New Horseshoeing School Launched in Wells County
Expected to Be the Only State-Accredited Horseshoeing School in Indiana

Uniondale, Ind.—Wells County farrier Troy Price is seeing his life-long ambition of operating a horseshoeing school come true with the opening of the Troy Price Horseshoeing School near Uniondale. After years of envisioning a horseshoeing school, Price and his wife Jennifer finally decided to make it happen and have been working toward their goal for the past two years. The school officially opened in July and is currently enrolling students for upcoming courses.

Opening a horseshoeing school—or any type of career school—is a long and arduous process. For the Prices, the process included meeting with the Northeast ISBDC and an attorney, incorporating a business, planning a curriculum, developing a website and marketing materials, obtaining insurance and school accreditation, and getting their facilities ready for students.

Troy and Jennifer Price in the farrier shop of their horseshoeing school.
As a result of all their hard work, the Prices received a letter from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s Office for Career and Technical Schools dated July 12, 2013, granting their horseshoeing school a temporary accreditation status as an AC-0150 career school. A full accreditation is
in the works, and once it is received, Troy Price will be the only state-accredited horseshoeing school in Indiana and will be regulated by the State Workforce Innovation Council.

The Troy Price Horseshoeing School curriculum includes five courses ranging from a 2-week trim course for horse owners all the way up to a 36-week journeyman course for those wanting to become a farrier and operate their own horseshoeing business. The school is expected to attract a variety of students, from 4-H participants and horse owners to novice and aspiring full-time farriers, as well as veterinarians.

The school facilities, which are located on two acres, include a farrier shop, a pole barn and a farm house. Forging skills are taught and practiced in the farrier shop and barn, while classroom work is conducted in the house. A unique aspect of the school is that the farm house is available free of charge to students who need overnight accommodations while attending horseshoeing courses. Enrollment is currently underway, with course descriptions and fee information available on the website, www.troypricehorseshoeingschool.com.

Troy Price has been involved with horses since his boyhood days of growing up on a farm south of Liberty Center. As a youth, he always held the horses when they were being shod, which sparked his interest in horseshoeing. After graduating from high school in 1991, he attended the Kentucky Horseshoeing School, and in 1993, he graduated with high distinction from the Masters Course in Horseshoeing. In 1999, Price qualified as a Certified Journeyman Farrier (CJF) through the American Farrier’s Association (AFA). He has been shoeing horses and operating a farrier business full time for more than 20 years.

Throughout his career as a farrier, Price has attended and taught many clinics and seminars on horseshoeing and blacksmithing, and has participated in numerous national and international competitions. He was a five-time national AFA team member, most recently in 2008. He was a Top 10 finalist five times at the World Championship Blacksmith Competition in Calgary, Canada, qualifying for the final five at one of those events and winning individual classes three times. In 2009, he was approved as an AFA tester, and in 2010 he judged the AFA’s national convention. In 2011, he received the Clyde Stringer Award in recognition of his willingness to share his knowledge and experience with fellow Indiana Farrier Association members, and for advancing farriery within the state. He currently judges competitions and instructs at clinics for local farrier chapters and associations throughout the U.S.
The Troy Price Horseshoeing School is being operated in partnership with his wife Jennifer (Trumbower) Price, who works for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. Troy and Jennifer met through their involvement in

4-H while still in high school (he at Southern Wells and she at Norwell) and they were married in 1994.
Jennifer’s grandparents used to own the property on which the horseshoeing school is located, and until recently, the Prices lived there in the farmhouse. In preparation for opening the school, the couple recently built and moved into a log cabin on wooded property behind the school, and converted the farm house into a combination schoolhouse and student quarters.

The Prices have been working with the Northeast ISBDC off and on since February 2012. NE-ISBDC business advisors Scot Goskowicz and Mary Popovich have assisted the couple with business start-up strategies and marketing assistance for the new school.

For more information on the Troy Price Horseshoeing School, visit www.troypricehorseshoeingschool.com or call the Prices at 260-622-6052. To learn more about the services of the Northeast ISBDC, visit www.isbdc.org or call 260-481-0500.