One option for horseshoers who want to advance their education and become better at their craft is to take the American Farrier’s Association Certified Farrier examination. The Certified Farrier exams, which constitute the first level of AFA Certification, are open to farriers who have at least a year of horseshoeing experience and have demonstrated knowledge and skill to perform hoof care on a professional basis.

The Certified Farrier process requires successful completion of written and practical testing, as well as the creation and explanation of a horseshoe display. While many candidates can achieve passing marks on the written component of this exam on their first try, the horseshoe display — which involves both an oral presentation and a timed, on-site modification — often requires more than one attempt. There are 11 modifications a farrier must include in the display, so naturally one of the lessons pre-certification clinics will address is hands-on help covering uses for and how to build the shoe display. In this article, I look at how to complete a square toe modification.