THE MASSACHUSETTS EQUINE CLINIC

Farrier education is the final key component, and the one in which the practitioner can have input, if desired.  In contrast to veterinary education, MOST of the scientific education of farriers is "postgraduate” (if any sort of graduation has indeed occurred). Thus, although many farriers are eager for the “latest” information, few have even the most basic foundation on which to build (imagine trying to master laparoscopy if you’d never learned sterile technique). Thus, veterinary seminars have to make some broad assumptions, realizing that the depth of farrier education is often quite basic.  Yet, one of the most frequent errors made by presenters is the dismissal of the value of daily experience and repetition as a means of learning. And speaking “down “to an audience of farriers is something one only does once!  Challenging them to learn and follow is by far the best course.

A practitioner who spends time in small group sessions with farriers will be rewarded with a responsive and willing “team”  who will stretch themselves to help a given case or practitioner. Our practice no longer has an “official’ farrier who does the majority of our cases. We try to engage the client’s farrier in a dialog and work with him/her as much as possible in our clinical setting. We also engage veterinarian/farrier consultants on an as-needed basis to reinforce the work we do. This may not be necessary in situations where a large clinic caseload must have a “staff” farrier to do the large number of cases presented.