As the name suggests, the Horsehead Knife features a horsehead-shaped bolster cast in brass. These horse-headed knives have been found dating back to the early 1880s, signed with two names: Iisakki Järvenpää’s and that of his cousin Juho Kustaa Lammi. These two men were the inventors of the knife's concept. Together they conceived, experimented, and made these knives at the beginning of their careers.
Many stories are told about the origin of the horse's head on the knife. The most credible one tells of J.K. Lammi who, while serving in the Dragoon Regiment in Vaasa, saw a riding crop with a horse's head cast on the end. This inspired him to apply the same concept to a knife handle. He and Iisakki Järvenpää then developed and produced these horse-headed knives for their customers, either together or separately. According to local lore, it is possible that in some larger orders, there were similar knives bearing the names of both of these makers.
The Horse Head Knife has always been produced at a large scale at Iisakki Järvenpää. Over the years it has been constructed with many varying handle materials, including birch bark, wood, galalith, ebonite, and bone.
Today, the horse head's shape remains the same and is still made from lacquered birch bark. The Horsehead Knife is available in two sizes: the traditional model with a 10-cm polished carbon steel blade, and a smaller version called the Women's Knife. These two sizes can also be combined to create the Double Sheath Horsehead Knife.
The decorations on the bolster of the knife and on the upper and lower fittings of the sheath are engraved by hand. The sheath of the Horsehead Knife is made of light-colored leather, featuring a decorative brass tip fitting and traditional patterns in the leather.
The sheathed knife is 25 cm long, the knife itself is 21 cm, and the blade measures 10 cm.
