Had a hoof knife snap mid trim on a big draft horse last Thursday, what's your backup plan?

3 comments

3 Comments

A hoof knife snapping on a draft horse sounds terrifying, man. Those things are built to take some force. My backup is always a second knife in my apron and a rasp within arm's reach. Had a cheap file bend once and learned my lesson the hard way. Now I check my gear for stress marks before every single job.

emma722mo ago

Honestly, that sounds like a freak accident more than a common problem. @the_charlie has a point about checking gear, but carrying a whole extra knife seems like overkill for most trims. A good rasp can handle a lot of cleanup if something breaks.

rosebennett14d ago

Oh man, actually I gotta push back a little on the rasp thing. Rasps are great for smoothing and shaping, but if a knife snaps mid-trim and leaves a jagged edge or a crack, a rasp isn't gonna fix that cleanly, you know? @the_charlie's point about having a second knife right there is actually smart for draft hooves, especially if you're dealing with something like a big old chunk of sole that needs sheared off. A cheap rasp can also mess up a hoof wall worse than a decent knife if you're trying to use it for something it's not made for.