Experiment with hoof conditioner

I bought some stuff called "Hooflex" at the local feed & seed store, and rubbed it into the horn handle of my WWII yesterday--this khuk has grain lines in the handle that may be trying to turn into cracks. I checked it this morning and it had still not completely absorbed into the horn yet. I'll report back soon to let you know the results once it has totally soaked into the horn.

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"President Clinton learned there were 100,000 cattle guards in Colorado. Since Clinton was so upset with ranchers' protests over his grazing policies, he told U.S. Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt to fire half the cattle guards immediately. Before Babbitt could proceed with the President's wishes, Colorado representative Pat Schroeder intervened with a request that before any were fired, they would be given six months of retraining."
-- October 26, 1994, Newcastle Reporter January 1995, New Mexico Stockman
Magazine
 
X

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BTW, I know I'm not the first to use hoof conditioner on horn--just thought I'd post my results from this particular brand.

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"President Clinton learned there were 100,000 cattle guards in Colorado. Since Clinton was so upset with ranchers' protests over his grazing policies, he told U.S. Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt to fire half the cattle guards immediately. Before Babbitt could proceed with the President's wishes, Colorado representative Pat Schroeder intervened with a request that before any were fired, they would be given six months of retraining."
-- October 26, 1994, Newcastle Reporter January 1995, New Mexico Stockman
Magazine
 
Well, the Hooflex has soaked in, and here's what's happened: The grain lines are less noticeable for 2 reasons. First, the grain lines were thin hairline cracks, but they were also a faded gray color along the hairline, probably due to the horn drying out in that area. The Hooflex has soaked into the grain lines, changing the color back to black like the rest of the horn (The Hooflex itself is not black, just a maroonish brown color. It's not artificially colored.) Second, the cracks have apparently closed up some because the surface is smoother now and harder to feel the grainlines when you rub your fingers over it. They are also visibly less noticeable. It isn't magic, and the grainlines didn't just vanish, but they are much less visible and the handle is in much better condition now, I think. I would think that the oils in the Hooflex would help the horn to be more water resistant and to withstand the effects of constant sunlight better. Of course, I have no other hoof conditioning products with which to compare, so all I can say is that this stuff works, just don't expect miracles and you won't be disappointed. At the very least it ought to prevent the grainlines from drying out and turning into major cracks, which is the important thing.

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"President Clinton learned there were 100,000 cattle guards in Colorado. Since Clinton was so upset with ranchers' protests over his grazing policies, he told U.S. Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt to fire half the cattle guards immediately. Before Babbitt could proceed with the President's wishes, Colorado representative Pat Schroeder intervened with a request that before any were fired, they would be given six months of retraining."
-- October 26, 1994, Newcastle Reporter January 1995, New Mexico Stockman
Magazine
 
can you can get anything like this on the NET?
Unfortunately, being both a full-time student, and not having a car, my mobility is severely limited, so does anyone know a place?

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Tatsuo
*************
"He who laughs at himself laughs best" :D
 
Tatsuo, here's the official site:
http://equisearch.com/absorbine/hoofcare.html

Go to any search engine (I used www.altavista.com) and type in "Hooflex". You'll get more results than you need. Lots of online saddlery & tack stores sell this.

I paid $6.99 for the smaller size that comes in what looks like a round plastic margerine container. That's probably the full suggested retail price.

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"President Clinton learned there were 100,000 cattle guards in Colorado. Since Clinton was so upset with ranchers' protests over his grazing policies, he told U.S. Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt to fire half the cattle guards immediately. Before Babbitt could proceed with the President's wishes, Colorado representative Pat Schroeder intervened with a request that before any were fired, they would be given six months of retraining."
-- October 26, 1994, Newcastle Reporter January 1995, New Mexico Stockman
Magazine
 
thanks! I have to admit i was a lazy bum, and asked without checking the search engines .
frown.gif
sorry

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Tatsuo
*************
"He who laughs at himself laughs best" :D
 
X,
THANKS,
Just recieved a Bura WW2 with horn handle,my first from Bura, & i don't want any problems with the horn. The handle is "perfect",no grain lines or cracks,adding this product is just preventive maint.My thanks again.
jim
 
Jim, no problem.

BTW, as a post script I should add that the smaller sized container which I bought ($6.99) is enough for a lifetime of khukuri maintenance--as far as I know this is the smallest size they offer, and I would recommend this size for most of us. On second thought, if your name is John Powell you might want to get the largest size.
wink.gif
 
X,
Are you kidding! John prob. has volunteers
hoping ,just to see his collection & to be able to hold them! I was in awe! FOR SMOKE TO BE AS IMPRESSED!That was great,never met him, but i don't think much gets to him!
jim
 
Bill & X,
Used this on the horn WW2 from Bura, it works great! How often should it be used? How about once a week or month? Think I'll try it to see,think too much will damage the horn??
jim
 
Jim, the application instructions pertaining to horse hooves are somewhat vague. You will note that for application to the hoof wall, it says to use "regularly". For application to the sole and frog, it says specifically to use "daily". Then for the coronet, we are to use "frequently".

I suppose if they were to include application instructions for water buffalo horn, they would tell us to use "occasionally" or "often". I would think that monthly applications would be plenty to prevent any cracking even in the driest parts of the country. Of course, it's pretty dry where Uncle lives (isn't it?), so his guess may be better than mine.

BTW Jim, have you read the ingredients? For those who are considering Absorbine Hooflex or wanting to compare it with what they have, here it is (in order):

Active ingredients: neatsfoot oil, lanolin, turpentine, pine tar, blended in a petrolatum, tallow, wax, rosin and aloe base. Chloroxylenol added as a preservative.

Incidentally this stuff works really well at removing the buffing compound out of the rings and crevices in the handle. That must be due to the turpentine in the ingredients.

 
I've been wanting something like this for a beautifully striped SN1 handle, so your post was right on time! This stuff is readily found @ the local Farm Bureau, Southern States, and such local farm stores. One place had a half-dozen such products, and also many other related things. The folks in the stores were knowledgeable and their #1 choice was Hooflex.
There are others, like Hoofmaker, that are more like lotions (women and guitar pickers have been known to use them to keep their nails from cracking in winter time). Some have collagen, but I doubt the benefit of it on quite dead horn (actually, all surface nail/hoof/horn is dead, and is generated in length and thickness as it grows out from the germinal and sterile matrix).
Anyway, Hooflex seems to have the best reputation amongst farmers, and I'm told it has some antibiotic/antifungal ingredients, to boot. After reading all the labels of the various products and hearing about experiences, this stuff seems to be a good place to start. My horn handles are getting similar results and I, too, will see how it does in the long haul. Anybody else out there have a pet horn treatment?
Many thanks for the suggestion and info...Dan
 
I got mine at the local Southern States. Any local farmers' Co-op ought to carry it. BTW, the guy at Southern States recommended it to me. He said they used to stock 4-5 different brands of hoof conditioner, but the Hooflex was all the farmers were buying, so they just quit stocking all the other brands and now only carry Hooflex. That was a pretty strong endorsement, unless he was just shucking me some jive, which I doubt. SS can afford to stock anything they want.
 
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