Horse knives

What knife/knives is/are recommended when you work around horses? Who makes them?

I have noticed knives with special blades for removing rocks from hooves. I don't work around horses and don't know much about horses or tack or whatever the gear is called. My daughter is doing some riding and work at a horse stable and I might want to surprise her with a special knife.

I appreciate any tips or knife knowledge you can offer.

 
Hey Bob, Buck makes a Crosslock with a hoof pick.

-AR

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- AKTI Member ID# A000322
 
Bob
The most recent catalog I got from AG Russell has them. If memory serves it looks like a trapper pattern with a hook or hoove cleaning blade instead of the spey. They might even be on AG's web site.
Bob
 
Swiss Army Knives has an Equestrian model that's geared for horses. Freeport Knives in Freeport Maine carried some, they are a large dealer in SAKs. 207-865-0779, tell them Gary Sent ya, they're pretty nice folks.

G2

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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
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G2 LeatherWorks
 
Matt Shade

Matt Shade

Joined
Nov 24, 1999
Messages
4,981
Depending on what size knife your daugther wants to carry, a stockman or a good solid lockback may be best. The crosslock with the hoofpick is okay, but its pretty big, and I've found that the hoof picks on most knives like that aren't real good. A hoof pick needs to have an end at least as sharp or pointy as your average flat head screwdriver. Those big wedge shaped round things they call hoof picks make it alot more work to dig out sand thats been packed in by a thousand lbs of horse than it needs to be. At all the horse shows I go to most people either have a stockman or sometype of locking blade folder. I carry a delica and a gerber multi tool and get by around my horses fine. In a pinch when you don't have a hoof pick and need one you can use the blade of the knife to carefully clean out the hoof. I'd get a small lockback with a partially serrated blade thats takes a really good edge. I've found that the things I cut most around my horses are rope, boxes and packages,Duct tape,bungee cord,and leather. You need something that can do all that well. A one hander with some serrations is really nice to for that occasion that you need to cut the horse out of somehting. When they panic they can get wound up in things pretty good and either hurt themself even more in a struggle to get free or hurt you. I my friend had one panic inside a horse trailer on put its head through the fiber glass roof.When it came down it got all tangled up and we had to cut its halter off(double layered and stitched nylon)So a sharp knife is necessary. I'm not trying to scare you about what might happen, things like that don't happen very often and when you know what your doing and keep safety in mind, most horses are very safe to work with.But accidents can happen, and its good to be prepared.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Bob,
I have used both the AGR horse knife and the crosslock with the hoof pick. They both work quite well. And more conviently than toting around a regular pick. Of course you could always use a bent 20d common nail with the end hammered flat.
Might I suggest though that you consider getting her a BM Lepord Cub. At our place that's what most of the gals carry. It's small, sturdy and reliable.
Dan
 
A bent 20d common nail with the end hammered flat - I can afford that! LOL
smile.gif


Both the Delica and the Leopard cub sound like good general purpose choices.

Thanks Dan.

[This message has been edited by Bob Irons (edited 02-11-2000).]
 
Most of the working feedlot cowboys around here seem to follow two basic line of thinking. One group carrys Spyderco Mariners. The thinking is in an emergeny they can slip the blade under a halter, rope or whatever without hanging up on, or sticking the horse/rider, since a Mariner doesn't have a point.

The other group carry some kind of fixed blade, their thinking being that if the horse poop does hit the fan, they don't want to be trying to open a folder, maybe with gloves on.

As far as picks are concerened, I am sure there are picks hung all over the stable walls where she works. If she should get involved with pasture work, then she should carry a pic with her.
 
OOOOOOOOH, OK! I was gonna say Ive never cleaned a horse before. Was interested to see what knife would be recommended.
 
This is somthing I deal with everyday. I sell knives, I sell tack and I have been Calf Roping and Team Roping for 26 years. Sheepsfoot-Full Serrated (Spyderco Mariner, Rescue, etc.) is the best way to go. The blunt tip is good for getting under ropes and straps without poking. I have seen sharp plain edge and part serrated knives slip off of hard twisted nylon or poly rope instead of cutting it. The serrations will grab and cut. The knives with hoof picks in them are OK if you are going to out away from the barn for a long time. Hoof picks cost fifty cents in our shop. Most people have plenty of them around the barn. Hope this helps.

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Frank Ruff
Ruff's Saddle Shop and Knife Sales
Umatilla, FL
"The trouble with common sense is that it is too uncommon." --Mark Twain

 
Thanks for sharing all the great information. I don't where else I could go and get this kind of practical information from people who know. BladeForums is a terrific resource because of the people who post here. When I asked, I had no idea I would find out so much.

I really enjoy this place and am learning a lot from people who have life experience I don't have.
smile.gif
 
Bob, Gerber makes a Trailrider MultiPlier.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
 
Bob
They say the only thing dumber than a horse is someone that would own one. We own two so take this opinion for what that’s worth. I have a Buck Cross Lock with Hoof Pick it has a marginal pick but better than a sharpened stick. Gerber also makes a multi tool with a hoof pick and a sewing awe I like the hoof pick as it has a sharper angle if you got near Christina’s Aussie Saddle with that sewing awe it would be sticking somewhere the sun don’t shine. I was supposed to do a story on all of them for Steven Dick the only writer there that owns a horse. A.G Russell didn’t cooperate so it never came to be. Both the Gerber Horseman Multi Tool and the Buck has merit. As for the Blade Choice I would prefer a sheepsfoot like Frank Ruff who is a real horseman (also where Chris got her Aussie Saddle). One of the projects in the hopper here is a horseman’s knife with a couple of features still missing IMHO.

Bob Taylor


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Some days it's not worth chewing through the restraints and escaping.
 
Yeah I forgot to mention that in emergency situations a sheepsfoot fully serrated works best on halters and such.And is alot safer since it lacks a point.My gerber multi pliar has that so I carry a combo edge delica for general use and for situations when I need it real quick.I can open the blade on the gerber one handed if need be so its there for emergencys only a little slower.
For general use though its nice to have a plain edge, and a point too.Serrations don't cut leather as cleanly as a razor sharp plain edge, and on things like bungee cord you want a smooth cut too otherwise the little fibers pull out.And its hard to punch holes with a sheepsfoot blade. Maybe a mini dyad is the way to go, it has a serrated sheepsfoot and the plain edge clip point/drop point(hard to classify spyderco's normal blade shape)
I guess I should say to that I work mostly with young reining horses that I break to saddle and train. So I'm always using bungee cord and rope and stuff to make different equipment to use on the horses.And since horses can be kind of hard on a saddle the first time its on them, I have a couple old junk saddles I use instead of my good saddle that I ride with.And the old saddles usualy need a little bit of repair which makes the need for somehting that will cut leather. If your daughter is just doing general stuff and only needs to cut rope,bales of hay, packages and stuff like that than a sheepsfoot blade may be enough.
The gerber trail rider would be nice too. The screwdrivers are good for adjusting tack for the horses since alot of it involves chicago screws, and alot of hay anymore is tied with wire not twine so you need wire cutters there.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
This is getting really good. Thanks Bob. I'll keep my eye out for your horseman's knife. Sounds like something to look forward to.

I was wondering about the dyad after several mentioned the sheepsfoot. Do you think the mini dyad would be better than a full sized one? I know the mini dyad is readily available and at a reasonable cost. Would a larger one be better than the mini? Is the mini dyad strong enough? I haven't even held one, so it's a question mark for me.
 
Bob, I'm not a big rider, as you can tell by looking at me, but I visit my sister who is. She raises horses and I have worked around them when I visit her. I sincerely doubt that a Mini-Dyad would work unless you somehow put a lanyard on it. The thing is just too small and too likely to get lost from your hand while trying to control some 1500 pounds of horse. I am not saying that you are fighting the horse, you'd lose, but you would have your hands full and I should think that a large sized knife is what is needed.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
 
If you need to cut rope or similar that's right up against skin (human or otherwise) you need a sheepsfoot. My personal opinion is that Myerchin makes the best "true sheepsfoot" fixed blades out there: http://www.myerchin.com

Hmmm...in browsing, it looks like the A500 is the only "true" sheepsfoot they make:
A50075large


The others have still got a hint of point, as does the Spyderco Rescue, Cold Steel rescue, etc, like this B001:
B00175large


They can also be had with this marlinspike in the same sheath:
a00875large

Could the tip on this be re-ground into a hoof digger tool? If so it can be had in a package with any of the FBs in a double sheath rig.

The A500 grip works a lot better than most "skeleton handles". It can also be cord-wrapped. If I had to cut a cord wrapped tight on a freaked-out horse, it'd be my top choice.

Myerchin uses 440A but their heat-treat on it is excellent. They use that steel for it's salt-water corrosion resistence, not because it's cheap. I couldn't get mine to dull doing moderate duty, and it came sharp enough to shave.

Jim
 
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