A good educational foundation is a must when going into any profession, and farriery is no different. If one is literate enough to understand the information presented. To succede in any profession, a student must be seriously dedicated. For farriers this means a love for equines, a desire to work with one's hands, and a kind of compulsion to shoe horses. Farriery differs from other professions in the extreme physical demands it places on its practitioners.
Horses are very strong, fast, and heavy.
It takes a lot of effort to bend steel around. A farrier not only has to be strong enough to do the work, but also strong enough to do it and keep his brain going full-force at the same time. Again youth is a plus, as inexperienced shoers are more often injured than veterans, and young people tend to heal faster. In recent years a growing number of women have entered the profession and many have done well. But only to established, qualified practicioners.