USA (South)
Alabama
Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing
400 Lewis Rd, Gadsden, AL 35904, USA
205-546-2036
www.horseshoeingschool.net
We have three methods of teaching at the school: The classroom, which teaches you what to do. The forge area and field training gives you the opportunity to practice what you have learned in the classroom.
Arkansas
Arkansas Horseshoeing School
Hwy 154, Dardanelle, AR 72834, USA
479-858-1011
arkansashorseshoeingschool.com/
The Arkansas Horseshoeing School has 8 week and 12 week courses for prospective farriers. Many students come from neighboring states like Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky because of the reputation of the school and faculty.
Paul Dorris Jr. founded the Arkansas Horseshoeing School. He had spent years thinking about farrier education–what it took for a person to become a top farrier. It required mastery of the skills and art of horseshoeing as well as a desire to uphold the highest standards of the profession.
Florida
Carolina School of Horseshoeing LLC
Ocala, FL 34478, USA
843-230-1128
www.carolinaschoolofhorseshoeing.com
We offer a basic four week course in horseshoeing and a two week trimming course. Offering classes in Montevallo, AL and Ocala, FL. We teach anyone from horse owners wanting to trim their own horses to people wanting to build a career as a farrier. We’ll give you a good foundation to build a great business!
Georgia
Casey & Son Horseshoeing School
14013 E Hwy 136, Chattahoochee National Forest, LaFayette, GA 30728, USA
706-397-8909
www.caseyhorseshoeing.com
Our farrier school has an ALL INCLUSIVE program. We offer our students free housing and meals, continuing education after graduation and a hands-on environment that allows each student to work at their own pace.
Kentucky
Kaviar Forge & Gallery
1718 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206, USA
502-561-0377
www.craigkaviar.com/
Kaviar Forge is a blacksmithing studio that runs on waste-vegetable oil. Operating since 1984, it has been a fixture on Frankfort Ave. Classes offered and tours available to groups upon appointment.
Kentucky Horseshoeing School
3612 Lexington Rd, Richmond, KY 40475, USA
859-575-4063 or 800-626-5359
www.kentuckyhorseshoeingschool.com
Situated on 40 acres of rolling pasture, the new Kentucky Horseshoeing School exceeds all expectations. The new, premier facilities, including 23,000 square feet of modern classrooms, shops and instructional areas along with beautiful energy efficient modular dormitories, Kentucky Horseshoeing School has become the pre-eminent farrier education facility operating today.
Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center
Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40503, USA
606-257-1531
Contact 606-257-1531 for more information.
Maryland
Broken Hammer Forge
16373 Oakland Rd, Henderson, MD 21640, USA
410-482-7863
www.brokenhammerforge.com
Broken Hammer Forge offers several different types of blacksmithing classes: Beginner, Intermediate, Viking Seax (dagger), Organic Blacksmithing, Private Classes.
Carroll County Farm Museum Academy of Traditional Arts
500 S Center St, Westminster, MD 21157, USA
410-848-7775
Contact 410-848-7775 for more details.
Maryland Horseshoeing School
11200 Wolfsville Rd, Smithsburg, MD 21783, USA
301-416-0800
www.lrn2shoe.com
Contact mdhorseshoeing@xecu.net for more details
North Carolina
John C. Campbell Folk School [blacksmith school]
1 Folk School Road, Nantahala National Forest, Brasstown, NC 28902, USA
800-365-5724
www.folkschool.org
Join us in an atmosphere steeped in history, spiced with humor, and fueled by hard work to explore the foundational skills of blacksmithing. Building a fire, hammering technique, drawing out, upsetting, punching, and twisting are some of the topics we’ll cover while making useful and beautiful items for the home and shop. No prior experience or skill required. Advanced-beginners are welcome to come sharpen their skills.
Penland School of Crafts
PO. Box 37 Penland, NC 28765
(828) 765-2359
www.penland.org
Visit www.penland.org for more information
Oklahoma
Five Star Horseshoeing School
Minco, OK, USA
405-209-7420 (Dusty Franklin) or 405-274-2266 (Staci Franklin)
www.futurefarrier.com
Five Star Horseshoeing School is unlike any school out there. We offer typical learning opportunities in the forge modifying and making handmade shoes, under the horse shoeing horses and in the the classroom learning equine anatomy BUT we also feel that to have a successful career as a farrier, it’s also important to get a “feel” for your job. You’ll have the opportunity to see the inner workings of a full-time farrier practice during your studies. We work hard to ensure you a quality education as well as a strong foundation for you to begin your career. Our family is dedicated to your future.
Oklahoma Horseshoeing School
Purcell, OK, USA
800-538-1383
www.horseshoes.net/
Our goal is to equip you with the skills you need in the ever expanding equine industry. We put forth a lot of effort and hard work, and we expect our students to do the same. With a low ratio of students per instructor, we are absolutely focused on the quality of the work which you turn out on every job. Come prepared to work.
Graduates of the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School have ranged from 13 to 65 years of age, from doctors and nuclear physicists to people with no formal education at all. Instructors are extremely supportive when considering the special needs of the students. We provide a manual covering lecture material and all material is repeated twice. Cassette recorders are welcome. Interpreters may accompany students who are hearing impaired or do not speak English. Instructors are experienced in organizing classroom material so that it is meaningful to people with dyslexia and to people who cannot read or write. Exams may be taken orally and individually.
When you leave the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School, your craftsmanship will be competitive with that of anybody in the business.
Read The Farrier Guide’s interview with Jack Roth of Oklahoma Horseshoeing School to learn more about the school, its instructor and curriculum.
Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School
Route 1, Box 28B Ardmore, Oklahoma 73401 USA
405-223-0064
www.oklahomastatehorseshoeingschool.net
Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School instructors have more teaching experience, as a group, than any other. Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School features: Nationally certified instructors; Small classes with individualized instruction; Training on live animals only; Free refresher courses anytime (during class sessions) following graduation; Student housing available at NO EXTRA CHARGE; Separated housing for male and female students; Issued tools are for student to keep; Access to forging area at anytime for student use and practice.
Tennessee
Appalachian Center for Crafts
1560 Craft Center Rd, Smithville, TN 37166, USA
615-597-6801
www.tntech.edu/craftcenter
Visit www.tntech.edu/craftcenter for more information.
Arrowmont School of Arts Crafts
PO. Box 567 Gatlinburg, TN 37738
(615) 436-5860
www.arrowmont.org
Visit www.arrowmont.org for more information.
Tennessee State Blacksmith & Farrier’s School
Shepardsville Hwy, Granville, TN 38564, USA
931-653-4341
Contact 931-653-4341 for more details.
Tim Goolsby Farrier Apprentice Program
4565 Sherrilltown Rd, Watertown, TN 37184, USA
615-237-3755
www.goolsbyfarrierprogram.com
Contact 615-237-3755 for more details.
Texas
Austin Community College [blacksmith school]
1020 Grove Blvd, Austin, TX 78741, USA
512-223-6444
www.austincc.edu
The Austin Community College District is the primary gateway to higher education and training for residents in eight Central Texas counties. ACC is among the fastest-growing community colleges in the country, providing access to valuable programs and services that change lives and benefit communities.
ACC is committed to enhancing learning and success for all students. The college’s Student Success Initiative focuses on the use of student performance data to drive decision-making, and ACC has implemented a number of innovative programs to meet the seven core SSI goals.
Austin Community College offers blacksmithing classes as part of our Art Metals A.A.S. Degree. Both Metalsmithing/Blacksmithing and power hammer classes are offered as an integral part of the degree.
“C” Horse Forge School of Horseshoeing
15225 Leeward Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418, USA
361-232-3773
www.cadenaforge.com/
“C” Horse Forge was opened by Frank Cadena. Frank “Bubba” Cadena has over 40 years experience in farriery with the hunter, jumper, dressage, and event horses, as well as polo, roping, race (Flat/Harness) endurance, and western events.
Dallas Heritage Village – [blacksmith school]
1515 S Harwood St, Dallas, TX 75215, USA
214-413-3664
www.dallasheritagevillage.org
Learn the basics of blacksmithing during this two-day, four hours per day, class. You’ll begin by building a coal fire and discovering the difference between iron, mild and tool steel. You’ll blacksmith without modern tools to make nails, nail headers and a pair of tongs. Classes are small so you can have maximum anvil time and one-on-one instruction with an experienced blacksmith. Price includes two days (four hours per day), the textbook A Blacksmithing Primer and all supplies. (Also available as a family class.
East Texas Horseshoeing Clinics and Horseshoeing
Atlanta, TX, USA
903-796-9308
Contact easttexash@aol.com for more details.
Sul Ross State University
P.O. Box C-114 Alpine, Texas 79832
(432) 837-8011
www.sulross.edu
Call 915-837-8200 for more information.
Texas Horseshoeing School
6699 Smoke Ln, Scurry, TX 75158, USA
800-734-3440
www.texashorseshoeingschool.com/
The Texas Horseshoeing School is a school specializing in individualized instruction. The educational objective is to provide students with a skilled trade, which will allow them to be independent, and thus control their own working conditions and hours of operation.
John Burgin is the sole instructor and the Director of the Texas Horseshoeing School. He is a graduate of the Texoma Horseshoeing School and has been shoeing for the public since 1976. He has been under approximately 10,000 head of horses.
The Texas Horseshoeing School offers a 2-week/80-hour Introduction to Farrier Science program as well as a 4-week/160-hour Intermediate and 6-week/240-hour programs.
Read The Farrier Guide’s interview with John Burgin of Texas Horseshoeing School to learn more about the school, its instructor and curriculum.
Virginia
Bear Mountain Outdoor School
Hightown, VA 24465, USA
540-468-2700
Contact 540-468-2700 for more details.
Jacksonville (VA) Center for the Arts
220 Parkway Ln S, Floyd, VA 24091, USA
866-787-8806 or 540-745-2784
www.jacksonvillecenter.org
Visit www.jacksonvillecenter.org for more information.
The Jacksonville Center for the Arts [blacksmith school]
220 Parkway Lane South, Floyd, VA 24091, USA
540-745-2784
Jacksonvillecenter.org
The Jacksonville Center for the Arts offers On Demand Blacksmithing Classes. This beginning blacksmithing class will introduce students to the equipment, tools and safety precautions involved in the use of the blacksmith’s forge. Once familiar with the tools of the trade, the class will practice fundamental blacksmithing techniques while learning to make basic hooks, tools and decorative flares.
Students are asked to bring their own safety glasses and to wear long pants and close-toed shoes. Aprons and gloves are optional.
Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing
200 W 12th St, Waynesboro, VA 22980, USA
434-960-9718
Vablacksmithing.org
The Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing (VIB) was founded to offer short term, affordable classes, providing students experience in blacksmithing without the need for investment in space, materials and tools.
Existing craft schools require short-term residency on campus, requiring time away from work and home. VIB offers an alternative: weekend workshops to accommodate busy schedules.
Yesteryear Forge
15421 5 Forks Rd, 3, VA 23002, USA
804-561-5399
www.yesteryearforge.com/
Visit www.yesteryearforge.com for more information.
West Virginia
Augusta Heritage Center
Davis & Elkins College, 100 Campus Dr, Elkins, WV 26241, USA
304-636-1903
www.augustaheritage.com
Visit www.augustaheritage.com for more details.
Cedar Lakes Craft Center
HC-88, Box 21 Ripley, West Virginia 25271
304-372-7873
www.cedarlakes.com
Visit www.cedarlakes.com for more details.
Danny Ward’s Horseshoeing School
51 Ward Rd, Martinsville, VA 24112, USA
(276) 638-7908
dannywardhorseshoeingschool.com
My goal is to help anyone interested and get them started in the right direction in what I think is the greatest job in the world. I’m very proud of my shop but I am more proud of the people I’ve worked with through the years and who have also become assets to the horse industry. Please feel free to contact me anytime if I can be of any help. A visit is always welcome.
Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre Farrier School
147 Saddle Lane, Waverly, WV 26184
800-679-2603
www.meredithmanor.edu
Meredith Manor is a nationally accredited equestrian college dedicated exclusively to preparing students for successful careers with horses.
image: Wikimedia Commons
