Education · 1 of 4
The path
No licence in Canada. Learn the craft, then learn the business.
- 1
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Time around horses matters more than marks. Ride, muck stalls, work at a barn. Shop class and metalwork help.
- 2
Farrier school, optional
About 8 months
Kwantlen Polytechnic University in BC (British Columbia) runs a 30-week Certificate in Farrier Science with a 240-hour practicum beside a working farrier. Olds College in Alberta also runs a farrier science program.
- 3
Apprentice with a farrier
1 to 3 years
The traditional route. You ride along, hold horses, pull shoes, then trim, then forge. Alberta's career site lists an informal apprenticeship as one way to learn, but says these can be hard to set up.
- 4
Go out on your own
Ongoing
Buy a rig, build a client list one barn at a time. It takes years to fill a schedule.
- 5
Voluntary certification
Any time
Farrier associations run practical and written exams. Not required, but they set you apart with vets and show barns.