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HoofPrints Newsletter
April 12, 2011 Issue
In Praise of CAPS - for Ladies
Spring has "sprung" here - and it's warm. And windy...
Plaid Horsework cap

After spending the winter with my ears covered by a headband or hat (after all these years I finally listened to my mom and covered my ears)- it's warm enough I can go without. Except every year I forget how annoying all that flyaway hair can be.

How come we never see the long-tressed women in the  action/western movies with bits of their own hair stuck in their eyes and mouth? At my house, you're in the middle of an important task - both hands engaged - and the wind picks up a big clump of hair and deposits it right over your eyes so you can't see what you're doing. Or you open your mouth to say something, and hair blows in. Grrr.
The chin-length bob that looked pretty cute after I chopped off my long pony tail (story here - click 3rd picture for details) defies containment. It's too short to pull back. Too long to tolerate unfettered. Enter the solution: the lowly baseball cap. It contains all those flyaways AND shades your eyes from the sun. If your hair's long enough for a ponytail, there's an opening above the fastener that's just the right placement to poke it through. We've got several caps designed just for women - smaller cut, lighter weight, and stylish. No Elmer Fudd bills, either. Feminine and utilitarian at the same time - while making a horsey statement. Shown above is "HORSEwork before HOUSEwork", which pretty much says it all. To see the complete ladies cap selection click here

  

Easter is April 24... The Cross - by Max Lucado
The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one?
Cross necklace collagePerched atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity.  An odd choice, don't you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. The symbols of other faiths are more upbeat: the six-pointed star of David, the crescent moon of Islam, a lotus blossom for Buddhism. Yet a cross for Christianity? An instrument of execution?

Would you wear a tiny electric chair around your neck? Suspend a gold-plated hangman's noose on the wall? Would you print a picture of a firing squad on a business card? Yet we do so with the cross. Many even make the sign of the cross as they pray. Would we make the sign of, say, a guillotine? Instead of the triangular touch on the forehead and shoulders, how about a karate chop on the palm? Doesn't quite have the same feel, does it?

Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn't be simpler. One beam horizontal-the other vertical. One reaches out-like God's love. The other reaches up-as does God's holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.

Read the rest here

Shown is our collection of cross necklaces chosen especially for horse lovers and farriers.
1. Bold Faith Cross - sterling silver cross affixed to hand cut square of genuine cowhide.
2. Little Copper Horseshoe Cross - Hand made (in the USA) of copper.
3. Horseshoe Nail Cross - sterling silver, made by a working farrier
4. Steel Cross on Leather Cord - Hand forged by Ohio blacksmith of recycled steel.
5. Pewter Southwest Cross - beefy retro cross hangs on oversize ball chain.
6. Sterling Silver Rope Cross - hangs on brown leather cord

To see all our Christian Jewelry click here
Naked Liberty!
It's not what you think...
Naked Liberty Book CoverThis book is one of my favorites. The title, and cover image are a little misleading - maybe a little clich�, (or risqu�) - but after reading, you realize that the image and title are PERFECT. Unlike many of today's "natural" horsemanship trainers, Resnick's methods evolved out of her experiences as a young girl - interacting with a herd of wild horses.

When your student is a wild, free ranging horse, then methods that use pressure or dominance simply will not work. Your student runs away - never to return! Her horsemanship is NAKED in the true sense of the word - nothing confining the horse or handler in any way. (Meaning halters, tack, whips, fences, etc - although Carolyn does wear clothes.)

This is a wonderful memoir of Carolyn's younger years and experiences with horses, and it shares in concise detail what she learned. It's filled with stories and experiences that she had - that weave beautifully into the context of understanding horses.

Her ideas are unique, and do not seem to be a repackaged version of what many other natural trainers are promoting today. To download a .pdf excerpt click here

The Code of the Herd (from Naked Liberty)

If I pay attention and accept your authority and leadership, you have no right to pick on me.

If you ask me to do something that is for my own good, I am happy to follow your leadership.

If I do not pay attention, I will lose my rank.

If you are a tough guy, we can see who is dominant right now.

If I cannot find a leader to follow, it is my job to lead.


Carolyn is also very aware of how dangerous horses can be - and never puts herself in a situation where horse or handler could be frightened or injured. It really is the perfect book for those of us who aren't terribly brave or confrontational.  To order Naked Liberty click here

Praise for Beautiful Jim Key
A couple weeks ago we talked about the remarkable fact that
Beautiful Jim Key Book Coverthe story of Beautiful Jim Key was nearly lost forever; then revived by talented author Mim Eichler Rivas. It's one thing to be able to write an interesting tale using historical facts as fodder - but quite another to piece together a TRUE STORY using facts gleaned from a myriad of sources. Details here

Apparently I am not the only one who is duly impressed, as this note from a customer who'd ordered the book arrived in my inbox last week:

"Dear Gina - as you know, I recently got the book 'Beautiful Jim Key'. As I started to read, I thought that, although there is a lot of historical accuracy, it had to be a fictional story. The combined talents of the good doctor and the intelligence of the horse simply could not be fact. They could not have possibly found each other in their world at that time.

As I continued to read, I decided to take a minute to check on some of the statements. I couldn't believe my eyes! Every line is true! I couldn't put the book down and some parts I read with tears streaming down my face!

I don't know how this wonderful story was ever allowed to fade from current records, but I am so grateful that the author found ways to verify and write the book." -C. Lumley 


2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. This book is chock full of fascinating historical facts surrounding this time - Beautiful Jim Key's owner-to-be (William Key) was a slave. He followed his master's sons into war against the Union - in an effort to protect them (if such a thing was possible). At one point he was captured, he charmed his captors with his skills as a cook, and ultimately won his freedom in a card game. After the war was over, and the freed William Key gained acclaim with his exquisitely intelligent horse, he then used some of his considerable wealth to pay off the deed to his former master's farm - and gave it to them free and clear.

To order the book and read more fascinating history click here

Recap - From the last newsletter...
Here's what we talked about last time:
AnnaA true story with a happy ending. Read it here
New FREE magnet 4th in the series. Details here
100 Years from now Fathers Day gift idea ON SALE here
Farriers Traveling Desk here
Women Riders Who Could, and Did here
GOOD STUFF: Inmates & horses helping each other here
"What you're doing is most unladylike." Excerpt here
Handmade Dog Treat Pouches here
Excerpt on preserving memories from Beautiful Jim Key here
Horsey Scrapbook kits (for preserving memories) here 
I only clean up after my HORSE! Sweatshirt here
Good Horsekeeping Sweatshirt here
Pamper Your Horse book ON SALE here
HORSEwork
before HOUSEwork tin sign $1.99 here
More about our embroidered logos here
BLESS this BARN wood sign here 
Train your horse to eat carrots here

PAST NEWSLETTERS - See what you missed!
Click HERE to catch up on the news.
More about HoofPrints
Be sure to check out the "GOOD STUFF" links at the bottom of this section 
Rob shoeing RockyABOUT 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 by an unknown author:

 

Thinking of Marrying a Horsewoman? READ THIS FIRST

* Easy to Locate: She's either off on the horse or out in the barn.

* Upholds the double standard: Smooches with the most bewhiskered beast, but recoils when a man needs a shave.

* Owns one vacuum cleaner - and operates it exclusively in the barn.

* A social butterfly: Provided another horsey woman gives the party. Falls asleep in her soup at all other functions.

* Economy minded: Won't waste money on permanents, facials, or manicures.

* A culinary perfectionist: Checks every section of hay for mold but doesn't blink when she petrifies dinner in the microwave.

* Occasionally amorous: But never leaves lipstick on your collar, at worst, slight trace of chapstick.

* Easy to outfit: No need for embarrassing visits to uncomfortable little boutiques. She can find all she wears at the local tack or farm store.

* Features a selective sense of smell: Bitterly complains about the sticky-sweet cigar smoke of others while remaining totally oblivious to the almost visible aroma of her barn boots drying next to the heater.

* Unmistakable in a bathing suit: She's the one whose tan starts at the nose, ends at the neck, and picks up again at the wrists

* A dedicated club woman: as long as the words "horse" or "riding" appear in its name. (Guilty)

* Has your leisure at heart: Eliminates grass cutting by turning every square inch of lawn into pasture which, in turn, converts itself into mud.

* A master at multiplication: She starts with one horse, adds a companion, and if it's a mare, she breeds it.

* Keeps an eagle eye on the budget: Easily justifies spending six hundred dollars on tack, but croaks when you blow ten on bowling.

* An engaging conversationalist: Can rattle on endlessly about training or breeding.

* Socially aware: Knows that formal occasions call for clean boots.

* A moving force in the family: House by house, she'll get you to move closer to horse country (and farther away from your job.)

* Easy to please: A new wheelbarrow, custom boots, or even a folding hoof pick will win her heart forever.

* Sentimental fool: Displays a minimum of six 8x10 color photos of the horse in the house and carries a crumpled snapshot of you (taken before you were married) somewhere in the bottom of her purse.

* Shows her affection in unusual ways: If she pats you on the neck and says, "You're a good boy," believe it or not, she loves you.

 

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Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner  

 

 Contact Information

GOOD STUFF: Enlightened Horsemanship blog
This site is worth spending some time with
Horse TeachThere are page upon page of photos with sage advice like that shown here.

You can even subscribe so you're notified when something new is posted.

To see more click here
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)