There is no shortage of farrier tools produced domestically and abroad. Custom-made hammers and hoof knives are prevalent, along with the numerous horseshoes on the market. Nippers of all sizes and hammers of different weights are purchased by tool-hungry farriers. With all these options, is it necessary to customize any of these tools? Certainly, it is. In fact, some of those expensive tools are just standard tools with a tweak of a handle or other easy modification.

Let’s start with hammers. Mass-produced forging hammers usually have more handle length and circumference than needed, so they should be customized to your hand. If you are not sure how long the handle should be, saw off short increments until the balance feels right. While you’re at it, take a horse rasp and reduce some of the handle thickness until it feels right. Some farriers like the sides of the handle flatter for more stability. These same adjustments can also be done to your driving hammer. You’ll notice the expensive, more custom tools have done that already.

If you look at some of the expensive hoof knives, the fancy handles are a big part of the cost. The mass-produced hoof knives usually have more handle size…