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California Riding Magazine • February, 2012 Sound Hoof Conditioner |
Nothing like a farrier with 45 years of experience and an old family recipe to get a new company off to a great start. That's the story behind Sound Hoof Conditioner, the all-natural hoof conditioner that is earning new fans up and down the West Coast and well beyond. For many years this product was exclusively sold to private clients and top show barns in California. However, due to the high demand for Sound Hoof Conditioner, the Phalen family and business partner Terry Pfankuchen are now making this product available to the public. "Sound Hoof Conditioner is made of essential fatty-acids, natural antioxidants, and natural omega 6 and omega 9," explains Jeff Phalen, a farrier himself. "That makes it different from other products, most of which are petroleum based, because it both repels moisture and puts moisture back into the hoof. It's like the difference between Vaseline® and lotion." The ability to both repel and restore moisture is essential for healthy hooves, especially for show horses. Their feet are often subjected to frequent bathing and drying which extracts all the natural oils and moisture from the hoof. "Most show horses come out of their stall, then they get a bath, dried off and returned to their stall bedded in dry wood shavings, which sucks the water right out of the hoof," Bob Phalen explains. Brittle, cracked hooves are the visible signs of horses that undergo this familiar cycle. The end result is often discomfort, if not outright lameness. "Sometimes they become lame because their hoof is so dry the concussion of hitting the ground hurts," Bob explains. As the slogan "revert to healthy hooves" implies, the recipe for Sound Hoof Conditioner "goes back 100 years to the days when people rubbed cooking grease onto their horse's hooves," he continues. Many hoof care products have gotten away from that simple, natural approach. For instance, one popular hoof dressing contains mostly acetone and plumber's glue, Bob says. "Some spilled in the bed of my truck and it ate away the floor." There are no such worries with all natural Sound. Some customers use it on their own fingernails and all dogs go crazy for it, Bob reports. The product is meant for daily application on the coronet band and the entire hoof. Savvy horse owners apply it before giving their horse a bath to repel excess water and before riding to moisturize the hoof and protect it from the drying effects of arena sand. At present, Sound Hoof Conditioner does not contain agents to blacken the hoof, as is preferred by some for show ring turnout. Bob sees the negative effects of repeated use of hoof blackeners. "Again, most of those products are petroleum based. They form a film that can build up and sometimes forms scabbing at the back of the frog. That's because petroleum based products don't allow the hoof to breathe." In time, Bob says they may add a healthy blackening agent to Sound, but for now they are counting on horsemen who believe that a healthy hoof is the best possible show presentation. The Phalens and Terry Pfankuchen bring considerable experience to the Sound Hoof Conditioner venture. Based in the Los Angeles area, Bob and Terry have shod top show horses in various disciplines for 45-plus years. They also own Phalen Horse Shoe & Supply Co. Bob's son Jeff Phalen is carrying on the family farrier tradition, based in the Bay Area where he serves top show stables in Woodside, Portola Valley and Petaluma. Sound Hoof Conditioner has many fans among horse owners and fellow farriers. "I recommend Sound to all of my customers," says Chuck Mundo, a horseshoer in San Diego. "I like the fact that it is one of the only hoof conditioners that has no warnings on the label and that it's all-natural. I use it on my own horse's feet and all the horses that we shoe."
For more information on Sound Hoof Condition, including where to buy it, visit www.soundconditioner.us or call Jeff Phalen at 818-720-6779. |
