National Farrier Training Agency failed.

Published 12th April 2013 following the inspection in February 2013.

National Farrier Training Agency
Independent learning provider
Summary of key findings for learners
 Progress is too slow for just over half the apprentices and they fail to complete within the planned timescale. Apprentices aged 19 to 24 do poorly compared to the younger apprentices.
 Whilst apprentices training with caring and interested approved training farriers (ATFs) enjoy their training those working with poor ATFs often have a difficult and poor experience of the training programme.
 Assessment of apprentices’ practical skills and coursework does not happen often enough and the feedback apprentices receive on their work is often late and unhelpful.
 College trainers make too many apprentices repeat the six monthly blocks of college training and the reasons are not always fair or in the apprentices’ best interests.
 Apprentices report significant examples of bullying, abuse and humiliation by ATFs, and in a very small minority of cases by college trainers, which have not been identified or dealt with appropriately by the NFTA. Apprentices’ interests and needs are not at the heart of the training and in too many cases they are anxious to speak out against poor treatment since they do not think they will be believed or that the NFTA will support them.
 NFTA has not estimated current and future needs for qualified farriers and it is not clear whether the country is under or over producing farriers, or the extent of employment and business opportunities for farriers when they complete their training.
Inspection dates
18–22 February 2013 Overall effectiveness This inspection:
Inadequate-4 Previous inspection:
Good-2 Outcomes for learners
Requires improvement-3 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment
Inadequate-4 Effectiveness of leadership and management
Inadequate-4 This provider is inadequate
 
A bad school/educational establishment does not make a bad pupil/student. Admittedly it doesn't look good but the OP's inference that all farriers are bad is a little disingenuous.
Looks like some socks need to be pulled up!
 
Thanks PR. I found the full report at
http://www.farrierytraining.co.uk/n...ications/ofsted-inspection-report-april-2013/

and had a skim through. Shocking, but not surprising. I haven't many good words to say about farriers, in my area no-one can recommend a good one and there are some awful feet around. I've just gone barefoot after having had to watch one of mine progressively crippled by a farrier. In my limited experience, too many are complacent, self satisfied, habitually shoe the same way regardless of the horse...oh, don't get me started!

What's really missing though is CPD...where is the ongoing training? Where are the spot inspections?
 
They do have a CPD programme which they have to follow to stay on the Register. Be glad that in England, Wales and Scotland, and even the Highlands and Islands, farriers have to be on the Register.

Over here in NI (and the Republic) anyone can call themselves a farrier and bang nails in your horse's feet :(
 
The ENTIRE hoof/foot profession needs a complete overhaul and serious updating.

As a client of these hoof professionals, I would like to see more modern methods taken into account to have any confidence in farriery whatsoever.

I find that that the farriery profession is way outdated and don't feel much has changed since the middle-ages.
 
TBF, I don't think its just farriery training that is failing, the quality of adult training courses in general seems to be declining. The whole system needs overhauling.
 
quirky said:
A bad school/educational establishment does not make a bad pupil/student. Admittedly it doesn't look good but the OP's inference that all farriers are bad is a little disingenuous.
Looks like some socks need to be pulled up!
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There was no such inference in his posts, all he has done is report the Ofsted findings.

It's confirmed what I have said all along though, that the training is highly dependent on what the master knows and the horses that he has on his books.

I'm glad this report has been published. Maybe now we can get a curriculum that includes how to manage hard-working barefoot feet as standard for every apprentice, and get a more consistent service for those who shoe.

Over to you NFTA.
 
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tallyho! said:
The ENTIRE hoof/foot profession needs a complete overhaul and serious updating.

As a client of these hoof professionals, I would like to see more modern methods taken into account to have any confidence in farriery whatsoever.

I find that that the farriery profession is way outdated and don't feel much has changed since the middle-ages.
Click to expand...

whats wrong with how things are done just now? if it aint broke dont fix it..
 
weesophz said:
whats wrong with how things are done just now? if it aint broke dont fix it..
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But it is broke very broke masses of horses are having theirs lives shortened and pain caused by the way they are shod and the registration system is acting to protect the closed shop of farriers rather than raise standards and root out bad farriers.
 
Although the Ofsted report shows all these inadequacies of the apprentice training programme what incentive is there for things to improve as there is no alternative way for the trainees to learn.
It gives names of the individual colleges but no individual scores or way for someone who wishes to become an apprentice to choose which is the best or who they should aim to be apprenticed to.
 
Landcruiser said:
Thanks PR. I found the full report at
http://www.farrierytraining.co.uk/n...ications/ofsted-inspection-report-april-2013/

and had a skim through. Shocking, but not surprising. I haven't many good words to say about farriers, in my area no-one can recommend a good one and there are some awful feet around. I've just gone barefoot after having had to watch one of mine progressively crippled by a farrier. In my limited experience, too many are complacent, self satisfied, habitually shoe the same way regardless of the horse...oh, don't get me started!

What's really missing though is CPD...where is the ongoing training? Where are the spot inspections?
Click to expand...

Hi , according to Worshipful Co of Farriers there are over 400 farriers in Wiltshire is 1 FWCF and 27 AWCF's and 290 odd DipWCF's so you would of thought you should be able to find a good farrier. Many dont keep up to date with new ways of doing things etc etc and get into bad habits .Maybe worth looking out of your local area, he/she may have to travel to you , but worth it . I had the same problem , all local farriers were useless but I asked one who was outside of my area and as I had 8 to do it was worth him coming up. Maybe if afew on one yard or close by each other could get together to all get done at the same time someone outside of your area would come ? Good Luck !
 
Hmmm reads like many educational reports of establishments in this country, had ny horses treated by some terrible vets as well :rolleyes: not inclined really to take anything brought up by this OP seriously due to continued slating of anything non-NH.

However Tallyho I do agree that ALL hoof care professionals farrier or otherwise need to review and regroup. I've had some truly terrible farriers but the one I use at the moment is a total siant and lifesaver :)
 
weesophz said:
whats wrong with how things are done just now? if it aint broke dont fix it..
Click to expand...

Sorry to quote you again Weesophz, but as others have said, the whole system is seriously flawed, the training is not up to date (by about 200 years - the ridicule of Bracy Clarke's research for example rather than taking it on board).

Then there is the farce of the complaints procedure. My horse was nearly PTS due to a Farrier and I was advised not to complain even though I had my new farrier and my Vet as witnesses that my mare's problems were caused by the 'bad' farrier and nothing else.

Now I am more aware of hoof balance, I see long toes and under-run heels on so many horses and they are being shod by different farriers.
 
Faracat said:
Sorry to quote you again Weesophz, but as others have said, the whole system is seriously flawed, the training is not up to date (by about 200 years - the ridicule of Bracy Clarke's research for example rather than taking it on board).

Then there is the farce of the complaints procedure. My horse was nearly PTS due to a Farrier and I was advised not to complain even though I had my new farrier and my Vet as witnesses that my mare's problems were caused by the 'bad' farrier and nothing else.

Now I am more aware of hoof balance, I see long toes and under-run heels on so many horses and they are being shod by different farriers.
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A few years ago I realised unless I seriously upped my education in this area I was in a cycle that would go on and on.
I wanted to trust the farriers to do their job I did not want to believe that I had to educate myself to protect my horses but I did .
The thing is once you really understand there is no peace, I wince at the shoes/ feet I see out and about .
As for the farriers governing body any respect I had left dissolved when the fairrier that cut the shoes off a horses feet after he had fallen out with its owner got a slap on the wrist .
My vet has now encouraged me to learn how to rasp own horses feet while I find this a nerve wracking thing there's no doult it really gets you thinking .
 
Goldenstar said:
A few years ago I realised unless I seriously upped my education in this area I was in a cycle that would go on and on.
I wanted to trust the farriers to do their job I did not want to believe that I had to educate myself to protect my horses but I did .
The thing is once you really understand there is no peace, I wince at the shoes/ feet I see out and about .
As for the farriers governing body any respect I had left dissolved when the fairrier that cut the shoes off a horses feet after he had fallen out with its owner got a slap on the wrist .
My vet has now encouraged me to learn how to rasp own horses feet while I find this a nerve wracking thing there's no doult it really gets you thinking .
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I'd agree with this.

Sorting your own horses feet is empowering in some strange way. Also, you are the person responsible if things go wrong. (The truth is when you do it yourself you make sure things are done right).

There is no mystery about horses feet and the amount of information available to anyone interested is staggering.

No excuses anymore for substandard footcare, even if you do still want to shoe.
 
Goldenstar said:
A few years ago I realised unless I seriously upped my education in this area I was in a cycle that would go on and on.
I wanted to trust the farriers to do their job I did not want to believe that I had to educate myself to protect my horses but I did .
The thing is once you really understand there is no peace, I wince at the shoes/ feet I see out and about .
As for the farriers governing body any respect I had left dissolved when the fairrier that cut the shoes off a horses feet after he had fallen out with its owner got a slap on the wrist .
My vet has now encouraged me to learn how to rasp own horses feet while I find this a nerve wracking thing there's no doult it really gets you thinking .
Click to expand...
I believe we do need to educate ourselves as owners but I live in hope reports such as this will actually open minds and push a will for change in institutions. I know I personally have been defensive and therefore closed my mind to some extent on some issues but hope this reaction (common in humans it seems) is put aside and we can all start to work together to make lives better for our horses and us.

I think the Mark Welfare story you refer to should be something that never happens again due to a change in thinking from defense to commitment to learning, sharing and moving forward.
 
If farriery training resulted in competent, up to date, relevant farriers then I wouldn't have spent months doing my own research when things went wrong for my boy. Not that I regret it!! Quite the opposite... I'm one of the lucky ones.

I would have had the profession to rely on and keep my boy sound and healthy. Instead, I had a horse who was going lame time and time again.

There is nowhere to go. Once you doubt what the farrier is doing is the right thing, you're on your own.

Thank goodness there ARE other hoofcare professionals out there though and people who have gone out of their way to do research and change their career. If not, my boy would not be back competing and I would still be under the mercy of barbaric ironmongers.

Also, just my personal observations, but the attitude of some farriers are awful! One even gave me an instructional poem about how my horse should be presented and how he likes his tea! Another, when asked about what he was doing, told me to "F off" and "get on with day job"!!! Seriously, who do some of them think they are??

Thankfully I also know a few who are delightful and HAVE embraced change for the better. These ones will continue to do well once the equestrian community wise up and start thinking for themselves instead of praying to the farrier God.
 
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horserider said:
TBF, I don't think its just farriery training that is failing, the quality of adult training courses in general seems to be declining. The whole system needs overhauling.
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Totally agree with this, and not just in vocational courses. A friend of mine recently joined a languages class and I thought that the standard of teaching was appalling - they appeared strong advocates of the "Pas de la Rhone que nous" methodology, the students basically paid well over the odds for a couple of textbooks that they could just as easily have bought from Amazon for one tenth the price of the "course" and studied in the comfort of their own home.
 
I fully agree that the whole system needs looking at. Horses are a multi billion pound industry after all, and yet so many struggle with poor shoeing, unreliable farriers, rogue trimmers. I'm a "barefoot" person, but have had one of mine shod for a while as the barefoot trimmers I'd used were incapable of balancing his feet correctly. One was an EP (the pictures I have of the trims she did, I look back at now in horror. At the time I didn't know any better and wondered why my horse was lame all round!), one was a "Barefoot trimmer" originally trained by Strasser:eek: but now broken away from that school of thought.

I had a tremendously well respected remedial farrier put Imprints on him which allowed him back into work, then a different farrier carried on with metal shoes after 3 cycles of Imprints. I then watched my poor horse gradually go from happily striding out to creeping around. Over six months I watched his toes being dubbed back right to the white line, his heels running under, and the hooves beginning to look like club feet. The final straw for me was when I questioned the farrier, he asked me, quite genuinely, how I'd like him to trim them. How I'dlike him to trim them!

I have now, (after nearly a year of begging and a yard move into her area) got a DAEP who trims for 2 people I know and respect. 3 months after losing the shoes the hooves are beginning to look more normal, the dubbing is almost grown out, the frog has begun to return where previously there was NO frog (total atrophy). I thought I was going to lose him. We are walking in hand most days, and he's sound and almost ready to get back on.

The yard we moved from has been running for over 20 years, the YO knows everyone and until recently has had horses and ponies of her own. She used to tear her hair and apologise to the liveries for not being able to recommend a farrier in the local area.

I reckon the system is well and truly broke. I also reckon that anyone who doesn't educate themselves about hooves and trimming/farriery is asking for trouble (like I was). And it shouldn't be like that! We should be able to trust our hoofcare pros!
 
tallyho! said:
If farriery training resulted in competent, up to date, relevant farriers then I wouldn't have spent months doing my own research when things went wrong for my boy.

I would have had the profession to rely on and keep my boy sound and healthy. Instead, I had a horse who was going lame time and time again.

There is nowhere to go. Once you doubt what the farrier is doing is the right thing, you're on your own.

Thank goodness there ARE other hoofcare professionals out there though and people who have gone out of their way to do research and change their career. If not, my boy not be back competing and I would still be under the mercy of barbaric ironmongers.
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Your only on your own if you have a vet that does not tell you straight what the issues are.
I tried working with my farrier even going to the extent of taking X-rays of the forefeet so the balance issues could not argued about in time having discovered HHO I took one BF as an experiment to call vet sceptical would be an understatement but as I learnt and worked the horses I learned and she
watched she came round .
I am not a BF purist I do half and halfish I shoe in period of the hardest work them remove and work BF .
I bought a TB with the full TB foot thing going on took his shoes off for a year did the BF rehab thing he's now shod ( he's going eventing ) he's a different horse .
I think it's a great shame that it sometimes seems you have to be a BF or shod person, horses need breaks from shoeing it is good for the feet and I have learnt you don't have to have your horse out of work to rest the feet thats been my breakthrough in the last two years sussing that one out.
My vet recommended the farrier to shoe my TB he walked the horse up before and after shoeing I was so happy because I was dreading the day.
My other two who have been shod recently where shod by a different farrier he shod them in front with quarter clips both maintained heel first landing through their shod period and are now out of shoes on a break .
It is harder work than just shoeing but worth it
 
cptrayes said:
There was no such inference in his posts, all he has done is report the Ofsted findings.

It's confirmed what I have said all along though, that the training is highly dependent on what the master knows and the horses that he has on his books.

I'm glad this report has been published. Maybe now we can get a curriculum that includes how to manage hard-working barefoot feet as standard for every apprentice, and get a more consistent service for those who shoe.
Click to expand...

I agree completely. Its not that all farriers are bad, its just that (IME) the fact that someone is a farrier is pretty meaningless as regards their skill level (or behaviour / professionalism for that matter). I have had some awful farriers over the years and been forced to educate myself about hoofcare and maintenance. I have known some farriers that were good at shoeing but I wouldn't let them near my horse due to their behaviour. I have had a farrier who was reasonable at shoeing and handling but refused to talk to me about my horses feet at all (the dentist, vet, chiro etc expect to give you an update on progress / current state and have a quick chat about aftercare etc, why is farriery different?). I now have a brilliant farrier who is great with horses, great with their hooves and is happy to discuss things with the owner.

p.s. I currently keep my horse barefoot
 
Goldenstar said:
Your only on your own if you have a vet that does not tell you straight what the issues are.
I tried working with my farrier even going to the extent of taking X-rays of the forefeet so the balance issues could not argued about in time having discovered HHO I took one BF as an experiment to call vet sceptical would be an understatement but as I learnt and worked the horses I learned and she
watched she came round .
I am not a BF purist I do half and halfish I shoe in period of the hardest work them remove and work BF .
I bought a TB with the full TB foot thing going on took his shoes off for a year did the BF rehab thing he's now shod ( he's going eventing ) he's a different horse .
I think it's a great shame that it sometimes seems you have to be a BF or shod person, horses need breaks from shoeing it is good for the feet and I have learnt you don't have to have your horse out of work to rest the feet thats been my breakthrough in the last two years sussing that one out.
My vet recommended the farrier to shoe my TB he walked the horse up before and after shoeing I was so happy because I was dreading the day.
My other two who have been shod recently where shod by a different farrier he shod them in front with quarter clips both maintained heel first landing through their shod period and are now out of shoes on a break .
It is harder work than just shoeing but worth it
Click to expand...

I agree but I don't think you HAVE to be either. I think I was biased towards bf because it's what saved my horse (emotional). I'm stil biased towards bf and would always go back to bf if there was a problem but firmly believe that shoeing a healthy foot should be the norm. Shoeing unhealthy feet should be carefully considered!
 
tallyho! said:
I agree but I don't think you HAVE to be either. I think I was biased towards bf because it's what saved my horse (emotional). I'm stil biased towards bf and would always go back to bf if there was a problem but firmly believe that shoeing a healthy foot should be the norm. Shoeing unhealthy feet should be carefully considered!
Click to expand...

My Farrier was telling me recently how there are a few horses on his books with good hooves that don't need to be shod and yet the owner wants them shod. He said that he's trying to slowly and carefully to introduce the idea to them, that the horses would be better off without shoes. He said it's an uphill battle because the general horsekeeping public still believes that to hack a horse you need to shoe it. One apparently is only ever worked on a surface and the owner still insists on it being shod.
 
At least now the deficiencies can be addressed and training will get better :-). There seems to be nothing in the report which states that the actual shoeing is deficient, just the way its taught and the people skills involved. I cant see anything to be pleased about OP. Its not good they have had a poor report.
I personally feel that all barefoot trimmers should have to be qualified farriers too. All under the same umberella. Safer for horses and owners , with no mud slinging on either side , and owners getting proper advice about whether or not their horse needs shoes or a trim, rather than the "all horses can be barefoot" or the "all horses needs shoes" sort of thing which go on. Too many barefoot people are adamently against shoes wholesale. This is quite wrong. People have to do what is best for that horse and the work it is doing at the time and that may mean a trim or shoes.
 
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