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After years of avoiding them, I'm all in on hoof knives for sore feet

I always believed hoof knives were too risky and only for experts. My training stressed using rasps for everything to keep things safe. For a long time, I stuck to that, even with horses in pain. Then I worked on a draft horse with bad laminitis. The owner said rasping just made it worse each time. I gently used a sharp knife to remove the damaged sole. The horse stood calmly and walked off with less limp. Now I use a knife on any tender hoof, and it gets the job done better. It was a hard lesson, but my old way was just wrong.
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3 Comments
cooper.linda
Maybe, but knives can cause serious harm if you slip. A rasp gives you control and reduces the chance of cutting too deep. It's not worth the risk just to save a little time.
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charlie_ellis
Man, I held onto my dull rasp for way too long like it was some kind of security blanket. Guess we all have our blind spots with tools.
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wilson.anna
My grandpa's old rasp still shapes my best work, charlie_ellis.
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