Farrier shadow: useful or not?

[turnbackhelly]

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I will be a first time applicant this cycle and am eternally looking for ways to improve my impending application this summer. It is possible for me to spend some time observing the farrier who shoes my horse, and I'm trying to decide whether or not this would be worth my time. Obviously it would be considered animal rather than vet experience, and obviously I would prefer to log some extra vet hours (vs. animal), but I have been hitting dead end after dead end trying to secure some more vet experience this summer (espeically LA 🙁).

If it helps, I currently have ~100 hrs as a vet assistant in a small (2 doctors) SA practice, ~1600 hrs as a receptionist in the emergency department at a large SA referral hospital (this is my current job, where I am also able to unofficially shadow the ER drs and watch emergency surgeries performed by the staff surgeons after my reception shifts are over), and ~30 hrs as a foal sitter in New Bolton's NICU. Most of my animal experience is equine, having worked on a large horse farm consistently for the past 8 to 10 years (a few thousand hours). As for focus during vet school, I am currently undecided between SA and equine.

In my position, assuming no other *immediate* opportunities for new vet experience (though I continue to search high and low), would you guys opt to pick up a few (50-100 max?) hours shadowing a farrier, or would you invest that time in other things this summer (personal statement/application in general/summer classes, which I will be taking 3 of). Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[tpad40]

I think shadowing a farrier is a great idea! I did for very few hours but I did include it on my application. Equine podiatry is an ever-growing field and any equine focused pre-vet or vet can benefit from shadowing an experienced farrier! I definitely plan on doing it more if time allows during summers because it is something I am very interested in. Don't let your courses suffer because of it, but even getting 20 hours of farrier shadowing is a great plan.

 

[Perfbird]

It sounds like a great idea! Animal experience is better than nothing, at least in my opinion and it will show that you're always looking for more experience. As well, if you do end up securing a veterinary experience position then you could ask to reduce your hours with the farrier. Good luck! I'm also finding it very difficult to get Veterinary experience this summer, but I do have a few leads and a backup plan if those fall through.

 

[turnbackhelly]

Thanks a lot for your feedback! I am going to ride along with my farrier 3 full days next week before my summer classes start, then I'll hopefully be able to get some more hours in with him toward the end of the summer.🙂

 

[cRose]

no hoof, no horse. do it! can't possibly see how you wouldn't get some worthwhile experience from shadowing a farrior. you'll certainly learn how to avoid getting kicked in the shin 🙂

 

[HeartSong]

Absolutely. Be prepared to ask him questions too, there's actually a lot of medical stuff you can learn from a farrier. You probably already know the parts of the hoof and so forth, but he might be able to tell you things like the different layers of the hoof, where each one comes from, how fast the hoof wall grows, what shoes to use for different problems, how to make sure the hoof is even and why that is so important, etc, etc. A lot of that was covered in our musculoskeletal course so getting some of that knowledge beforehand would be great.

 

[flyhi]

As they say, it can't hurt right? I think it would be not only very interesting, but as HeartSong mentioned, they do have a lot of knowledge even though they are not vets. I really liked most of our farriers.

Have fun!

 

[laurafinn]

If you are inclined towards equine medicine, definitely do it. I shadowed a farrier for 3 weeks as part of my required farm practical work and had a good time. Be aware though, that as someone who is shadowing, a lot of the work may seem repetitive and slow paced (for the farrier, its pretty physically demanding, but you actually just end up standing around holding the horse, or not even that in some stables).

You can learn a lot from the farrier, and it will help you in anatomy and equine lameness. Also, you can learn more about different aspects of the horse business. For instance, the farrier I shadowed did about 75% of his work in Thoroughbred training stables, which is something I would not otherwise have been exposed to.

Watching how the farrier handles horses of different temperaments is also excellent. Because hoof trimming and shoeing is time consuming and can occasionally be painful (when, for instance, cutting out abscesses), farriers have to keep the horses calm and well behaved -- observed how they do it -- the necessary demeanor and handling skills will be helpful for you to employ as a vet.

 

[smm482]

I agree with everyone that you can learn a ton from farriers. They offer a different perspective when looking at lameness issues and often can pinpoint the problem faster than a vet, especially if it is a horse they regularly trim/shoe. I would definitely take the opportunity to shadow a farrier. Under normal circumstances, they see the horses more often than the vet does so they have valuable insight. A good farrier is just as important if not more important than a good vet. I'm sure I will be saying otherwise when I finally become an equine vet but until then, that's my opinion as a horse owner.

 

[StillDreaming]

The farrier work will definitely be beneficial to you in the long run. If you want to go into equine, understanding the hoof helps you understand a lo more about the horse (especially if you want to go into lameness/sports medicine aspect of equine).

If you have the time, go ahead, you can learn a heck of a lot and it could be something interesting to be on your app. I don't know that its going to be the making or breaking point for you application though, so whether or not its worth it in the short term (app wise) is totally apersonal thing.

 

[meadow36]

You know what? It's unique and will stand out on your application. I think it's a great idea, to the tune of 50-100 hours or so. Any more than that would be overkill.

I think variety is the key to getting into school, as more adcoms are looking for well rounded individuals with different types of experience. Good luck!!!

 

[turnbackhelly]

Thanks again, everyone, for your input! I am riding along with my farrier for the first time tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited! (Not so excited to get up at 5am, though 😴)

 

[pawprints]

Thanks again, everyone, for your input! I am riding along with my farrier for the first time tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited! (Not so excited to get up at 5am, though 😴)

Oooh, let us know how it goes!!! I'm going to try to squeeze in some time this summer with my farrier thanks to your post! 😀 Hope it went well! 😀

 

[turnbackhelly]

Oooh, let us know how it goes!!! I'm going to try to squeeze in some time this summer with my farrier thanks to your post! 😀 Hope it went well! 😀

It was an awesome experience! We went to 5 different barns, and he and his full time apprentice (a friend of mine) shod/trimmed 9 horses and a burro. He taught me how to pull shoes and let me pull them off of one of the (extremely patient 😛) horses they did! I watched him perform his own type of lameness exam with a heat sensor device on another horse, and he showed me the differences in the feet of a horse that foundered 4-5 years ago and one with "normal" feet. It was also interesting seeing the different types of facilities he serviced and how they operated (medium sized show barn, backyard barn, large "dude ranch" type of place, etc.). And the burro was pretty entertaining...

Unfortunately because I have to go back to school this weekend for summer classes I will not be able to ride along with him again until August, but the experience was awesome and he said I am welcome back at any time! I'm planning on getting in some more hours with him toward the end of the summer. For anyone who is able to spend some time shadowing a farrier, I recommend it!

 

[Backwoods Boy]

I am currently doing an apprenticeship with a horse trainer and farrier. The experience definitely won't hurt and there's nothing wrong with being around horses all day.