If you’re ready to move your career beyond basic trimming and shoeing, the next step might be using acrylic glues to repair damaged or low-quality hooves. “Being able to perform acrylic repairs makes a farrier appear more professional in the eyes of clients

Of all the studies conducted on the correlation between nutrition and the hoof, the role of biotin, a water-soluble vitamin within the B group, has been a central focus time and again.

If you’ve had troubles with glue-on shoes, listen up. “These things all work,” says Bill Kirkpatrick, general manager of Sound Horse Technologies of Unionville, Pa. To create the strongest possible bond between hoof and shoe, choose the right glue for the job at hand and mix it properly, work with clean, dry feet, and use as much surface contact area as possible, he advises.