Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing

Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing
The Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing has been giving new Farriers a solid foundation with which to run both a successful business and to be truly knowledgeable in the horseshoeing world.

What Makes Tom and Lane McNew- Instructors at Lookout Different?

Tom McNew has been shoeing horses for over 50 years and followed the American Saddlebred Circuit for nine years. he has shod some of the finest horses in the southeast. He has been shoeing a variety of horses including but not limited to Stock Horses, Gaited Horses, Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods and Event Horses. In January of 1987, Tom founded the Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing which has been training and moulding the futures of farriers ever since.

Lane McNew is the son of Tom and apprenticed under Eddie Williams of Lexington, KY for two summers where he began to hone his skills while working with Championship Saddlebreds. Lane obtained his formal training while attending Danny Ward's Eastern School of Farrier Science. He went on to work in the Thoroughbred racing industry for 16 years as a union journeyman farrier. Lane returned home to Lookout Mountain in 2003 to work with the school as well as to build his own farrier service.

It Is True That Lookout Mountain Can Help Me Lay a Great Foundation For a Career as a Farrier?

Absolutely!! While other people are going to college over the course of several years and ending up with triple figure student loans smart people, who love working with horses, can enter the Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing and end up with an amazing career in only 2 short months, that can help them on their way to a very rewarding career that can build to triple figures very quickly with hard work and dedication.

Note: Housing is included with your 8 week complete shoeing course, which is only $6000. See further information on our "Dormitory" below!

What If I Just Want To Learn To Trim My Own Horses?

Great! We have a wonderful 2 week course that can often help horse owners to give a good trim to their own horse and to replace their own shoes thus saving them thousands on farrier bills. Only $2500 -- you'll earn that back very quickly in savings!

What Is The Course Description For Lookout Mountain?

Tom and Lane are dedicated to giving you the most comprehensive education possible. No effort is spared to ensure that you have a complete education based upon both knowledge and experience! At Lookout Mountain, we have three methods of teaching:

• The classroom — which teaches you what to do.
• The Forge area — providing each student their own forge, vise, workbench, coal etc
• Field Training — gives you the opportunity to practice what you learned in the classroom. YES, you will trim Live horses the first week!

Note: Tom and Lane supervise and assist with work done in the Forge area!

Each Student Will Have Their OWN Complete Forge Area to Learn!

Our forge room is 24 x 40 with eleven forges that will provide each student with an individual forge, workbench, vise, coal bin, anvil and all of the tools need in order to learn to trim and shoe horses and form different types of corrective shoes. In the forge shop, the students build the tools they need to use. We have completely equipped mobile units when working in the field. However, the student does all work. The student will also begin normal trimming during the first week. We do not use dead feet here at the school! We feel that an important part of becoming a farrier involves the handling of horses. Dead feet cannot provide the experience needed to become a qualified farrier. A qualified farrier not only knows what to do, but must be able to DO what they know.

At Lookout Mountain, We Make Every Day Count! Look at What You Will Learn The First Week!
Tom and Lane understand that you are there to learn as much as possible. Your future career depends upon this knowledge, so they don't waste a moment of your time. The first week of class includes lectures in the mornings and forge work in the afternoon.

Our Lectures Cover:

• Introduction and Safety
• Horse Conformation
• Anatomy of the Foot and Leg

Will Lookout Mountain Teach Me Corrective Shoeing?

Yes! This is a Vital part of your education as a future, successful farrier! In the following weeks, we will teach you how to make corrective shoes and when to use them. You will also get an introduction in "Pathological Shoeing" for cases such as ringbone, founder, side bone, quitter, navicular disease, quarter cracks and numerous other disturbances are discussed and practiced. At the end of the eight weeks you should know how the horse travels, what makes him travel the way he does and if necessary how to alter his gait to help the horse remain sound and perform his or her best!
Note: There is no lab fee, no materials fee or any other hidden costs we consider this part of a well founded education!!

What About Education and What Types of Shoes Are Best For Individual Horses?

YES! We are glad you asked. You see, there are 50+ different types of shoes used (both hand made and keg shoes). We concentrate on shoeing the type of horses which provide the most business and income including racing, barrel, cutting, jumping, equitation, pleasure and saddle horses- and will give you information on what shoes are best for both the horse as an individual AND the sport that the horses is most involved in!

How About Helping Me With the Business Side of Being A Farrier?

All the knowledge in the world, won't help, if you don't also have the knowledge on how to attract, keep and increase your business. So, in addition to conformation, anatomy, corrective and pathological shoeing the school also teaches ways of getting first time and repeat business, setting up a mobile shop as well as maintaining financial records for tax purposes. In short you will learn how to handle your horse, your customer and your business.

Is It True That Lookout Mountain Provides a Free Dormitory While I Am Taking The Course?
Yes-- Free Housing IS Included! This is just one of the exceptional things we do for our students!! We don't want you to be worried about booking a motel and traveling. Our dormitory is a modern home with 1500 sq. ft. of living space. It provides for 16 male students and four female students. It has everything you need with all the modern conveniences for your personal comfort. YES. Diplomas are earned at the school. The quality of our school is reflected by each students work. Each student upon graduation will have received the instruction and practicum necessary in order to return home ready to setup business from flat shoeing to corrective shoeing, how to operate your own business and ways of promoting that business.

Contact Tom or Lane McNew and Being Your Career as a Farrier Today!

Tom and Lane are highly successful farriers with over 70+ years of experience between the 2 of them. They know, what YOU need to know, to become a successful, knowledgable and prosperous Farrier. Call Today and put yourself on the path of being a successful farrier tomorrow!

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What is the Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing?

Founded by Tom McNew in January 1987, the Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing is a hands-on farrier school in Gadsden, Alabama, dedicated to carrying on a centuries-old trade through traditional practices. The school trains complete beginners and working horsemen alike to trim, forge, and shoe horses to a professional standard. No prior experience is necessary to enroll, and instruction is built around real working horses rather than "dead feet."

Who teaches at Lookout Mountain?

The school is led by father-and-son farriers Tom McNew and Lane McNew, who personally supervise all forge and field work. Tom McNew has shoed horses for more than 50 years, followed the American Saddlebred Circuit for nine years, and has worked with Stock Horses, Gaited Horses, Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, and Event Horses. Lane McNew apprenticed under Eddie Williams in Lexington, Kentucky, completed formal training at Danny Ward's Eastern School of Farrier Science, and spent 16 years as a union journeyman farrier in the Thoroughbred racing industry before returning to teach in 2003.

How is the training structured?

Every program uses three teaching methods: classroom instruction, forge-area training, and supervised field training on live horses. The school offers both a 2-week course and a full 8-week course, with the eight-week curriculum opening on Introduction and Safety, Horse Conformation, and Anatomy of the Foot and Leg before advancing through corrective and pathological work. Students learn forty to fifty different types of shoes, combining hand-forged and manufactured keg shoes.

What equipment does each student get?

The 24' x 40' forge room is fitted with eleven individual forges, so every student works at their own station with a personal workbench, vise, coal bin, and anvil, plus all the tools needed to learn trimming, shoeing, and building corrective shoes. Students forge many of their own tools during the program. Mobile units are available so trainees practice the same way they will work in the field.

What corrective and business skills are covered?

Pathological shoeing instruction addresses ringbone, founder, side bone, quittor, navicular disease, and quarter cracks, with specialization options for racing, barrel, cutting, jumping, and pleasure horses. Beyond the forge, the school teaches the business of farriery: client acquisition and retention, setting up a mobile shop, and keeping financial records and managing taxes. Graduates leave with a diploma and business-readiness preparation so they can run a profitable practice from day one.

How do you enroll and what does it cost?

The class deposit is $250, payable by check, money order, or cashier's check to Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing, 400 Lewis Road, Gadsden, AL 35904. There is no lab fee, no materials fee, no housing fee, and no other hidden costs, and the on-site dormitory accommodates up to 20 students. To request a brochure or reserve a seat, call (256) 546-2036 day or night; scheduled 2026 sessions run Spring (April 6 - May 29), Summer (June 1 - July 24), and Fall (Sept 14 - Nov 6).