Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, Maine is the latest college to launch a new farrier program. The first class will be offered in the summer of 2007, with farrier Bob Solman of Caribou as instructor. The new school will adhere to the Natural Balance theory of trimming and shoeing and will the third farrier school in the United States (that I can validate) to offer an exclusively Natural Balance approach to farrier education.
In an interview with Hoofcare & Lameness on November 3rd, Solman said that the course will have three modules: two weeks of trimming, four weeks of shoeing, and four weeks of advanced shoeing. Bob was one of the first group of farriers to pass the new Natural Balance certification testing process this summer.
While Bob says that the program has been approved, the college's web site says it is looking for horses for the students to shoe.
Keep an eye on http://www.nmcc.edu/farrier.php for more details.
