What's the *best* hoof pick?

[ASBnTX]

I did a search for this and was suprised that I didn't find it...
We have that thick clay mud around here that turns into concrete upon drying. We've had a ton of rain this fall, and I'm just about exhausted by the time I finish picking out hooves with my plain 'ol pick. Has anyone found a great pick for tackling concrete-mud?? At this point, price is not a deal-breaker ;)

[Vindicated]

A can of Pam and a plain ole' .79 cent single piece pick


FYI-use the Pam prior to turnout

[ChocoMare]

The best hoof pick for concrete is this one: http://www.bigdweb.com/detail.aspx?id=75337

I have two and adore them. I have drafties and trying to get hard-pack clay out of 6 3/4" wide hooves ain't easy sometimes. That hoof pick is the only thing tough enough for the job.

Just be sure to hide it.... they tend to sprout feet once others see it ;)

[Leather]

I love my Oster hoof pick:
http://www.horse.com/Oster-Hoof-Pick-BJJ05.html

But I do want to try one of these some day:

http://www.ultimatehoofpick.com/


I've got the one ChocoMare posted, and while I love the tip for digging, I find the handle uncomfortable. (But I'm somebody that likes to grip the pick close to the tip so YMMV.)

[zakkandtoto]

I have the Ultimate Hoof Pick and the Oster pick. The UHP is very comfortable, very weighty in the hand, and very sharp. You need to be very careful with it.

I had the same concrete-mud problems as you, sddlbrdgrl, earlier this year and the UHP was the only thing that helped (though once I had to call the farrier in for assistance - he used a screwdriver and a hammer - it was that bad).

Almost bought the one chocomare suggested on a whim on Saturday from a local tack shop. The head is very similar to the UHP.

[ddashaq]

The best hoof pick for concrete is this one: http://www.bigdweb.com/detail.aspx?id=75337

I have two and adore them. I have drafties and trying to get hard-pack clay out of 6 3/4" wide hooves ain't easy sometimes. That hoof pick is the only thing tough enough for the job.

Just be sure to hide it.... they tend to sprout feet once others see it ;)


I have this one, too, and I LOVE it. Best hoof pick I have ever tried, hands down.

[crazy gray horse]

I too have clay. It is a bear to pick out of feet - and the hoof picks all bend because the clay is packed in so hard. I have the Oster hoof pick and it bent while picking feet. I've often resorted to using a screwdriver (carefully of course) because the hoofpicks just don't do the job.

I haven't seen the UHP or the one posted by Chocomare. I'll have to look for one of those.

[ChocoMare]

.... I'll have to look for one of those.

I've yet to see them in stores. Big Dee's was it.

[ASBnTX]

Thanks! Chocomare I saw that exact hoof pick at the Dover store a couple of months ago...I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy it, but couldn't see how it was worth $6 :rolleyes: totally worth it in hindsight!

[ChocoMare]

Hey! Chick's Saddlery has them for $4.50! http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/CDS/PROD/0003/UHP913 :D

[bewarethechestnutmare]

http://www.ultimatehoofpick.com/

I laughed when I first saw an ad for this one. 18 bucks for a freakin' hoofpick!?! No way! But, after last winter, when I broke FIVE picks of various shapes and designs in a single icy day, I took the plunge. And you know what, it's one of the best twenty dollar horse purchases ever!

I love the way it fits in my hand. It's bright colored, so it's easy to find, even in tall grass at an event or in deep stall bedding. The pick end is sharp (be careful!) and perfect for digging out stubborn rocks, ice and cement-like clay. And best of all, it's tough! Mine has been dropped, stepped on, used as a screwdriver and prybar around the barn, and of course, handled a dozens of ice and clay-packed feet daily for nearly a year without fail. And if it ever does, (which I doubt) it has a no-questions asked guarantee.

I was skeptical at first, but seriously, you can't beat this one. And as long as you don't loose it (and can keep your jealous friends from stealing it!), it will last forever! Enjoy! :)

[ddashaq]

Wise Choice in Lexington has them, but that does not do anyone out of the area any good!

$4.50 is a good deal-- I think I paid $7 or $8 for mine!

[Go Fish]

Yep, the Ultimate Hoof Pick (the Jackhammer). I knew I'd made a good choice when I saw one on my farrier's truck!

[Go Fish]

http://www.ultimatehoofpick.com/

I laughed when I first saw an ad for this one. 18 bucks for a freakin' hoofpick!?! :)

They are only $14.95 in my area. Worth every penny. I've bought them for all my friends, too. Great stocking stuffers.

[LisaW-B]

Well, in my white-trash world, what I used for many years to get that cemented adobe clay out my horse's feet when I lived in an area with adobe mud was a plain old screwdriver to get the big chunks out (it flips them out pretty easily), and then a plain old everyday, normal, NOT $18 hoofpick to finish the foot.

[sixpoundfarm]

http://www.anvilbrand.com/p-358-jc-hoof-pick-6-12-in-long.aspx

[redsky]

I got the Ultimate Hoof Pick as a gift and it is by far the best hoof pick I've ever used. Yes it seems expensive for a hoof pick, but nothing gets packed ice out of my horse's feet faster. .

My farrier admired my hoof pick every time she came out, so I ended up getting her one as a gift. I also got them for several of my friends. They are a great barn gift!

[ljc]

Yeah!!! I've just completed my Xmas shopping in one easy step - everyone gets the ultimate hoof pick.

[Tom Stovall]

sddlbrdgrl in gray

I did a search for this and was suprised that I didn't find it...
We have that thick clay mud around here that turns into concrete upon drying. We've had a ton of rain this fall, and I'm just about exhausted by the time I finish picking out hooves with my plain 'ol pick. Has anyone found a great pick for tackling concrete-mud?? At this point, price is not a deal-breaker ;)

Weapons grade hoofpick, CNC cut from 1/4" A-36 steel plate, guaranteed not to bend or break. Developed for removing hardened Texas black clay gumbo from hooves. :)

http://www.katyforge.com/hoofpick02.jpg

[ToTheNines]

Plain ole screwdriver. It lets you put the tip right beside the wide end of the frog on each side of the frog and flip the packed mud out. Do each side of the frog, then go round the inside rim of the shoe if shod. I like the leverage of a screwdriver much better than a hoofpick.

[Addison]

My daughter got the best hoofpick I have ever used from her grandmother. When she first got it we both oh how "cute" as it has horse's head and flowing mane carved into it and looks as though it was carved out of pewter. We tried it and love it. We have had that pick for about ten years now and freak out when it we can't find it.

I think a catalogue company named "Back in the Saddle" carried it which is where "Nana" (not a horse person) has ordered quite a few things that I would never have tried in actual horse care and some have turned out to be quite indispensible.

Michael Plumbs Horse Journal had ranked this particular hoof pick Number 1 when it first came out (that fact is carved into it too).

[reinerspook]

The Ultimate Hoofpick rocks!

[zakkandtoto]

My daughter got the best hoofpick I have ever used from her grandmother. When she first got it we both oh how "cute" as it has horse's head and flowing mane carved into it and looks as though it was carved out of pewter. We tried it and love it. We have had that pick for about ten years now and freak out when it we can't find it.

I think a catalogue company named "Back in the Saddle" carried it which is where "Nana" (not a horse person) has ordered quite a few things that I would never have tried in actual horse care and some have turned out to be quite indispensible.

Michael Plumbs Horse Journal had ranked this particular hoof pick Number 1 when it first came out (that fact is carved into it too).

The "Heirloom Hoof Pick"? It's in my current BiTS catalog. $29.95.

[Addison]

I just got the new catalogue and there is a hoof pick that is similar to the one I have. It is shown on one of the first few pages and the "pick" end looks the same but the rest of the pick that I have is longer, more like a regular hoof pick in length. From the catalogue pictures it does look as though the new on may be made by the same comapny.

The hoof pick I have will get anything out that is stuck in the hoof out very easily. Ice. dried clay/mud and pebbles are easy to remove.

[Raystown]

http://www.doversaddlery.com/epona-magnapick-hoof-pick/p/X1-10522/cn/1797/

My absolute favorite! Why?

1. I have not bent or broken one yet
2. it fits in my back pocket
3. magnet

[kookicat]

I use one of these. (http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/EquestrianCollections/ER00440-a?$oldimage$) I'm still using the first one I bought five or six years ago.

[equineartworks]

I have the Oster picks here, but I love plastic ones with the v pick and brush for the kids. They are easy for them to hold and use.

[kgro632]

Tail Tamer Hoof Pick! Absolutelty the best hoof pick I have ever used/owned!

So good that I was buying them as Christmas gifts for all of the boarders at the barn, however they saw mine and ordered it for themselves! Oh well it was a good idea, now I have a lifelong supply. But I'm not sure my first one will ever break!



http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1-10219&cn=2297&bhcd2=1258331045

[AEM74]

I have a draft cross on clay soil and believe me, those size 5's hold a lot of hardened, stubborn crud. I've had good luck with this one: http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productclassid=1622. It doesn't look like anything special but the "picker" part is nice and pointy and strong. Doesn't bend at all. It's been the best pick I've owned.

I liked the Oster at first but they bend very easily if you're dealing with hardened mud, rendering them useless.

[Rick Burten]

Of course, I'm biased, but I'm partial to this hoofpick.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m129/RickB_04/hoofpick.jpg

[broughton_sporthorses]

This i my favourite-

Gets all the clay out of my horses hooves, and it is comfortable to hold!

http://www.calevo.com/cgi-bin/calevo/process/locale/en_US/page/5040101.html?id=VkQqXdBm&mv_pc=125

And it has a hole at the end so you can loop some string through.

[4Martini]

I love the Ultimate Hoofpick. I have to admit that I first bought it to support my friend who designed it (we got to try a bunch of the prototypes.) I am so happy with it though! Best hoof pick ever! I love it for ice. Even DH was impressed when I handed it to him when I asked him to pick hooves for me yesterday.

[tBHj]

http://www.doversaddlery.com/vale-soft-touch-hoof-pick/p/X1-10305/cn/2297/

I like that one. And for snow & ice I use a hammer to tap on the outside of the hoof and the snow & ice usually just fall out.

Does anyone have this one?

http://www.doversaddlery.com/hoof-pick---the-spanish-riding-school-kollektion/p/X1-10955/cn/2297/

Looks pretty amazing.

[Addison]

The picture of the pick posted (designed?) by RICK BURTON is very close to the shape of the one I have and love.

[Lori B]

I have the same problem, only the offending material is the indoor footing, packed in after a ride or a walk in the arena. I am going to try the Pam, pre-ride, and will post if it helps. My hand aches after I dig out her feet sometimes, postride. (and I'm not a complete weenie!)

[monstrpony]

I found a little thing in Lowe's called a cotter-pin puller that is pretty teriffic. Shaped like a hoofpick, but sharper (use w/ care; not for use by those who don't know gross hoof anatomy). Great for getting under those clay patties and prying them out.

[Lori B]

So, the footing in the barn's indoor, in anything but bone dry weather, creates a very hard to chisel out lump of concrete in my mare's feet. She has deep soles, and a 20 minute walk in the indoor produces 5 minutes of chiselling. ANNOYING!

I tried spraying Pam generously on her soles before we walked, and that really only helped a little bit.

Would vaseline work? Any other suggestions for what could make it easier to pick her feet, post work in the arena?