Hawthorne's Dunkirk roots go way back (11/23/05)

Indiana was not yet a state. The Civil War was still 40 years in the future. And Revolutionary War hero James Monroe held office as the fifth President of the United States.

Monroe's term of office was nicknamed an “era of good feelings,” and he was so popular that he won re-election to a second term without any organized opposition. Among his most memorable acts of course, was the Monroe Doctrine which declared that foreign powers should leave the new South and Central American republics alone and not interfere with them politically.

Meanwhile on the homefront in what later became known as rural East Central Indiana, the Hobson family was establishing a homestead on 600 acres of farmland on the outskirts of what would later become known as Dunkirk.

Over the more than 180 years which followed, most of that homestead property was broken off and either given to relatives or sold to new area residents. However, there was one major exception. The Hobson family still retains ownership and lives and works on a ranch-style, horse farm along the east side of Ind. 167, just south of the Dunkirk city limits in Niles Township of Delaware County.

Also in more recent times they have started a new business venture, linked to their equestrian and pioneer heritage which has put Dunkirk on the map of international commerce. Utilizing the Internet, Federal Express, the Postal Service and a variety of other courier services, the Hobson family is now marketing products for the healthy care of horses throughout the world from their Dunkirk area homestead site.

With customers in such distant places as Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, Holland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Italy, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Japan, the Hobson family company, Hawthorne Products, has gained a reputation for quality horse care throughout the world.

Actually, the company could probably be located anyplace in the world at this point.

But in light of the family's homestead heritage, “That's why we're here,” said Kim Hobson.

Some of Hawthorne’s products have also been authorized for use on humans, and in the 1980s Sports Illustrated magazine ran a feature story on Pittsburgh Pirate all-star relief pitcher Kent Tekulve, mentioning that he used Hawthorne Products' Vita Oil as a liniment and massage treatment for the shoulder of his pitching arm.

The lanky, right-handed, sidearm-style throwing relief pitcher had just concluded a great season in which the Pirates won the World Series with Tekulve pitching in five of the seven World Series games, and earning saves in three of the four Pittsburgh victories. And in that article he credited Vita Oil,also used on horses, with helping him along the way.

Taking a break from her busy schedule of taking phone calls and helping customers from around the globe on a recent Friday afternoon in her crowded office, equipped with two computer terminals, Kim Hobson explained how Hawthorne Products was established in 1940 and became an international supplier of horse care products by 1977.

That happened under the watchful eye and guiding hand of her father, Don Hobson, a former ferrier-blacksmith, who despite being semi-retired continues to play an active role in the company.

As Hawthorne has grown, the firm has purchased several smaller companies acquiring the formulas on how to make a variety of products. The company has developed other horse-care products on its own. “Actually our biggest sellers, we have developed ourselves,” Kim said.

One of the product formulas, purchased by the firm, was Vita Oil which actually dates back to the 1800s. In addition to being used by the Pirates and other sports teams, it has also been used by famous race horses including Star Pointer, Dan Patch, Major Delmar and Man O' War. According to legend, the only time Man O' War was ever beaten, his trainers had forgotten to put Vita Oil on him, Kim said.

About 10 employees work at Hawthorne Products, and there are also several thoroughbred and standard bred horses which are owned by the Hobson family and at times used to help test some of the products. In addition Kim explained that the company utilizes help from a local firm which employs the handicapped to assist in packing boxes of the products for shipment.

Also Oskar, one of the thoroughbreds on the ranch, has raced at such nearby tracks as Indiana Downs in Anderson and Hoosier Park in Shelbyville.

In addition to the thoroughbreds, Kim said, her 13-year-old daughter, Kortni, has two ponies on the ranch which she uses for barrel racing and 4-H activities. “She keeps us going all summer long with those activities.”

“Our family is just generations and generations of horse people,” she added, noting that a cousin, Shirley Lake, also works at the company and owns four quarterhorses and a Morgan on a nearby farm which was originally part of the family homestead, too.

“Your horse's best friend might be a 'stable secret,'” is a familiar Hawthorne Products slogan.

“Hawthorne Products has a heritage that has produced a wide range of the highest quality equine ailment products in the world. Since its inception, Hawthorne's dedication to quality production using all natural ingredients has set a higher standard for the proper treatment to reduce, minimize or eliminate trauma and lay-up time,” an advertising brochure for the company states.

Kim proudly points out that the Horse Journal magazine which she describes as sort of the Ralph Nader of “the horse world” in performing independent tests and rating horse-related products, named Hawthorne's Sole Pack one of its Products of the Year in 2001, and then in 2004 after re-testing all the products in that field once again, Sole Pack was designated “still the best.”

Sole Pack is a hoof-care product which relieves pain and enhances healing of sole bruises. In 2001 the Horse Journal, which bills itself as “the product, care and service guide for people who love horses,” called it a “barn must-have.” In a 2004 article, marking the 10th anniversary of the Horse Journal which Kim explained was founded under the guidance of a group of veterinarians, the magazine stated, “After our (horse) ride, we reach for Corona shampoo. If the horse's soles are sore, we grab Venice turpentine or Hawthorne Sole Pack.”

Other Hawthorne products, available over the Internet or at tack and horse care shops, include Harold White leg paint; Wind Aid to help with throat irritation and breathing problems especially those caused by pollutants and contaminants; Cool Cast for reducing inflammation, swelling and tenderness associated with tendinitis; and Choate's Liniment which relieves stiffness and soreness, caused by over-exertion.

Selling to an international market has resulted in several unique problems over the years. For instance when the popular product Sole Pack was introduced in France and sections of Canada where French is spoken, it took a while to catch on, until the name was altered. In the French language the word “sole” translates as fish, so selling the product to horse lovers proved a bit confusing.

But then who would have ever thought that a small town in rural Indiana like Dunkirk would rank right up there in the horse world with Louisville, Ky., and the Arab nations.[[In-content Ad]]What do the small rural town of Dunkirk and Dubayy (Dubai), a city of more than 400,000 people and one of the founding members of the United Arab Emirates have in common?

The answer is simple: people who love horses and an interest in the horse care aids produced and distributed by Hawthorne Products.

A love of horses can bridge many gaps, and despite the tenuous relationship in the world today between the United States and many Arab nations, Dunkirk area residents Don Hobson and his daughter Kim traveled to Dubayy on the coast of the Persian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and Oman, last year to participate in a world trade fair, emphasizing products related to horses and their care.

Booths at the fair represented countries from throughout the world as Dubayy is a regional foreign trade center and commercial and financial hub of the Arab world.

The event is the world's largest trade fair in the horse world, Dunkirk area resident Kim Hobson explained, although she noted that mainly due to the world’s current political situation, Hawthorne Products was only one of a handful of United States firms represented at the event.

In addition to Arab companies, other booths were sponsored by Japanese, Australian, European and Turkish firms.

Kim pointed out that due to the nature of the male-dominated cultures in many of these other countries, it helped that her father was able to make the trip with her, even though he is semi-retired now. It was especially beneficial because he is so knowledgeable about horses, she added.

“Dad's wanted to retire but we won't let him,” Kim said. “He knows too much.”

She added, “In Dubayy we wouldn't have been as successful without him.”

Overall, it was a “very beneficial trip,” she said, adding that in addition to helping with Arab clients, they met potential customers from France, Italy, Australia and Turkey. The person-to-person meeting especially helped cement good relations with a Turkish firm that has since become a very good customer of Hawthorne Products, Kim said.

She added that while Hawthorne serves a substantial number of domestic customers, the company also does a lot of exporting. “We have clients all over the world. We just sold some of our products to a client in Japan.”

Kim said she is not really sure how many countries Hawthorne Products are distributed in, however, because her company sells its products to other firms which also export items to other countries. She said they sell to one firm in the United States which does all its business by exporting to other lands. At the trade fair in Dubayy, one of the companies which distributes Hawthorne Products also had a booth of its own. “We're not sure exactly where or who they ship to,” she pointed out.

In a lot of countries, a foreign firm can't ship directly. “You have to pick an exclusive distributor and register that distributor with the government,” Kim said, adding, “We have appointed distributors in those countries.”

The Dunkirk-based firm also participates in trade shows at other locations throughout the world ranging from such locations as Kentucky to Salt Lake City, Utah, to Omaha, Neb., to Florence, Italy.

A lot of the firm's sales are now done with the help of the Internet. In addition to a website, www.hawthorne-products.com, the company also has a horse hotline telephone number on its website. Originally, this was developed to tell people how to make the best use of the products — in other words how to apply them in the best manner, but every now and then people will call the hotline just to ask questions about some horse-related ailment or concern.

In those cases “we try to help as best we can,” Kim said, pointing to a nearby flower arrangement which Hawthorne received only a few days ago with a note attached, stating: “Thanks for saving my horse.”

She explained that a man recently called the hotline to describe some problems that his horse was experiencing regarding allergy and asthma problems. After talking on the phone with him, Kim said she sent him some samples of the Hawthorne products to try. “Obviously they worked,” she said.