Farriery training for vets and veterinary training for farriers, where are we at?

With the trades of farrier, doctor and dentist, animal or human, being considered one and the same in the 18th century prior to splitting into their respective professions, the importance of the interconnection of veterinary and farriery education is now being realised. To optimise communication between the professions, a good understanding of the skills and knowledge levels of the respective professions is essential.
Farriery training for the undergraduate veterinarian varies vastly in content and time commitment between veterinary schools in the UK. At the Royal Veterinary College 4 lectures and half a day of practical teaching are dedicated to farriery throughout the course. These lectures are situated throughout the whole course starting in the first year with functional anatomy and a practical farriery demonstration to be continued in later years with farriery related biomechanics and remedial farriery in relation to orthopaedic disease. In the final year students spend half a day with the resident farrier to experience referral level farrier work and to practise basic skills, including shoe removal, paring out feet and the use of hoof testers. This is augmented by a series of clinical skills stations centred around an articulated leg model (‘Blacksmith buddy’). In order to encourage greater cooperation and understanding of farriery, the Worshipful Company of Farriers introduced the Equine Veterinary Studies Award in 2010 which offered a one week expenses paid placement for a final year student, from each of the 7 Veterinary Colleges, with a host working farrier. In the US there are several veterinary schools that now have a farrier as part of faculty.
Over the past 10 years there has been a dramatic increase in anatomy, physiology and biomechanical teaching requirements in farrier examinations with the candidates being asked to comment on x-rays of various lower limb conditions to an examining veterinary surgeon. A strong emphasis is now also being placed on the understanding and analysis of the equine gait and its relationship with both normal and remedial shoeing. Higher farriery qualification candidates have to show a working knowledge of remedial techniques employed when working in conjunction with a vet. The Worshipful Company of Farriers, who oversee the exams on behalf of the Farriers Registration Council, maintain a board of examiners (farriers and vets) with a vet always included in the examination set panel. […]