Hoof knife

A hoof knife is a cutting hand tool used for trimming horses' hooves. It belongs to the farrier's toolkit and may occur among historical farm and craft tools. The National Army Museum describes an example with a curved steel blade, a hooked end and a bone handle.

The blade's curve and cutting edge are useful identification features. Handle material and blade shape should nevertheless be recorded for the individual object. The museum example's bone handle is not a specification for every hoof knife. A hooked tip alone is also insufficient to establish a tool's function.

Distinguish a hoof knife from the larger hoof-paring tool called a butteris. The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes the latter as pushed with both hands while an assistant held the hoof. When cataloguing, document length, cutting edge, handle, markings and provenance. Wear or corrosion alone does not establish a reliable date.

Sources: National Army Museum: historisk hovkniv; The Metropolitan Museum of Art: butteris.