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PHCP Mentor Spotlight – Philip Himanka
Philip is a PHCP mentor, clinician, and practitioner and has been a member since 2015.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in hoof care
Sometimes people ask me where my accent comes from. Well, I don’t even know. I lived in Colorado, New Mexico, California, Spain, Mexico and Denmark. So I really don’t belong in a little box. I’ve been around horses all my life but full time working with them only for the last 18 years. I started riding Endurance in 2008 and to date I have 3,315 overall miles with 70 completions, including Tevis and a decade horse. Since this sport required a very well balanced hoof and there were not many options regarding hoof care in New Mexico, I started searching, reading, asking, etc. My aha moments and break through appeared in my life when I started talking with Garret Ford at the endurance rides, attending some clinics with Daisy Alexis Bicking in Pennsylvania, and some years later when attending Pete Ramey’s clinics. I also attended the lectures of the International Hoofcare Summit for 8 consecutive years and got certified as an APF-I from the International Association of Professional Farriers. I also did a barefoot and mapping certification for ELPO. But all and all, the organization I have learned the most from is PHCP BY FAR! I consider myself pretty lucky having Sossity, Mario and Leslie as mentors.
What is your favorite thing about being part of PHCP
I’ll have to say. “One of my favorite things” is the people I’ve met in the organization. Kind, friendly, humble, thirsty for knowledge and professional.
Knowing what I know about the people in PHCP I feel really honored to be part of this wonderful group.
What are your interests besides all things hooves
Besides hooves, I love to travel especially because my son Philip lives in Spain. Endurance and trail riding. I love to cook, not bake. I’m restoring a Willys Jeep from 1959, but I really don’t have a lot of time for that. My favorite topic for listening or reading is science and history.
Tell us something people may not know about you
I was also a sailor in my young days. J/24’s, 470’s, FD’s, Hobby Cats, Windsurfing, Oceanic class. Competed in two world championships and one Nations Cup. I also surfed and got certified as a Divemaster.
