CVO Brussel, farriery at the heart of the Belgian capital

Known for the quality of its programs and the diversity of its offerings, this school offers numerous training courses for adults. We met with the team dedicated to farriery training!

CVO Brussel & the training of Belgium's farriers of tomorrow

The school is confident that opportunities for professionals in hoof care are plentiful. Whether in the fields of equestrian sports, leisure, or for individuals with their own horse at home, farriery professionals will have no shortage of job opportunities at the end of their training, according to the Belgian training center.

980 hours dedicated to learning equine podiatry and forging are offered by CVO Brussel, combining theoretical lessons, practical workshops, and professional field experience.

Training composed of three main pillars:

• Learning hoof trimming techniques
• Learning forging
• Shoeing

The teaching team consists of five farriers, and the school relies on new technological tools to support the theoretical training of students.

Step-by-step training

Starting from scratch, learners begin by practicing on anatomical equine models.

 

Only once they are familiar with hoof trimming or shoeing techniques do they apply their knowledge to live horses. 

 

This approach helps prevent pain and injuries to the animals, which are often caused by the inexperience of aspiring professionals during their early stages.

 

A significant part of the training is dedicated to theoretical content and practice on anatomical segments of horses (hooves and limbs).

 

On-site, around ten horses per week are trimmed and shod by students under supervision.

Once the theoretical knowledge is acquired and the initial techniques are mastered, the students go directly to the stables near the school to shoe the local horses.

Finally, it is by working for many years in the field, alongside experienced professionals and on horses with very different conformations, issues, and activities, that students will continue to learn throughout their professional careers.

Educational tools in farriery

CVO Brussel, equipped with a multimedia room, digital tools, and the Metron-Hoof software, relies on technological educational tools to enhance the theoretical learning of its students.

"These tools improve the students' ability to read the hooves of horses," share two professors, Sammy Van Der Borght and Robin Simoens.

"As professionals, we know how to read the hooves of horses. But this is not always the case for students, some of whom have no experience in farriery at the start. The numerical values clearly show the hoof shape, the differences in angle between the external and internal part of the hoof etc There is no debate with the numbers or subjectivity. They understand better and faster, until gradually their eyes are trained to see and know what to look for.

Tools like Metron-Hoof easily point out small details, which is an undeniable help for inexperienced students. It’s difficult for them at the beginning to see things. It’s very educational and fun to explain wall distortions, for example, or even to address negative palmar angles."

In addition to the technological tools available, human capital is one of the core values of the current teaching team. Divided according to the students' years of learning, the school’s teachers, who are also farrier-instructors, work together to design the educational programs for students, ensuring a cohesive and structured learning experience.

Recently, a new teacher joined the CVO Brussel teaching team within the past 12 months. Belène Pelckmans, currently the only woman on the team, represents the growing feminization of farriery in Belgium—a trend also observed in France.

The challenges of the profession, highlighted by the numbers

A statement tinged with frustration from the teaching staff. Sammy, a former student of CVO Brussel, has been teaching at the school for 9 years, alongside his own work as a farrier.

Among the forty students who start the training each year, only ten to fifteen will actually pursue a career as a farrier, according to this experienced professional.

The students face realities they hadn’t anticipated at the beginning of the training: the physical demands of the job, the uncertainties of outdoor work, poorly trained horses... These are factors that undermine the motivation of the candidates.

A learning process of increasing difficulty

In addition to biomechanical and anatomical knowledge and mastered trimming techniques, the work of forging holds an important place throughout this 3-year program offered by the school.

Year after year, students must learn to forge all types of horseshoes from a simple flat bar. The shoes become increasingly technical as the months go by.

Depending on the year of training, students are evaluated on their ability to forge specific horseshoes. The evaluation is done specifically for each shoe, accompanied by a technical sheet:

Find more information about CVO Brussel and the farriery training offered :

CVO Brussel – Hoefsmid en Bekapper

Hoefsmederijschool CVO Brussel

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