Applications are open for Farrier Upskilling at CAFRE Enniskillen Campus
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The College of Agriculture, Food & Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) provides equine businesses with technical support and training opportunities to develop skills and competences.
The equine courses offered at Enniskillen Campus incorporate a strong practical dimension and the philosophy of ‘learning by doing’ is applied throughout all programmes. This is especially true for the Farrier Upskilling programme which has been designed for working farriers (who have at least two years’ experience) to gain a recognised qualification from a world-renowned organisation. Students attend on a part time basis, where they develop their forging and, shoeing skills and their theoretical knowledge aiming to achieve the prestigious qualification of the Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (DipWCF).
The intensive nature of the curriculum incorporates principles of equine anatomy, physiology, conformation, dynamics and movement, injuries/ ailments/diseases affecting the foot and limb and the principles of farriery. Practical skills include making many different types of shoes from basic steel strips to fit a range of horses. Students are required to produce a portfolio of handmade shoes using coke and/or gas forges, as well as undertake a practical and written examination. The students recognise the importance of honing their skills and gaining a qualification that offers themselves and their clients assurance that they are working to a professional recognised standard.
Farriers on the Farrier Upskilling Programme recently completed their Worshipful Company of Farriers Diploma (DipWCF). Over the course of the assessment days, Jamie McDonnell, Damien Moran, Oisin O’Reilly and John McCormick were successful in making and applying shoes, taking a theory exam, completing an oral assessment and producing a portfolio of handmade shoes. The Farriery Upskilling Programme at Enniskillen Campus is for working farriers, to allow them to gain their DipWCF, which is taught part-time by Martin Payne, Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (AWCF)) and Paul Duddy, AWCF. The course is designed to produce qualified professional farriers who are competent in all aspects of hoof care including the selection, fit and application of horse shoes.
Applications are still currently being accepted for the next intake, which is due to commence in January 2023 subject to there being sufficient numbers.
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