 Poster: A snowHead
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There are lots of different professions on SH's I am looking for a set of gloves for a specific job to solve a specific problem, I wondered if you might have suggestions if I explain.
Cue Laughter
I am going to talk about cutting goats feet!!
OK, I guess you are now laughing.
However, its actually no laughing matter if you are me. About every 4-6 weeks I have to cut the feet of 16 goats. Depending on the ground muddy or dry their feet range from hard to very hard.
I have several sets of cutters, but I have a recurring problem regardless of the type I use. The pressure of closing the cutters leads to virtually instant blisters on the palm of my hand and insides of my fingers. I'm talking big painful blisters, sometimes full of fluid, sometimes they split just after they form, sometimes as big as a 20p piece. I've tried work gloves, rubber gloves, cotton gloves, wollen gloves, no gloves, wrapping hands in tape under gloves etc. etc. but nothing seems to stop the blisters forming - and it takes about 2 weeks for them to heal over. A, they are painful and B, they look unsightly.
Can anyone suggest gloves (or something else) that would absorb the pressure I need to apply to close the cutters, whilst giving me plenty of dexterity to manipulate the cutters and the foot cleats.
OK, you can stop laughing now 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Megamum, your hands must be wrecked! I would get the vet to do it 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I guess whatever floats your boat...
On a slightly more serious note (really, it's hard...) - have you thought about different cutters? If you've tried all sorts of gloves and nothing has worked then maybe you just can't avoid blisters with the amount of pressure you're trying to exert. If you had cutters with longer handles (i.e. a longer lever) then you might be able to achieve the same goat-cutting pressure but with less force on your hands...
Just a thought, have no idea how easy it is to come by out-sized goat-cutters 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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what about bubble wrap taped tightly onto your hands inside the gloves? just a thought
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Megamum, you can get cycling gloves with gel pad palms. I believe this helps with conditions like carpal tunnel etc.
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Another vote for gel padded cycling gloves from me. I've found them invaluable whenever I've had to get involved with the feet of er, goats*.
*This is a lie as I've never owned a goat, but the gel padded gloves were great for cycling 
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ChrisWo,
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I guess whatever floats your boat...
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Surely it's " whatever cuts your goat" 
I think I would go with trying to source a different type of cutter. I guess with longer handles you can exert the same cutting force with less effort but would you lose the precision that you need to avoid damaging the foot?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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toughen your hands with a combination of meths and sandpaper
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Thanks for comments folks, for information, I've got several cutters that are fashioned after secateurs in shape - these are the traditional sort, but the pressure required to close them is extreme (esp. after a prolonged dry spell), and I've got a pair of long handled snips for foal hooves which seem to be the best weapon - these have handles that are a foot long, far more leverage, but still raise the blisters as described above. Sarah You are correct my hands are regularly wrecked, but vets are expensive - they'd want £20 per animal to gut their feet!!
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