Education · 1 of 4

The path

No licence in Canada. Learn the craft, then learn the business.

1. 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. 2

   Farrier school, optional

   About 8 months

   Kwantlen Polytechnic University in BC 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. 3

   Apprentice with a farrier

   1 to 3 years

   The traditional route, and what most farriers did. You ride along, hold horses, pull shoes, then trim, then forge. Alberta's career site describes this as the usual way in.

4. 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. 5

   Voluntary certification

   Any time

   Farrier associations run practical and written exams. Not required, but they set you apart with vets and show barns.