Now I am so unbelievably grateful because my horses feet look better then they ever have, the guy sticking nails in them has just as much invested as I do, and he cares as much as I do. My husband has no certifications. He does however attend clinics, works under more educated farriers, and is furthering his education. He studied anatomy and conformation for years before he decided to learn to shoe. At this time, he only shoes my horses. He trims/shoes for two friends as well for free (they help us out in return) but will not shoe for money because he feels he doesn't know enough to charge for it yet. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | Not very important. Certifications are only as "important" as the certificating organization. I had 1 farrier for 24 years. When I changed farriers a little over 3 years ago, I interviewed 4 farriers. I watched people run locally, asked questions of friends and paid attention. LOVE they guy that is taking care of my horses now and I have no idea where he was trained or if he is certified by anyone. |
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How important is Farrier certification to you?????