French equine veterinarian Philippe Benoit says one of the keys to dealing with situations that require opening up the heels is to promote proper heel expansion. He told attendees at the 21st annual Farriers Conference at Cornell University that one way to do this is by trimming the edges of the frog with a hoof knife to open the edges in a narrow V-cut, even cutting the bars. Benoit believes there can be problems with a loop knife or a hoof knife with a hooked blade, since you may not get deep enough to allow the heels to expand. He uses a straight knife.