Mike Ferrara in gray, my old stuff in brown, deletia
The question for the horse owner is whether or not what is know is relevant adn whether or not what is known is a reliable indicator of what they need to know...which is can the farrier provide what they and their horse needs.
In its most basic form, AFA certification assures a horse's connections that the farrier actually knows which way to turn a nail; they have no such assurance when they choose a farrier by most other means. Known verses unknown.
While you may not choose to measure your knowledge and motor skills against an arbitrary standard, others may choose to do so in the interest of becoming a better farrier. And, if you don't think the work and study necessary to pass the AFA's CF or CJF will make a better farrier out of any farrier, you're living in a dream world.
Better is a relative term that doesn't necessarily imply relevance.
As used, the term "better farrier" means, "a better farrier than before the study and practice necessary to pass the test." I dunno about in your business, but in mine, I've never been satisfied with the status quo, I've always figured there was room for improvement. Thus, becoming "better" has always had a great deal of relevance to me.
What else? Shoe fit, flatness...sort of run of the mill stuff that I've done for years and years and I and my clients know that I can fit a shoe anyway I want whether the AFA knows it or not.
Your clients are not the targeted demographic. The folks we're trying to reach are those who need the services of a competent farrier and don't have any means of determing ability other than the feedstore bulletin board and the usual suspects. A casual perusal of this, or any other, board will reveal that these folks are legion.
So, in all honesty, there is a good chance that I couldn't pass the test today and speed would likely be the big road block (although I don't remember what the time requirements are). Being faster would be a good thing for my profitability but it isn't immediately relevant to my clients and has no bearing on the quality of work that I do.
In all honesty, certification is not about the farrier, it's about giving the horse owner the ability to find a competent farrier without wading through a bunch of hacks.
So yes, I would have to get "better" to pass the test but not "better" in a way that my clients would care about.
I took the tests because I care about getting better. Different strokes.
I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I can sure as hell tell you why I took the tests and I was among the first to take both the CF and CJF tests here in Texas. With me, it was pride, pure and simple. I take an inordinate amount of pride in my work and I wanted to see how I measured up to the AFA's standards.
I take a great deal of pride in my work also. I know my work and I know my strong and weak areas. Some of my clients have known and used farriers that are or were regarded as some of the best and that's what I have to live up to. That's the standard that I'm tested to every day. It isn't the least bit arbitrary. The horses either perform or they don't. Any perspective new client can access knowledgable professionals who's familiarity with my work goes back about 25 years.
At my end of the sandpile, merely performing is not good enough. Folks with race/show/performance horses want their horses to perform as well as they possibly can. There's considerable truth in the old track bromide that goes, "Anybody can shoe a stakes horse, but it takes a helluva hand to move a cheap claimer."
I think the public wants and needs a reliable indicator of any prospective farrier's knowledge and skills without having to rely on the feedstore bulletin board, the boarder in the next stall, or similar unreliable sources. The AFA's tests are, without question, the most widely available reliable indicator of a farrier's knowledge and ability available in this country.
I would agree that the feed store bulletin board provides no information other than maybe a phone number. However, I disagree that the AFA test the most widely available reliable indicator of a farrier's knowledge and ability available in this country. The statement is more than questionable. It's obsurd for a number of reasons.
First the AFA test is no indication of knowledge or skill at all except for at the most basic level...it just doesn't test ones ability to know and do what the horse needs.
The AFA CF makes no pretense of testing a farrier's ability to assess and address a horse's needs, other than testing one's knowledge of therapéutic/palliative shoes and their application. However, should you ever choose to stand for the CF test, you'll find it a good indicator of one's knowledge of basic equid anatomy and physiology, a fair test of one's ability to apply one's knowledge and motor skills to the modification/forging of shoes, and an excellent indicator of one's ability to apply shoes.
Even if it did, what the horse owner needs to know is not if the farrier could but if they are.
First, an owner needs to know whether or not a prospective farrier knows which way to turn a nail. Hiring an AFA certified farrier separates that particular known from the unknown.
A horse owners best and most reliable course of action is to educate themselves.
On this point, we are in total agreement. As I see it, when it comes to farriery, an owner's education begins with their being made aware of their choices and all those choices entail when it comes to picking a farrier.
A horse owner who knows what they are looking at and know what questions to as of the farrier and the farriers references can do a fine job of figuring out what the farrier is actually doing on a day to day basis.
Very few owners are capable of assessing farriery. I've seen a bazillion farrier-made cripples come through the clinics that their owners thought were getting the best of farrier care. References? They may or may not be meaningful, depending on their source. On the other hand, AFA certification is objectively quantified and indicative of both knowledge and motor skills.
If the horse owner wants the BEST farrier for the job, certification is, again, no indicator at all.
Certification is unquestionably indicative of a certain degree of ability, while "best" is a subjective assessment. Apples and oranges.
Researching the farriers actual experience relative to the job at hand is the best way to determin.
Experience is indicative of chronology, not quality.
Given that there are so many good and very experienced farriers who are not certified, it's more than possible that culling based on certification could have the oposit effect and iliminate the "best" from consideration right from the start.
Farriers with a deserved reputation for being the best at what they do stay covered up, certified or not; given their lack of availability, it follows that the public is well served by having a means of culling farriers on the basis of certification because that gives them a choice between known and unknown qualities.
Nothing including certification is going to insure that the lazzy or cheap horse owner gets good reliable farrier service.
Now you're preaching to the choir.
Advertising certification is a good business move for the AFA.
It's an even better move for the horse owning public.
Back to the question of why more farriers aren't AFA members or certified...speaking for myself, it's because of a fundamental disagreement in regard to just about everything. If this new push takes place it would be the perfect example. I have enough work so I don't need the AFA to help me in that regard. Even if pushing certification is of real benefit to horse owners (which I don't believe), it still isn't what I want to pay the AFA to do. Is the AFA a farriers organization or a farriers organization. I don't care about firgeing contests either.
LMAO! Certification ain't about helping you, it's about helping the public.
Since there isn't anything the AFA can do that I need done, the only way I would become a member again is if they took away or severely limited my choice.
Nobody is out to limit anyone's choices, the AFA is about making the public aware that they have choices.
I think some real market research might well show that the lack of interest in the AFA by many farriers as well as many horse owners is due to similar reasons.
As I see it, creating public demand for AFA certification will be the first step in improving the overall qualitry of farriery in this country.