HoofPrints Newsletter
February 27, 2011 Issue
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Horses in the Yard
| This is a great read for horse people of all levels and disciplines...
|  If you ever couldn't find words to express something (or thought better of it if you did) Joanne Friedman has done it for you - with great humor and eloquence. She doesn't mince words about anything - from horse care - to equitation - to aging and euthanasia. For example:
On equitation
"Women are built differently than men, and I am not talking obvious body parts. A man's center of gravity is in his upper torso. That's why Christopher Reeve toppled so disastrously from his horse and was lawn-darted into a rock wall. A man's weight is in his chest. A woman's on the other hand, is in her (sorry) hindquarters. This is a good thing for riding's sake as it allows a woman to ground significantly more thoroughly in the saddle than a man can.... A woman who can imagine being a half-empty (or half-full, depending on her level of optimism) sack of grain can sit in a saddle with a security and balance few men can achieve..."
On expectations
"We treat our horses like we treat our children: we load them up with expectations, then we withhold the tools they need to fulfill them. The kids go off and do drugs and get pregnant, and we blame anyone who can't get out of the way fast enough. The horses buck us off and become hard to catch in the field, and we curse our bad luck at having wound up with such an incorrigible beast. They're all yelling at us, and we're not listening."
On farriers
How should you prepare your horse? Well, you can start by going out and getting him from the field before the farrier gets there. Don't leave notes with instructions as to where Loopy Lou can be found. Go find her yourself. Have her reasonably clean and dry and standing in a stall or nearby pen in plenty of time. Many shoers will not hesitate to go look for your horse, but it's a kindness to everyone involved if he doesn't have to. Besides, there are not enough horse shoers as it is. We don't need to be wearing out the ones we've got."
Gina's note:
"If Joanne's wit is not enough - one chapter (chapter 10) is worth the price of the whole book. "The Five Horses We Meet on Earth" categorizes each horse you've encountered (and will encounter) in such a profound way - your perspective on horse ownership will be changed forever. Check out the excerpt below...
To order Horses in the Yard, click here.
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Same sh*t, different day
| Actually, around here it's DIFFERENT sh*t every day...
|  But at least it keeps things "interesting". We managed to dodge a couple major bullets this winter with the weather - and did not get the dire conditions predicted. "Whew", I thought, "March is almost here and maybe we're out of the woods." Then, they predict another 6" thursday night. We didn't get nearly that much (whew, again) but we got a lot of wind. That wind blew the not-6" of snow into the nether regions of our somewhat-newly remodeled house, where it is now melting and dripping puddles in unexpected places inside. So as I write this newsletter, I am also roaming around the house with empty buckets and a towel, mopping up water that should NOT be there. Ugh.
One of my favorites is the mug shown here. If you're like me, you're not exactly "Little Miss Sunshine" in the morning (especially when you're mopping up leaks). Enjoy your morning coffee with this little anti-pick-me-up, and get your crappy thoughts out of the way for the day. Actually, if the worst thing that happens is the same horse manure as the day before, then we've all got it made! To order click here.
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Yes - it DOES smell like "Puppy's Breath"!
| We've sold this unique scented candle for years...
|  and we frequently get folks calling or emailing - wanting to know if this is a joke. Our Puppy's Breath candle is formulated by a gal who grew up in a family that showed dogs. She started working on the formula as a novelty - and has perfected it over the years. It makes a great, inexpensive gift for any dog lover. And I guarantee - they will NOT have seen one like it at the local Hallmark store.
We're also offering this cute Pawprint Drawstring Gift Bag as a fun go-with. It's infinitely useful (and reusable) and comes in two sizes - this large size that works perfect for a candle, and a small size for keychains, jewelry, etc.
Please don't email me clamoring for a hoofprint or horseshoe bag. I have searched far and wide for the horsey equivalent to this and as of yet have come up with nothing. But we've got you covered for the doggie angle. To see the candles and bags click here.
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Greeting Cards (and other items) HALF PRICE!
| These are first quality greeting cards; new designs, old designs, discontinued...
|  etc. We've always sold them in packs of 10. So after all these years of packaging batches - and ending up with a little dab here and there that wasn't enough to make a package - well it took me this long to figure out what to do with them (after sending to my own friends and family, of course)
You can choose packages with or without the thank you phrase, but you can NOT choose the specific designs. You're likely to get some horsey cards, some farrier cards, and even some with horsehoes or tools, so be sure and plan for that. *The picture shown here is just for example, your assortment(s) may or may not include any or all of these cards. Supply is limited, to order click here. |
A great (and most unique) gift for any dressage enthusiast:
| Austria's Lipizzans showcased in a coin necklace
|  This is a genuine 5 shilling coin from Austria that features, appropriately, a Lipizzan horse executing the levade. It's HAND CUT by a craftsman here in Michigan, USA - using (I am not kidding) a tiny saw blade and a whole lot of patience. The coin is worth about fifty cents of our money, but the hours spent crafting it into a work of art make it priceless!
The coin is the same size as one of our quarters, comes with 18" sterling silver chain. Click here to order the necklace.
Here is a wonderful compilation of Lipizzan and Spanish Riding School info from our friends at Dressage.com. |
Recap - From the last newsletter...
| Here's what we talked about last time:
|  Staying Warm by the Fire Deerhound print here
Linda Kohanov's Riding Between The Worlds here
American Farriers Journal Supplies & Services Directory FREE here
HoofPrints embroidered farrier caps are NOT free here
Support Dog rescue through our ebay auctions here
GOOD STUFF: Husbands vs Horses here
MORE GOOD STUFF: I rescued a human today here
More Amazing Dog Facts & Trivia here
Pharaoh's Horses Print new includes informative article here
Cowboy Boot Slippers on sale here
Temple Grandin DVD - a good, contemplative movie to watch when it's too cold to do anything outside. See it and others here
If You Do A Foolish Thing... NEW mug on sale here
COW DOGS book on sale here
PAST NEWSLETTERS - See what you missed! Click HERE to catch up on the news.
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| More about HoofPrints | | Be sure to check out the "GOOD STUFF" links at the bottom of this section |  ABOUT THE COMPANY
Farriers Greeting Cards was started by Gina Keesling in 1986 (in a very small way) to provide helpful promotional materials for her farrier husband Rob.
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
It's written by Gina Keesling, and emailed to subscribers a few times a month, depending on how often I have something to share. Watch for special sales, interesting stories, uplifting quotes and maybe some personal stuff. Let me know if you like it, and if you don't. We aim to please.
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This week's quote is (edited) from Joanne Friedman's Horses in the Yard:
The Five Horses We Meet On Earth 1. The Intro Horse. We each came into horses in our own way, but it was always with a horse leading us. This might have been a friend's first pony, or perhaps it was a draft horse on a farm you once visited It might have been a real-life meeting, or an imaginary one. I was escorted to the party by The Black, Walter Farley's star horse in The Black Stallion series... 2. The Experimental Horse Once you had crossed the line between "Damn, they're big!" and "Wow! Can I try that?" you found yourself face-to-face with the horse that would suffer through your early attempts at figuring out the whole horse experience ... wherever this horse came from, he probably didn't benefit from the encounter as much as you did... 3. The Connected Horse The first horses we meet don't really connect with us, nor do we with them. Those are experiences in survival and tests of endurance. The Connected Horse is the first horse you truly bond with. This is the horse that sounds a chord that lives so deep in you that you might never have heard it otherwise... 4. The Challenger Into each horseperson's life, a little challenge must fall. You'll have read that one final training book, bought yourself a clicker and heading rope, and there you'll stand, arms crossed, assessing the situation as if you actually knew what the situation was. It might be difficult to believe, as you are flying down the aisleway on the losing end of a braided cotton line, but you actually need this horse in your life... 5. Your Deepest Heart There will come a time when you will look at yourself with a cold, appraising eye, and you'll have to be honest about your continued ability to deal with The Challenger and other difficult horses. At that point, you'll seek out the horse that will be your soul mate forever... You'll have bought him the most comfortable, best fitting equipment... Maybe you'll still go to shows and ride - brilliantly or barely - in the Alzheimer's class. Maybe you'll just stay home. Whatever you do, one day you'll realize that after all the money you spent on animal communicators and trainers, you only had to stop and listen and you would have clearly heard your horse's thoughts and desires... Above is an entire chapter of Horses In The Yard edited down to a few short paragraphs. Click here to order the book so you can read the rest of Joanne's wisdom. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner
Contact Information
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GOOD STUFF: Petfinder.com - 15 years of pet adoption
| What a wonderful success story...
|  From Petfinder co-founder Betsy Saul: "Petfinder's success came about largely because we forged the link in animal welfare between supply and demand. Shelters had pets, but they hadn't found an effective way to find their customers. Fifteen years ago, most people didn't know where to find their local shelters and didn't understand that great, healthy pets awaited them there. Back then, experts estimated 16 to 20 million animals were euthanized in the United States annually.
Petfinder had this crazy notion that we could double adoptions if people just met the amazing pets who were awaiting them in shelters -- that homeless pets were suffering from a lack of exposure.
Through virtual exposure -- getting pets out of the shelter and into America's living rooms via the P.C. -- we doubled adoptions, and then some. In 2011, the number of pets euthanized may shrink to under 4 million. Petfinder is responsible for facilitating over 60 percent of all adoptions. This month, over 6 million people will come to Petfinder to meet their new best friends. Petfinder will play a part in finding 2.5 million "furever" homes this year.
In stark contrast to when we started Petfinder, shelter-pet awareness is at an all-time high. A women's magazine recently named me one of the top 50 women making a difference, placing animal welfare squarely on a par with hunger and education. Support for shelters is strong.There have been huge advances in care for homeless pets. "Shelter medicine" is becoming a veterinary specialty, and shelters are training their pets -- keeping pet's bodies and minds healthy during the shelter stay. Even so, I can't get those last 4 million pets that will be euthanized out of my mind. Those are the brothers and sisters of the lucky ones sitting at our feet."
Read the rest of the article here
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Share our emails
| Viral marketing... it sounds bad, doesn't it?
| You can ask my husband - a frequent topic around here is that of forwarded emails - and the psychology behind them - just WHAT prompts people to decide; "I am going to send this to everyone I know!".
We receive a lot of them. Some are pretty good, and others are dumb. Dumb in a myriad of ways... Alarmist email rumors that have been around forever - that folks keep sending "just in case it's true" Pictures of someone's butt (or worse) - don't even get me started about the firecracker butt - but at least that one was timely when it showed up around July 4. Christian messages that are uplifting - until you get to the end and you're threatened "if you're not ashamed that you love Jesus, forward this - if you are, then delete." Pictures of cute puppies and kittens (awww)
I enjoy writing these newsletters - and sharing all this stuff with you all. But the fact is, it's also a way to help us stay connected with customers and sell products during the time between catalog mailings (which is only once a year) So I really, really like it when someone new stumbles upon the newsletter and is excited to "discover" our company and the products we offer.
In all my efforts to make the newsletter interesting and forward-worthy - it never occurred to me to JUST ASK you all to send it! Duh. Sometimes the obvious is elusive, I guess. So here goes - my request to ask you to forward our email newsletter to your horsey friends. All we ask is that you please be judicious and only send to folks who might be interested. Otherwise we are no better than the "firecracker butt". Click the Forward email link below to get started. (please note - using this form does NOT subscribe anyone to our list - it is a one-time only forward) |
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