Forging ahead as farriers Kentucky horseshoeing school attracts

MOUNT EDEN, Ky. -- The Kentucky Horseshoeing School isn't the kind of place you'd think would attract students from around the world. It is housed in a modest, non-air-conditioned wooden building by the side of a winding highway.

But the school's reputation has drawn prospective farriers from New Zealand, Taiwan, Sweden and many other countries to this place about halfway between Louisville and Lexington.

About 80 students attend each year, learning anatomy and equine biomechanics in the mornings. In the afternoon they sweat in front of a fiery forge, putting their book learning to the test on live horses.

It takes a certain amount of physical agility and strength to shoe a horse, but there's a lot more to it than that.

Skilled farriers probably know as much or more about the structure of horses' feet as veterinarians, said Mitch Taylor, headmaster of the school.

There's also welding and metalwork to learn, as well as how to run a small business. Most students are men, but about 20 percent are women.

The reward at the end of the coursework can be substantial. Master farriers can earn $200,000 a year, the very top race track farriers even more, Taylor said.

"There's a great demand for quality farriers who know how to make and fit different kinds of shoes," he said.

The classes range in skill level and tuition and fees run from $1,000 to $5,500.

Taylor, 45, who has owned the school since 1989, grew up in Colorado and has a biology degree from Western State College in Colorado.

He also studied under renowned equine researcher Dr. James Rooney while in graduate school at the University of Kentucky.

In addition to the school, Taylor and a former student own a farrier business specializing in high-level performance horses.

Keith Gentry, 38, a former auto mechanic from Fayetteville, Tenn., learned a few things about how to shoe his quarter horses from a local farrier. He soon realized there was a shortage of trained farriers in his area, about 60 miles from Nashville.

Gentry, a student at the school, said he didn't expect to learn so much about anatomy, which students sometimes study late into the night. Others practice their blacksmithing skills in the evenings. Many students sleep in bunk beds in dorm rooms at the school.

"I'm used to dealing with hot conditions as a mechanic," Gentry said. "The thing that surprised me was all the study of anatomy. I've learned so much in just a couple of weeks."