There may have been a time when hoof repair adhesives and glues were seen as a fad, but that’s long past. They play an essential role in more and more situations and today’s farrier needs to know how and when to use them.

Learning how these products behave will help you keep from feeling intimidated, getting frustrated — or having an adhesive set before you’re ready for it. In a panel discussion at the 2005 International Hoof-Care Summit, a panel of professionals offered advice on their company’s products, sharing helpful tips and techniques to avoid disease and ensure results. Here’s some of what they had to say.

David Fryer, Pottstown, Pa.

Company/Product: Equilox Int’l. (Equilox).

About The Product: “Equilox was designed to be the same consistency and flexibility as the hoof wall,” he says.

Personal Insights: “I spent 20 years as an engineer before becoming a farrier,” Fryer says. “I did trimming for a while and intentionally let some horses go barefoot to see what would happen.

“When the hoof wall gets long, it breaks off and the horses are walking on their soles to help support the hoof wall. So what I do is avoid paring out the sole quite as much, and use the…