Curriculum

All of the courses and material presented at Heartland Horseshoeing School are designed to make you a great farrier.  Chris holds a MS in human resource development, which is basically a vocational education degree with an industrial name.  With the benefit of this education behind him, Chris has created the best farrier curriculum in the industry.

In the classroom, the lectures begin with a brief history lesson, followed by anatomy.  The anatomy and equine biomechanics will consume about 25% of the class time.  After anatomy; corrective shoeing, conformation, gaits, and gait correction will be taught.  Next the business of starting and running a farrier business will be covered.  Last, but not least, diseases, lameness and pathological shoeing will be taught.

During the forge lessons, there will be demonstrations of everything from a simple hoof pick to shoes such as the patton bar, heart bar and roadster. Students in the Professional Farrier Course will make 30 projects, and students in the Journeyman Farrier Course will learn 60 forge projects. Students will be taught to forge punches, build tongs, forge weld, jump weld, forge braze, and become proficient in the use of propane and coke forges.

Under horses students will be taught how to handle rowdy horses, hot shape, hot fit and hot shoe, fit clips and apply handmades.  Every size of horse is worked on, from miniatures to drafts.  Dealing with customers is constantly addressed, and maintaining business and inventory is taught as well.

There are no schools like this in the US, and should you graduate from Heartland Horseshoeing School, you will know that you have followed in the footsteps of some of the best in the trade.

Instructional Methods

Everyone has a different strength when it comes to learning.  Some people can learn anything from a book, while some people need to see it applied, and do it for themselves before is sinks in.  At HHS, the student will be taught with every method, in order to insure that the student understands and can apply what is being presented.  Course material will be presented orally, demonstrated physically, and the student will work hands-on to master it.

Student Teacher Ratio

We like to maintain a ratio of 8 to 1.  This means that the ideal class will have 24 students.  We generally accept a few additional students to make up for those that either do not show up, or quit.  Unfortunately, we have to turn away quite a few applicants every year since classes fill early.  While this is upsetting to those that are trying to get in, it is for the benefit of those that do.  Please apply as early as you possibly can for whatever course you wish to attend in order to register before the class space is filled.

It is possible for a shoeing school to grow and grow until there are so many students that there is very little learning.  We are determined to never let this happen to HHS, which is why our course size is limited.  This is also why we don’t start classes every week.  It is impossible to start a new class every week throughout the year and still provide the level of education that our students are paying for.

Another practice that we do not engage in at HHS is hiring students to teach immediately after graduation.  You will be taught by Chris, Kelly and Cody at HHS, not by someone who has only a few months of experience.  In the event that there is a substitute teacher, it will be a farrier that is able to do the job.