Norfolk School of Farriery
**CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE**
About The Course
Norfolk School of Farriery is based just outside of Simcoe, Ontario in beautiful Norfolk County. This 4 month, pre-apprenticeship course is an opportunity to pursue a career as a professional farrier. Due to the length of the course, it is a very intensive, hands-on learning system. Students from day one will be supervised under a horse, learning as they go about horse handling, anatomy, theory, corrective techniques, gaits, theraputic shoeing, familiarizing with tools, forging shoes, interacting with clients, and how to set up and run a successful business. We have a great clientele with a wide variety of types of horses that require different types of shoeing and trimming. Students will see all kinds of issues affecting the hoof and how to properly address them and the theory applied. Text books will be supplied at the beginning of the program and written exams will be taken throughout the course. Students will have the option to attend several clinics and participate in forging competitions to better prepare them for their career. (highly recommended) Upon successfully completing the program, students will be presented with a Certificate of Completion. We will then go about assisting students with building their own clientele and finding apprenticeship positions with other knowledgable farriers to continue their education as a working farrier. Individuals who are interested in applying MUST be serious about the career!! Please do your homework, ask around, talk to other farriers, ask questions before you apply! We cannot stress enough that this job is NOT for everyone. It is hard work from beginning to end. Some days we will be starting very early and finishing very late, you will feel PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY exhausted, you will feel beat up, you will feel broken, you may cry! However, if you have the grit to get through it, you will find it is a job to be proud of and to us there is no better career out there! Feel free to give us a call or email prior to applying to talk things over and we will answer any questions you may have. 519 755 2813 or 905 809 0468 Schedule and Rates At this time, we have space for 1-2 students per year. Start and end dates are subject to change depending on weather and workload. (full 16 weeks will be fulfilled)
Some overlap may occur. Tuition is 7,500+HST. A deposit of $500 due at time of application. Remainder plus HST due on first day of program. Policies
Refund Policy This course is not to be entered into lightly! We will only accept serious candidates who understand the work load and are ready to work! If you decide to leave the course prior to completion, then it wastes our time and takes a spot that could have been filled by someone else. However, upon voluntary termination, the policy is as follows.
There will be no refund for any student that is involuntarily terminated. Cause for termination may include but not limited to the following:
Please fill out form below if you have any questions or if you are interested in applying. |
F.A.Q
What do I need to have with me on my first day? Your basic tools are provided for you, all you need to have with you is proper footwear (composite toe boots, non slip, no running shoes.) respectable clothing, also a lunch and something to drink as you will need the energy! Will I be working on horses right away? Yes. Your first day will be spent familiarizing yourself with tools, observing your teacher, holding horses, making trips to anvil, pulling shoes, clinching nails, etc. Your task load and responsibilities will increase as your knowledge and experience increases, for the safety of you and the horse. Could I be hurt? There's always a chance. This is no easy job! Many people cannot physically or mentally handle the pain involved. Its not if you get hurt, its when. You are dealing with an animal that has a mind of its own and many variables can result in accidents happening. With that being said, we take safety measures very seriously and getting hurt badly is a rarity. On the average day, you will be cut, bruised, perhaps kicked or bitten or stepped on. While in the forge, you WILL GET BURNED! Mostly, you will just experience muscle pain and fatigue. How many horses will we do in a day? We average anywhere from 10-35 horses per day. Both shoeing and trimming. Punctuality and efficiency is a must in this business in order for things to run smoothly and for us to arrive on time to our next calls. On lighter days (10 or less) time will be spent in the shop making handmade shoes, altering keg shoes learning the theory behind it. Will I be working on Cadaver feet? Yes. We will have time scheduled to perform a dissection on a horse leg and also will have several opportunities to shoe dead feet. Will I be going to any competitions or clinics? Clinics are run several times throughout the year, we strongly suggest you attend as it is a fantastic opportunity to learn, see new things and meet other farriers that could potentially hire you when you complete your course. We strongly encourage students to compete at least once. It dramatically improves your skill set for your future career in this industry. Being able to forge and forge well is very useful when out on the job as you can customize shoes to fit the individual needs of a horse. Being mentored and critiqued in competition by other top farriers is a great way to learn new and more efficient ways of shoeing and solve any problems you're having. Will I have to pass any tests? Yes. There are 2 written tests, 2 practical tests (one on trimming, one on shoeing) and a shoe board with various modifications that must be completed within the 16 weeks. |
