About Farrier Academics
Debora Ash and John Blombach founded Farrier Academics in 1990 with the goal of helping farriers pass their certification exams on the first try. At the time, some of the tests had an intial pass rate of around 20%. Debora and John designed their study guides 1) to help certification candidates assess their strengths and weaknesses prior to attempting the test and 2) to reacquaint candidates, who may have been out of school for many years, with the art of test taking and, in particular, to familiarize them with the format and types of questions used in the actual tests.
Deb at work on a winter morning
About Debora Ash
Debora Ash is an AFA Certified Farrier and BFWA Journeyman 1 Farrier with 18 years of shoeing experience. She is certified as a British Horse Society Assistant Instructor (BHSAI) and at one time was an avid eventing competitor.
Debora is active in the Southern New England Farrier's Association (SNEFA), has served on its Board of Directors, and was editor of the SNEFA newsletter in 1995 when it won an AFA award. Debora is also a member of the New England Blacksmith Association.
Debora's other passion is dogs, and you will usually see her making her rounds with her 3 German Shepherds in the cab of her truck. Debora is a Certified Small Animal Massage Therapist with a primary interest in the working canine. She is a founder of and training officer for Canine Alert Search Teams in New Hampshire.
To contact Debora, visit our contacts page.
John with his daughter MaryEllen
About John Blombach
John Blombach hardly needs to be introduced to most of you. He is a prominent farrier and clinician, active at the national level as well as in his home area of New England.
John's many credentials include AFA Journeyman Farrier, past AFA Examiner, current AFA Treasurer, member of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame, and member of the 1983 winning North American Horseshoeing Team (now called the American Farriers Team). At the local level, John is active in the New England Blacksmith Association and in the Southern New England Farrier's Association (SNEFA) where his service includes 6 years as past president and the last 2 years as Vice President.
To contact John, visit our contacts page.
