Tools & equipment | HELP 4 HOOVES

This page has info on Trimming Gear and will soon have

I will soon also have more info and reviews on Hoof Boots,

Fixed Shoes etc, on the Boots & Other Protection page.

Trimming Tools & Equipment

Whether or not you plan to trim your horses yourself, I believe it's prudent to have at least some tools on hand & know how to wield them, if only for 'emergencies'. You can get away with the very basics

Basic necessities include;

A good farrier's rasp - these are not expensive, do yourself a favour & get a top quality one. You'll probably also want a handle for it. Most of them are one side rasp, the other side a file, for 'dressing'. Bassoli make a 'doppia' which is double sided however - the regular coarse rasp on one side and a finer blade rasp on the other side too, which is adequate for dressing too. This may not matter to most 'home trimmers', but when you're doing a lot of hooves, going through rasps, I find them more economical - the fine rasp gets a lot more use than the file.

Hoof nippers - beware the cheap ones! With rubbish steel and thick, badly angled blades, they will make your task so much harder and are false economy. If your horse's hooves are always well maintained, nips are little used, a rasp will suffice, but of course, life happens & schedules get out of whack, hooves get overgrown on occasion.

A hoof knife - Again, cheap ones are false economy. If you are going to use hook knives, you will need a double sided or a left and a right handed one. I think the loop knives are WAY better & easier to use than hook knives. A medium size bladed loop is best for general use.

Gloves and thick jeans(at least) or a farrier's apron are prudent - it's easy to hurt yourself - rasping a knuckle off is not fun, believe me. Slicing into a femoral artery would be significantly worse!

online help

If your horse is shod, you will also need shoe pulling tools & to learn how to do this - emergencies happen and often it's not appropriate to just wait for a farrier if a shoe is loose or such.

Tools for shoe removal are;

Shoe pullers - I actually use el-cheapo rubbish hoof nips with a thick blade for this. DON'T use good nips for this, you'll kill 'em!

Nail clinch removers - I use the el-cheapo nips for this too, if I can cut them, or else the side of an *old* rasp to grind them off. Again, DON'T use your good rasp or it will quickly be not a good one!

Nail pullers - not strictly necessary, but helpful.

If you're going to learn/do the whole trimming job yourself, especially if you have more than one horse, it will make life easier if you have a full kit.

The whole Kit & Kaboodle

A hoof stand - you CAN make do with a sturdy stump of wood or such, but a good adjustable stand, especially if it also acts as a cradle, will make life a lot easier - and your back will thank you! You can buy a custom job, or even make your own, using car axle stands or such.

More knives! - It's helpful to have a few different sizes - a small, tight one for getting into those niggly areas, and a broader, flatter blade one.

Knife sharpeners and a small wire brush to clean the rasp

Gloves should be thin & cut proof - kevlar or such. A good, comfortable farrier's apron or chaps is valuable - it will also keep your jeans clean! And forearm or wrist protectors are another valuable piece of kit - you don't need them... until suddenly you find you did!

Tool roll, to keep tools neat and well maintained - when they're all chucked in together, things get blunt & damaged.

A camera! Especially in this day & age where you don't have to pay for film & processing, taking lots of hoof pics will really help you evaluate where you've been & going! Of course, if you want you'll need to send pictures to me too!

If you're going to actually shoe or glue on boots, you'll need a few more items.

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Other Equipment and Supplies / Treatments

Coming soon!