Horse hoof knives

K

Kevin the grey

Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
4,106
We,ve all seen them sometime . A sturdy handle with a curved blade which ends in a tight small curl . I think the curl is used to clean out dirt from the inner edges of the hoof . The length of the blade is used to pare away the edge of the hoof into the proper shape .

They look a little like a crooked knife and in truth are proabably a version of one . Can they be used for other purposes such as carving wood ? The curl looks a little too tight to scrape out a bowl but may serve a similar purpose .

The reason I am asking is I found a small store with them for less than five bucks .
A tough handle and a very nice blued steel blade . They even have left handers for the same price which is rare .
 
I have used one for carving wood. I had to put some tape on the shaft to prevent blisters when I shortened up, but it worked just fine.
 
Thanks Thomas . Do you think they can be easily resharpened ? I have resharpened broadheads which looked like them and a file skates over them .
 
"Kevin," (Can I call you Kevin?) I bought a folding diamond sharpener for serrated knives. It is a very tapered cone, and it works to sharpen the hoof knife. I suspect that a ceramic rod of suitable size would also work.

Ed: I just held the sharpener at what I thought was the proper angle against the bevel and rotated my wrist back-and-forth (clockwise/counterclockwise). It was pretty easy.
 
Hi Kevin:

The hoof knife is more like a tool. Before riding it is a good practice to remove anything from the horses hoof that might hurt the horse. The V shaped part in the center of the hoof is called the frog.

Sometimes while riding on the trail the hourse might favor a hoof so you would dismount and use the tool to clean around the frog and make sure no stone was lodged in there.

There is another tool used on hoofs that actuallt trims off overgrown hoof (like fingernail) and one of those tools is called a hoof knife.

I'm not sure which tool you are referring to.

A hoof cleaning tool can't really cut.
 
Steve, the tool you are refering to is known as a hoof pick, and is used as you say, to remove rocks and such from the frog. The hoof knife is used for triming the hoof, and also for trimming the frog of the hoof. Do not try this if you haven't been shown how! You could permanently cripple the horse!
I've used a couple of hoof knives for wood carving, they work pretty well, and yes they are a type of draw knife. They can be bought for as little as $4 and can also cost upowards of $50, depending on the craftmanship and steel used, like any other tool. Some can be sharpened with a fine round file, others you may need a round diamond rod or ceramic rod. It all depends on the steel used to make it, and the tempering of the blade, just as in khuks and other blades.
 
Bill Sanders said:
Steve, the tool you are refering to is known as a hoof pick, and is used as you say, to remove rocks and such from the frog. The hoof knife is used for triming the hoof, and also for trimming the frog of the hoof. Do not try this if you haven't been shown how! You could permanently cripple the horse!
I've used a couple of hoof knives for wood carving, they work pretty well, and yes they are a type of draw knife. They can be bought for as little as $4 and can also cost upowards of $50, depending on the craftmanship and steel used, like any other tool. Some can be sharpened with a fine round file, others you may need a round diamond rod or ceramic rod. It all depends on the steel used to make it, and the tempering of the blade, just as in khuks and other blades.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bill. That was what I was trying to say.

You said it best.
 
Steve Poll said:
Thanks, Bill. That was what I was trying to say.

You said it best.
Click to expand...

Steve ? Your post also helped me understand what I was speaking of as well . I am not sure I have ever seen a hoof pick . Now that it has been mentioned I don,t think I would want the hoof knife I speak of anywhere near a sensitive area on a horse .

The hoof pick makes more sense from a laymans perspective when appoaching living tissue .

What attracted me to this knife was the apparent quality of the blade and the stalwart nature of the triple pinned handle . While blueing may not be a direct indicator of quality the blue sheen I saw on the knife seemed to be a result of heat treatment of the metal as opposed to an application of an esthetic nature . I do not know if entire blades are induction hardened ?
The only time I have seen induction hardening was on saw teeth . It does seem to me there is a simiarity in the color .

I have never used a diamond sharpener and look forward to the different feeling it must give when biting into harder blades .

I am not particularly fond of synthetic handle materials . They lack a warmth and sometimes suggest a comprimise of an economic and functional nature .I actually thought of rehandling it eventually . It is so solidly pinned and of a better quality than my skill level could improve with a wood handle dictates that I will proabably leave well enough alone .

I do like black colored handles and for less than five dollars I think I am ahead of the game .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top