With the growing number of manufactured horseshoes, boots, and host of other devices being devised for the horse's hoof perhaps it is time that the traditional farrier school take a cue from other more rapidly changing industries.
We just received our copy of the American Farriers Journal annual suppliers and service guide. In this guide was an article that listed the most commented on blog post on their blog; #1 "Do shoeing schools need to adapt. AFJ blog post
The blog post was written by Red Renchin a professional farrier, from a perspective that I found quite interesting.
Though I have to say that from my perspective, Mr. Renchin's view appeared a bit narrow. I agree with Mr. Renchin that today's farriers schools may not be offering curriculums that support todays entry level farrier and need to change. I also believe that the path for change needs to be evaluated very closely.
In light of the fact that many farrier grads don't last very long in the industry, I can understand Mr. Renchin asking: Why is this? "He says, there are several reasons that come to mind: the work is difficult, poor horsemanship, injury, lack of commitment to an apprenticeship, too few horses in certain areas and so on. He goes on to say, But I wonder how much of this can be cured by the education available to prospective farriers. He continues, Could another reason be that graduates need different horseshoeing skills?"
His answer to a very reasonable question comes from a perspective that may not serve future hoof care professionals.
Let me offer my opinion, which comes from a perspective that view the horseshoe as only one of the many tools available to our farriers and hoof care providers today. From my perspective, my views as to why todays farriers don't excel in business are quite different.
I believe the answer is that farrier schools are not providing their graduates with the basic business and communication skills needed to survive in today's business environment, even if that environment revolves around horses. In my humble opinion, curriculums should not revolve around horse shoeing by rather around equine podiatry, functional anatomy, business ethics and communication all aimed at developing a sense of professionalism rather than tradesman. It is true that the best farriers are excellent craftsmen, but they also possess discipline, communication skills, and good business ethics.
Experience at our school over the past decade has shown us that those graduates practicing CPD (continuing professional development), logging 40 hours or more of advanced learning per year have a very high success rate in business.
Todays farrier's schools need to adapt by providing curriculums to meet the needs of today's farrier.
With the advent of the internet and global communication, it is clear that the horse owner is rapidly becoming dissatisfied with the level of professionalism, business and communication skills the entry level farrier exhibits. Also, the seasoned farrier is being placed under the microscope, and should be seeking appropriate CPD. The farrier that doesn't continue to develop their communication and business skills, in my humble opinion will increasingly find themselves shoeing and trimming for those clients that simply don't respect the job or their work.
As the educational director of an equine podiatry school I re-evaluate our curriculum quarterly. Our goal is to provide answers to the questions that today's farrier, veterinarian, and horse owner are asking, and to provide our students with the tools needed to excel in todays horse industry. Essentially we aim to provide our graduates with the skills needed to bridge the ever widening gap between veterinarian, farrier, and educated horse owner. Times they are a changing, and today's farrier and perspective farrier should be demanding educational reform, seeking out schools that offer curriculums geared towards continuing professional development and that will provide them with tools to help them survive in a rapidly evolving industry.
I think it is really hard to generalize, since the farrier schools are all so different, from the length of course to the depth of the curriculum, but I feel that there is little or no effort being made to attract the best and brightest possible people into the hoofcare profession. Most farrier schools have minimal entrance criteria, so the teachers end up accommodating varying learning abilities and styles. Does anyone ever flunk out of farrier school? Most of the schools are private, for-profit businesses and they rightfully protect their privacy as to what they teach and how they teach it and what their students are capable of doing. But it handicaps the profession to not know even how many people go through farrier school in the USA each year, let alone what the average age, gender and location of graduating students is. Encouraging and assisting more bright talented communicative people to want to be farriers--and stay in the profession--should be at the top of the list for everyone who has a stake in the future of the horse industry.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your input Fran. I agree whole heartedly with you, schools need to develop curriculums that will attract bright talented communicative people to the industry. As for demographics, I can only speak for our school, where we have a 85% pass rate, at our entry level, and a 70% pass rate at our advanced level. Our demographics is a bit unique in that the average age of our students is 35, and the average level of education is 14 years. Up until recently the ratio of female to male students was 70/30, but as of this year it is 55/45. We maintain an alumni association that does keep track of where our graduates are practicing, what level of education they have achieved, and whether or not they are current with their CPD. Though we are a private school, we are actively involved with the development of an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) in the UK and the EU. Thanks again for your input.
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