FAQ

Good, dependable, smart, and efficient professional farriers are in high demand today. In any business, there are variables that will determine one’s level of success. You have to factor in things like location, work habits, and willingness to travel, but it’s very possible to make a good living as a farrier.

Our programs at KHS are designed to groom you for success. We prepare you to make farriery your career and your livelihood, not your hobby.

Yes, Kentucky Horseshoeing School offers both Federal Financial Aid as well as private student financing. Please contact our admissions office for financial aid options.

All instruction at the Kentucky Horseshoeing School is supervised by Mitch Taylor, CJF, AWCF. KHS also employs three assistant instructors at all times. These staff members are practicing AFA Certified Farriers, trained by Taylor to instruct students in basic farrier techniques. Mitch’s training of instructors insures that techniques are consistent throughout the program. These positions prove helpful in instructing from the student viewpoint and provide valuable insight and incentive for attending students.

One of the keys to success at KHS is our attention to class size. We limit student enrollments to 14 students per class so that we can offer each of our students personal and individualized instruction.

KHS instruction is designed to be well-rounded. You will acquire skills through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on-training, laboratory demonstrations and field tours.

In addition to basic horseshoeing and shoe making, you will learn equine anatomy, physiology, and the fundamentals of biomechanics. When not in the classroom, you are encouraged to further your skills on your own. Our shop and forge areas are open for practice when a staff member is present.

During your tenure, you will master the fundamentals of farrier craftsmanship. You will learn how to trim a horse for proper balance and how to recognize and treat common types of lameness and gait problems. You will be guided through basic and advanced forging techniques, using both coal and gas forges.

Our exams are designed to prepare you for a career in farriery. They’re set up to take you step-by-step through the concerns you’ll encounter in your daily work, and they reflect what you will encounter as a career professional, taking part in the voluntary certification programs offered through the American Farrier’s Association. Our exams include written, practical, and oral components.

KHS understands that each student will progress at his/her own rate and asks only that you put forth your best effort in order to reach your full potential.

Good horsemanship is an integral part of a farrier practice, so we incorporate these concerns into our instructional program. We start you with the basics, so inexperience is not a problem.

KHS is located in one of the most heavily populated equine areas of the world. Subsequently, we’re able to maintain regular accounts which reflect the diversity of horses that farriers can expect to find as they establish regular practices. Many horse owners bring their horses to the school, but we also travel short distances to many large farms. Students have the opportunity to work on many horses and many types of horses while at KHS.

Contemporary farriery involves much more than shoeing horses, and our curriculum reflects that. We study mechanics, movement, and anatomy extensively, preparing our students to understand biomechanical horseshoeing. And we address the business concerns necessary to run a successful small business.

Outside of the formal instruction period (8am to 5pm Monday through Friday), KHS students have numerous opportunities to engage in various activities.

Numerous continuing education events, attended by practicing farriers and veterinarians from around the world, occur on-site many weekends throughout the school year, and students are encouraged to attend these events.

And, because we’re in the heart of horse country, students often attend equine events in nearby communities. At KHS you are less than an hour’s drive from many of the industry’s star venues and events. In Lexington, you will find Keeneland Race Course, the Red Mile Harness Track and the Kentucky Horse Park (site of the Rolex 3-Day Event, the U.S. Polo Open, and the Egyptian Event). And to the west, in Louisville , you will find Churchill Downs-home of the Kentucky Derby, along with the Kentucky State Fairgrounds, which annually hosts the World Champion Horse Show.

KHS recommends that students outfit themselves with the appropriate tools when they arrive at the school. For that purpose, the staff at KHS has assembled a quality tool kit for each student. This selection of tools is chosen to ensure the best quality available at a competitive price, and is offered at a student discount from our supplier. With proper care and maintenance these tools should provide many years of useful service. Students who already possess their own tools may supplement their kit upon arrival. KHS staff members will help you evaluate and select the additional tools and equipment you will need.

Teaching and hands-on training at Kentucky Horseshoeing School is conducted in our new state-of-the art teaching campus. Our custom-designed 23,000 square foot facility is comprised of three individual shops, two classrooms, a welding shop and lounge facilities. These areas are designed to provide the optimum educational venue while assuring a safe environment. The entire facility is outfitted with the latest equipment and visual learning aids.

KHS has four fully equipped work areas, with more than 30 workstations, complete with anvils and both propane and coal-fired forges. This allows each student to work at his or her own forge station and enhances student safety. For further efficiency and ease of learning, beginning and advanced forging classes/continuing education clinics are held in separate buildings.

Although students may elect to lease apartment housing in nearby communities, KHS offers deluxe dormitories in a variety of configurations for both male and female students for an additional charge.

A senior staff member resides on campus at all times and supervises students living on campus.

Meals can be prepared in the dormitory kitchens or purchased at local cafes and restaurants. A lounge equipped with a television, VCR, and a library of educational videos is also available for student use. Additionally, KHS has wireless Internet capabilities for students to access the Internet.

Yes. KHS is approved for benefits under both the Montgomery and the Post 9-11 GI Bills® as well as Veterans attending through Veterans Readiness programs.