HORSESHOEING
COURSES
Our Basic Horseshoeing Course provides a comprehensive introduction to the farrier profession, covering fundamental principles of equine anatomy and forging techniques. Daily lectures will cover the gross anatomy involved in the hoof capsule, equine skeleton, and soft tissue structures, ensuring a strong foundational understanding of hoof health.
Other principles taught will be how to properly position yourself while under a horse, trimming the foot and nailing on shoes. In addition to anatomy, this course includes hands-on training in essential forging skills, such as drawing and shaping, while also introducing the mechanics of utilizing the horn of an anvil.
Designed for horse owners and enthusiasts seeking to expand their knowledge of hoof care, this course is ideal for those looking to maintain the health of their personal horses. However, it is not recommended for individuals intending to pursue horseshoeing as a professional career.
This two-week course will absolutely teach you to shoe your own horse. The intent of this course is to teach you to shoe your own horses and perhaps build up a part-time clientele.
This two-week course will absolutely teach you to shoe your own horse. The intent of this course is to teach you to shoe your own horses and perhaps build up a part-time clientele. Even though many professional farriers today have gotten their start in this two-week course, this is not considered a vocational course and therefore is not eligible for VA Benefits
8-Week Professional Horseshoeing Course: – $6,100.00
Building upon the fundamentals learned in the first 2 weeks, the Professional Horseshoeing Course equips students with the expertise necessary to become a successful apprentice and establish a business.
Classroom work will cover detailed anatomy, conformation and hoof pathologies, while teaching strategic approaches to meeting the specific shoeing needs of each horse. In the forge, students will focus on shoe modifications and gain an introduction to making handmade shoes, further refining their forging proficiencies.
Weekly shoeing tests will provide structured feedback on individual progress, ensuring continuous improvement. As the course advances, students will be held to increasingly higher standards, with an emphasis on efficiency in shoeing, forging and detailed lectures which will prepare students for graduation tests in these three key areas.
This eight-week course is the best very least amount of time that you would expect to attend school to become a professional farrier. You will learn cold shoeing, hot shoeing, and handmade shoes for lameness and for different types of athletic endeavors.
12-Week Advanced Horseshoeing and Blacksmithing Course: $8,500.00
The Advanced Horseshoeing and Blacksmithing Course is our most comprehensive program, designed to provide an in-depth education in professional horseshoeing. During the first eight weeks, students develop a strong foundation in all essential farrier skills. The final four weeks focus on introducing students to fundamental therapeutic shoeing techniques, refining advanced craftsmanship and increasing efficiency. This course also provides an introduction to equine dental floating.
Upon completing the Advanced Horseshoeing and Blacksmithing Course, students will have achieved a level of skill, precision, and efficiency that provides a distinct competitive advantage. After 12 weeks of intensive training, graduates should be well-prepared to enter the field as knowledgeable apprentices, launch their own business, and pursue AFA certification testing.
For those seeking an additional challenge, we offer a voluntary examination known as the "Buckle Test." This assessment follows the guidelines of the AFA Certified Farrier shoeing test. Students who successfully pass the exam earn one of our OHS Buckles, a symbol of excellence and dedication in the craft.
In twelve week’s time you will learn to shoe horses with cold shoes, hot shoes, and many different types of handmade shoes. This course will prepare you to shoe horses at a high level appropriate to the most discerning customers you might acquire. After the first eight weeks you might expect to do most of your shoeing with hand forged shoes that you have made yourself. You will learn to do this in an appropriate amount of time which your shoeing practice will require. This course will also prepare you to take the BWFA Certification examination at the Apprentice level (passing the written exam and shoeing a horse with hand forged fullered and clipped shoes in three hours). (Also, beginning week five the student will go to dental class on the first and third Friday of the month).
One Week Continuing Education Course: $800.00
For previous graduates of any of our educational programs here at Oklahoma Horseshoeing School or a certificate from any other Horseshoeing School. This Course can be taken one week at a time as is convenient for the student. The purpose of this course is the mastering of a specific skill which the student does not have perfected. We also have both BWFA and AFA certified instructors to help you prepare for certification testing.
BASIC HORSESHOEING
COURSES
LENGTH: 2 weeks (108 hours of instruction)
15% Classroom, 85% hands-on-work
CLASS DATES: A new class begins every Monday throughout the year
Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
CURRICULUM
Lectures, Reading Assignments and Demonstrations (18 hours)
Basic Anatomy: 12 Hours
- Anatomy of the Hoof and Leg
- Proper Angle of the Hoof
- Hoof Structures
- Bones
- Joints
- Ligaments and Tendons
Introduction to Forge Work: 1 Hour
Barn Demos: 5 Hours
Horseshoeing (90 Hours)
- Shoeing and/or Trimming every day
- Training horses to Stand and be Shod
Handcrafting from raw steel: 15 Hours
- Forepunch
- Pritchel
- Basic front shoe
- Basic hind shoe
Our Basic Horseshoeing Course provides a comprehensive introduction to the farrier profession, covering fundamental principles of equine anatomy and forging techniques. Daily lectures will cover the gross anatomy involved in the hoof capsule, equine skeleton, and soft tissue structures, ensuring a strong foundational understanding of hoof health.
Other principles taught will be how to properly position yourself while under a horse, trimming the foot and nailing on shoes. In addition to anatomy, this course includes hands-on training in essential forging skills, such as drawing and shaping, while also introducing the mechanics of utilizing the horn of an anvil.
Designed for horse owners and enthusiasts seeking to expand their knowledge of hoof care, this course is ideal for those looking to maintain the health of their personal horses. However, it is not recommended for individuals intending to pursue horseshoeing as a professional career.
The Basic Horseshoeing Course is a two-week course that provides a sound foundation of horseshoeing skills. It is designed for the person who plans to shoe part-time while maintaining his present employment or attending college. The intent of this course is to teach you to shoe your own horses and perhaps build up a part-time clientele. Many graduates of the Basic Horseshoeing Course have built their clientele into a full-time business; however, we do not recommend this. If you want to be a professional farrier, we would like to have you in school for at least eight weeks or longer if possible.
For those of you who are on vacation from work, rest assured that upon successful completion of the two-week course, you will have learned sound basic horseshoeing. You may return to school to continue your education at any time. Upon graduation from the Basic Horseshoeing Course, if you work at shoeing horses, you will be able to turn out the same high-quality work you learned at school at the rate of one horse shod per hour within one month’s time.
For those of you who are on vacation from work, rest assured that upon successful completion of the two-week course, you will have learned sound basic horseshoeing. You may return to school to continue your education at any time. Upon graduation from the Basic Horseshoeing Course, if you work at shoeing horses, you will be able to turn out the same high-quality work you learned at school at the rate of one horse shod per hour within one month’s time. This is not considered a vocational course and therefore is not eligible for VA Benefits.
This is not considered a vocational course and therefore is not eligible for VA Benefits.
PROFESSIONAL HORSESHOEING
COURSES
LENGTH: 8 weeks (432 hours of instruction)
15% Classroom, 85% hands-on-work
CLASS DATES: A new class begins every Monday throughout the year
Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
CURRICULUM
Lectures, Reading Assignments and Demonstrations: (72 hours)
Anatomy: 14 Hours
Basic Anatomy – 5 Hours
- Anatomy of the Hoof and Leg
- Proper Angle of the Hoof
Anatomy with review in detail of – 9 hours
- Bones and Joints
- Tendons and Ligaments
- Foot Biomechanics
- Sensitive Structures
- Hoof Structures
Theory of Specialty Shoeing: 14 Hours
Basic Specialty Shoeing – 14 Hours
- Performance Horses-Western and English
- Draft Horses
- Gaited and Walking Horses
- Endurance Horses
- Mules
Theory of Corrective Shoeing: 14 Hours
Basic Corrections for Traveling – 3 Hours
Corrective Shoeing with Review in Detail of – 11 Hours
- Foot conformation types
- Limb conformation types
- The gaits of the horse
- Correcting faults and gaits
Theory of Therapeutic Shoeing: 20 Hours
Basic Therapeutic Shoeing – 6 Hours
- Lameness of the hoof and leg.
Advanced Therapeutic Shoeing with Review in Detail of – 14 Hours
- Lameness of the foot
- Lameness of the fore limb and hind limb
- Hoof Repair with plastics
- Leg braces
Intro to Forge Work: 1 Hour
How to Start and Run Your Own Business: 5 Hours
Determining a Horse’s Age: 4 Hours
Horseshoeing (360 Hours)
Intro to Forge Work and Basic Horseshoeing: 90 Hours
- Shoeing and/or Trimming Every Day
- Training Horses to Stand and be Shod.
- Handcrafting from Raw Steel:
- Fore Punch
- Pritchel
- Basic Front Shoe
- Basic Hind Shoe
Hot Shoeing: 62 Hours
Shoeing with Handmade Shoes for Normal Horses: 58 Hours
Performance Horseshoeing with Hand Made Shoes: 50 Hours
Specialty Shoeing with Handmade Shoes: 50 Hours
Corrective Shoeing with Handmade Shoes: 50 Hours
Building upon the fundamentals learned in the first 2 weeks, the Professional Horseshoeing Course equips students with the expertise necessary to become a successful apprentice and establish a business.
Classroom work will cover detailed anatomy, conformation and hoof pathologies, while teaching strategic approaches to meeting the specific shoeing needs of each horse. In the forge, students will focus on shoe modifications and gain an introduction to making handmade shoes, further refining their forging proficiencies.
Weekly shoeing tests will provide structured feedback on individual progress, ensuring continuous improvement. As the course advances, students will be held to increasingly higher standards, with an emphasis on efficiency in shoeing, forging and detailed lectures which will prepare students for graduation tests in these three key areas.
The Professional Horseshoeing Course is designed to begin at the basic level and develop you to the point where you feel comfortable practicing your craft for the public and charging a fair price for your work.
Forge skills become more important as you acquire larger accounts with more horses; some of which will require handmade shoes to satisfy a customer. If a customer has ten horses and only two of them require more specialized skills, your ability to do that work gets you the whole account. If you can’t do the work, then you don’t get that account. As a professional farrier, you will want to work for larger accounts so that you can spend more time working and less time driving. Also, remember that more specialized work commands a higher fee.
Upon graduation from the Professional Horseshoeing Course, you will be competent to shoe almost any type of horse for whatever special requirements the horse may have with few limitations. At the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School, this is considered to be entry level, full time professional horseshoeing.
ADVANCED HORSESHOEING
COURSES
LENGTH: 12 weeks (648 hours of instruction)
15% Classroom, 85% hands-on-work
CLASS DATES: A new class begins every Monday throughout the year
Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Lectures, Reading Assignments and Demonstrations: (108 hours)
Anatomy: 22 hours
Basic Anatomy – 5 Hours
- Anatomy of the hoof and leg
- Proper angle of the hoof
Anatomy with review in detail of – 9 Hours
- Bones and Joints
- Tendons and Ligaments
- Foot Biomechanics
- Sensitive Structures
- Hoof Structure
Advanced Anatomy with Review – 8 Hours
Theory of Specialty Shoeing: 20 Hours
Basic Specialty Shoeing – 14 Hours
- Performance Horses-Western and English
- Draft Horses
- Gaited and Walking Horses
- Endurance Horses
- Mules
Advanced Specialty Shoeing with Review – 6 Hours
Theory of Corrective Shoeing: 21 Hours
Basic Corrections for Traveling – 3 Hours
Corrective Shoeing with Review in Detail of – 11 Hours
- Foot conformation types
- Limb conformation types
- The gaits of the Horse
- Correcting faults and gaits
Advanced Corrective Shoeing with Review – 7 Hours
Theory of Therapeutic Shoeing: 20 Hours
Basic Therapeutic Shoeing – 6 Hours
- Lameness of the hoof and leg
Advanced Therapeutic Shoeing with Review in Detail of – 14 Hours
- Lameness of the foot
- Lameness of the fore limb and hind limb
- Hoof Reapir with plastics
- Leg braces
Theory of Race Plating: 15 Hours
Basic Race Plating – 5 Hours
Advanced Race Plating: 10 Hours
How to start and Run Your Own Business: 5 Hours
Determining a Horse’s Age: 5 Hours
Horseshoeing & Blacksmithing:(524 hours)
Intro to Forge Work and Basic
Horseshoeing: 70 hours
- Shoeing and/or Trimming Every Day
- Training Horses to Stand and be Shod.
- Handcrafting from Raw Steel:
- Fore Punch
- Pritchel
- Basic Front Shoe
- Basic Hind Shoe
Race Plating: 30 Hours
Equine Dental Technology: 16 Hours
- Floating Teeth- 14 Hours
- Extracting Wolf Teeth – 2
Hot Shoeing: 70 Hours
Shoeing with Handmade Shoes for Normal Horses: 65 Hours
Performance Horseshoeing with Hand Made Shoes: 55 Hours
- Basic
- Advanced
Specialty Shoeng with Handmade Shoes: 163 Hours
- Advanced Specialty Techniques – 50 hours
- Improving Speed and Efficiency at Shoeing All types of Horses with factory and Handmade shoes – 40 Hours
- Shoeing with Handmade Shoes as Required to Pass Even the most Difficult of Parimutuel License Examinations – 35 Hours
- Specific Skills needed to Pass the Certification Tests of the National Farrier’s Associations at the Apprentice II Level – 38
Corrective Shoeing with Handmade Shoes: 55 Hours
- Basic
- Advanced
The Advanced Horseshoeing and Blacksmithing Course is our most comprehensive program, designed to provide an in-depth education in professional horseshoeing. During the first eight weeks, students develop a strong foundation in all essential farrier skills. The final four weeks focus on introducing students to fundamental therapeutic shoeing techniques, refining advanced craftsmanship and increasing efficiency. This course also provides an introduction to equine dental floating.
Upon completing the Advanced Horseshoeing and Blacksmithing Course, students will have achieved a level of skill, precision, and efficiency that provides a distinct competitive advantage. After 12 weeks of intensive training, graduates should be well-prepared to enter the field as knowledgeable apprentices, launch their own business, and pursue AFA certification testing.
For those seeking an additional challenge, we offer a voluntary examination known as the "Buckle Test." This assessment follows the guidelines of the AFA Certified Farrier shoeing test. Students who successfully pass the exam earn one of our OHS Buckles, a symbol of excellence and dedication in the craft.
The Advanced Horseshoeing and Blacksmithing Course is the most complete course of horseshoeing study. You will receive twice the benefit of the Professional Horse- shoeing Course. From week one to week eight you will achieve the OHS Professional level. Once a Professional, you can increase your skill twice as far in weeks nine through twelve. This course will teach you everything you can learn in horseshoeing school.
In addition, you will learn the skills of the equine dental technician. You will learn to float teeth and extract wolf teeth. These are all skills that you can use to improve your earning per stop.
Shop tasks have been selected to provide each student with the skills needed to shoe a wide variety of horses. The student will complete handmade shoes using bar stock. The instructors are qualified to teach you all the forge skills you may need. If you need to stress a particular type of shoeing for your area, please bring this to the attention of your instructor. Upon graduation from the Advanced Horseshoeing and Blacksmithing Course, your skills, technique and efficiency will be refined to a level that will give you a competitive edge.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Oklahoma Horseshoeing School offers Continuing Education opportunities for graduates of any horseshoeing school program. These sessions are tailored to each student’s specific needs. Whether you’re preparing for certification, looking to refine specific skills, or need help with a certain area of Horseshoeing that you may be struggling in, our Instructors are here to help. The barn is open 24/7 with access to forges for practice. You are welcome to return as often as needed—even for consecutive weeks—until you reach your goals.
OHS offers Continuing Education to graduates of any Horseshoeing School. This is specified to the needs of the student. Our CF and CJF Instructors can help you get ready for a certification, tune up on certain skills or help with a certain area of Farrier work that you may be struggling in. Our barn is open 24/7 with access to forges for practice. You can come as often as needed and stay for consecutive weeks if needed also.