by Joni Astrup
Associate Editor
When Richard Duggan moved from Minneapolis to the Elk River area, his neighbor told him that now he was in the country he should have a horse.
Richard Duggan
“So he bought a horse and stabled it at his farm. From that it grew into a passion for horses,” said his wife, Nancy.
In 1969, Richard enrolled in the horseshoeing program at Anoka Technical College and eventually began teaching there. When that program was reduced in 1976, he started his own school.
Today, the Duggans and two of their children operate the Minnesota School of Horseshoeing and Duggan Farrier Supplies in Ramsey.
Nancy will represent the school at District 728 Community Education’s Career Exploration Fair on Feb. 28 at the Handke Center in Elk River.
Ironically, she discovered along the way that she’s allergic to horses. So she’s not a farrier herself, but works in other aspects of the business.
Nancy Duggan
Nancy said it takes three things to be a successful farrier: horsemanship skills, people skills and forging skills.
“Some people just don’t have it,” she said. “They might have the love of the horse, but might not have the other skills.”
For those that have what it takes, it can be a very good career. The average farrier in the Midwest earns about $82,000 a year, she said, and some make six figures.
She’s known people who have paid their way through veterinarian school by shoeing horses. Others have paid for their farms.
“It’s work, but it’s a rewarding career because you’re working with a live animal,” she said. “It’s healthy for your body because you’re using all your muscles.”
It’s not impossibly strenuous, though. She knows of people in their late 70s still shoeing horses.
Minnesota is fertile ground for farriers, with the state ranking No. 11 in the nation in the number of horses. She estimates there are about 300 full-time farriers in Minnesota.
The Minnesota School of Horseshoeing offers 10-week, 12-week and 24-week programs for professional farriers.
“There’s a lot to learn. The anatomy (of the horse) is a critical thing in horseshoeing so they have to really learn that,” she said.
For horse owners, the school offers a two-week trim class and a four-week horseshoeing class (two weeks of trimming and two weeks of horseshoeing).
The Minnesota School of Horseshoeing is one of about 50 farrier schools in the nation, and the only one in the five-state area.
Nancy said they have drawn students from all over the world.