TEXAS HORSESHOEING SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Need / Prerequisites for Horseshoeing
Intr. 101 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses aptitudes to learn and work, and effective teachings.
Horseshoeing Heritage
Hist. 102 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses earliest known horseshoes, first horseshoeing with nails, farriers, and veterinarians, horseshoeing peaks, and modern techniques.
Public Relations for Horseshoeing
Pbrl. 103 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses communication, service charges, horseshoer-horse owner responsibility.
Terms, Points, and Regions of the Horse
Anat. 104 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses sex, age and species, size, body colors, and anatomy.
Care and Management of the Horse
Husb. 105 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses selection, feeding, exercise, and disease control.
Aging Horses by Teeth; Floating Teeth
Anat. 106 (1 hour lecture and 1 hour lab)
Discusses type and position of teeth, tooth shape, eruption time and age estimation.
Handling and Shoeing Positions; Training and Restraint
Tech. 107 (1 hour lecture and 3 hours lab)
Discusses problems in handling horses, hoof handling, and restraint equipment.
Bones and Joints
Anat. 108 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses differences between front and hind limbs; characteristics common to all bones and joints of the leg.
Tendons and Ligaments
Anat. 109 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses characteristics of tendons and ligaments.
Foot Biomechanics
Anat. 110 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses the stay apparatus, weight-supporting structures, concussion reducing structures and the blood pumping mechanism.
Sensitive Structures
Anat. 111 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses the hoof, sensitive coronary band, perioplic ring, sensitive laminae, sensitive sole, and sensitive frog.
Hoof Structures
Anat. 112 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses the hoof growth, hoof moisture, and hoof composition.
Foot Dissection
Anat. 113 (1 hour lecture)
Demonstrates dissection of the horse's foot.
Horseshoeing Tools
Hdtl. 114 (1 hour lecture)
Describes and demonstrates uses of various horseshoeing tools.
Trimming
Eval. 115 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses preliminary examination, visualizing the ideal, and trimming the hoof.
First Aid
Safe. 116 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses first aid kits and safety precautions.
Selecting, Shaping, and Fitting Cold Shoes
Shoe. 117 (1 hour lecture & 1 hour lab)
Discusses terms, ready-made shoes disadvantages, and cold-shaping.
Nailing and Finishing
Shoe. 118 (1 hour lecture & 1 hour lab)
Discusses hoof preparation, shoe fitting, and speed in shoeing.
Shoeing Evaluation
Eval. 119 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses hoof balance before and after the shoeing job.
The Forge Fire and Heats
Forg. 120 (1 hour lecture & 1 hour lab)
Discusses fuel types, forge design, and temperatures of metals.
Forging Tools and Skills
Forg. 121 (1 hour lecture & 1 hour lab)
Discusses forging tools and forging operations.
Selecting, Shaping, and Fitting Hot Shoes
Shoe. 122 (1 hour lecture & 3 hours lab)
Discusses selection of hot shoes, shaping hot shoes, and hot fitting.
Tools Forging and Metallurgy
Forg. 123 (1 hour lecture & 3 hours lab)
Discusses advantages of handmade shoes, selecting material, determining bar stock length, shoe shaping, and shoe evaluation.
Forging Handmade Tools and Shoes
Forg. 124 (1 hour lecture & 3 hours lab)
Discusses used steel identification and sources, steel selection, determining bar stock length, shoe shaping, and shoe evaluation.
Principles of Corrective Shoeing
Shoe. 125 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses stance correction and gait correction.
Gaits / Correcting Faults of Gait
Anat. 126 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses foot and limb confirmation types.
Forging and Applying Corrective Shoes
Forg. 127 (1 hour lecture & 1 hour lab)
Discusses clips, lifts, wedges, rocker-toes, blocked heels, trailers and extended heels.
Principles of Therapeutic Shoeing
Pbrl. 128 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses relationships between the horseshoer and veterinarian, definitions, health indicators, and available treatments.
Lameness' of Foot, Forelimb and Hindlimb
Anat. 129 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses thrush, abscesses, canker, yeast infections, sandaracs, keratoma, hoof loss, contraction, corns, laminitis, etc.
Forging and Applying Therapeutic Shoes
Shoe. 130 (1 hour lecture & 4 hour lab)
Discusses clips, bar shoes, rocker-shoes, patten-shoes, navicular shoes, founder shoes, and contraction shoes.
Shoeing the Specialized Horse
Shoe. 131 (1 hour lecture & 4 hours lab)
Discusses horses used for ranch work, rodeo, cutting, reining, polo, hunters, jumpers and race horses.
Horseshoeing Business and Management Practices
Mngt. 132 (1 hour lecture)
Discusses effective business practices
Course Objectives
Intr. 101
Need / Prerequisites for Horseshoeing
Determine need for horseshoers.
Explains prerequisites.
Hist. 102
Horseshoeing Heritage
Describe the historical development of horseshoeing.
Pbrl. 103
Public Relations for Horseshoeing
Distinguishing roles of horseshoer and horse owner.
Anat 104
Terms, Points and Regions of the Horse
Understand terminology regarding gender, age and species.
Husb. 105
Care and Management of the Horse
Compares and contracts selection.
Explains feeding practices in relation to hoof growth.
Discuss exercise in relation to hoof growth.
Anat. 106
Aging Horse by Teeth
Determine age of horses by observing teeth.
Tech. 107
Handling and Shoeing Positions
Demonstrates handling and shoeing positions.
Anat. 108
Bones and Joints
Differentiates bones and joints.
Anat. 109
Tendons and Ligaments
Differentiates tendons and ligaments.
Anat. 110
Foot Biomechanics
Define and explain foot biomechanics.
Anat. 111
Sensitive Structures
Identify sensitive hoof structures.
Anat. 112
Hoof Structures
Determine hoof growth, hoof moisture, and composition.
Anat. 113
Foot Dissection
Dissect the horses' foot.
Hdtl. 114
Horseshoeing Hand Tools
Make familiar the uses of various horseshoeing hand tools.
Eval. 115
Trimming
Make preliminary examination, visualize the ideal, and trim balanced hoof.
Safe. 116
First Aid
Discuss the horseshoer's need and uses for first aid kits.
Shoe. 117
Selecting, Shaping, and Fitting Cold Shoes
Relate disadvantages of ready-made shoes and cold shaping.
Shoe. 118
Nailing and Finishing
Demonstrate methods of securing the shoe.
Demonstrate methods of finishing the hoof.
Eval. 119
Shoeing Evaluation
Evaluate hoof balance after shoeing.
Discuss points considered during farrier competitions.
Forg. 120
The Forge Fire and Heats
Classify fuel types.
Understand fuel designs.
Distinguish temperatures of metals.
Forg. 121
Forging Tools and Skills
Identify forging tools.
Demonstrate forging operations.
Shoe. 122
Selecting, Shaping, and Fitting Hot Shoes
Determine criteria for selection of hot shoes.
Demonstrate the shaping of hot shoes and hot fitting.
Forg. 123
Tool Forging and Metallurgy
Point out advantages of handmade shoes.
Select appropriate material.
Determine bar stock length.
Shape shoes.
Evaluate shoes.
Volume I
Published April 27, 2010
Revised February 21, 2013
Revised February 9, 2015