HoofPrints Newsletter
July 30, 2011 Issue
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NEW Book on horse training - just a few simple lessons and you can do this!
| (not really) the headline was sparked by the fact that whenever we bring
|  a new product on board, I need to figure out where to put it, so folks looking can find it. Without gettting into tedious details, our website is not clever enough to recategorize items based on what the viewer is looking for. I have to decide where it goes, and there it stays. Ever complain about where they put stuff in the grocery? I used to, too, until I started doing this. It's harder than you'd imagine, and easy to make yourself crazy if you over-think things.
Which brings me back to this new book;
Lorenzo, The Flying Frenchman - The Amazing Man and His Remarkable Horses. After I realized that this one did not fit our other book categories, I decided that his training was so amazing, that's where it belonged. So added now to our training section are also books about amazing relationships between horse and human and the remarkable results of patience, understanding and careful training. So, let these be an inspiration to you - showing just what horses are capable of learning. Then, the next time you think your horse can't possibly figure out what you're trying to teach him/her, you can regroup and see if there is a different way to teach... Otherwise, just enjoy!
More about Lorenzo: Once you get past the notion that Lorenzo on the cover looks just like Jerry Seinfeld in the Puffy Shirt episode (more pictures here), you can get down to business enjoying the photos and text chronicling his remarkable life with horses. Just the section of the book that tells about his acquisition of the six grey horses shown on the cover is worth the price of the whole book; He went to Portugal and purchased a mob of unhandled 2-year-old fillies. Descriptive terms used are "wild and unruly", "real little devils", "wild as a pack of young wolves". As you can see, the transformation is remarkable. Throughout this book you will follow Lorenzo through his childhood, the development of his training methods, and finally as a renowned performer. And yes, he does occasionally fall off and get hurt. The book talks candidly about that, too. It's a wonderful addition to any equine library. To order click here.
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NEW!! Sleeping Angel Puppy
| Highly detailed resin sculpture
|  measures 7" tall x 10" wide x 7" deep. Makes a great gift for a special dog lover, or for yourself.
We used to have a horse version of this sculpture, but can NOT get any more from that vendor. This comes from a different company, and they don't have a horse. We will keep looking, though.
To see all our dog lovers gifts click here
For our memorial products (both horse and dog) books, jewelry, etc click here
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2 NEW Farrier Texts
| Both are BRAND NEW BIG Hardcover books - not revised old editions...
|  For a profession as complex and varied as farriery, there really are scarce few books on the subject. And much of what's out there are reprints/updated editions of previous books.
Gregory's Textbook of Farriery is the knowledge put to paper of one of the farrier industry's most durable educators. This textbook was written as a teaching tool, so it is ideal for any course on farriery, equine husbandry, veterinary school, or even the one-on-one apprenticeship situation.
Created by a skilled farrier instructor, this book is like having Chris right next to you, guiding your hands and looking over your shoulder. Whether you are a veteran of the farrier profession, a novice, or just an interested horseman, this book should be part of your library. You will find yourself referring to it over and over. Many of the chapters in this book begin with a Bible verse, something I don't remember seeing before in any horseshoeing text. Chapter 7 - General Principles of Farriery begins with Psalm 20:7 "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."
The Principles of Farriery; A respected equine vet and farrier have joined forces to produce this manual for trainee and working farriers. The coverage starts with a brief history of farriery, then looks at the legalities of the job and how to control equines for trimming and shoeing. The authors describe the care and maintenance of the forge and farriery tools, as well as the anatomy and function of the horse, especially the lower limbs, the principles of foot balance, and the practice of shoeing. Shoe making, surgical shoes, lameness and shoeing are dealt with in detail, and the book is embellished with hundreds of specially taken photos, and explanatory line drawings.
More about both, including some FREE sample chapters, here .
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| 2012 HORSE WOMEN CALENDARS now in stock! | |
These have been a perennial favorite-
|  This beautiful, large size glossy calendar features 12 different photos of a woman and her horse, paired with an inspirational quote. Each month shows a different facet of the relationship between women and their various horse breeds. Western riding, English riding, ground work, just hanging out - and more. 21" tall x 13" wide open
Once you get through the year, you can use these lovely calendar pictures as background pages for a HORSEY SCRAPBOOK (and we've got a cover for that, too - here). Which makes this a real bargain when you consider what you'd pay for 12 big, full color pictures on heavy glossy paper to use as backgrounds.
Can't you just visualize the photo shown here surrounded by small newspaper clippings? Each month also has an inspirational quote that could also be incorporated in the page. I can imagine them written in silver ink across the bottom... To order click here.
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Recap - From the last newsletter
| Here's what we talked about last time:
|  HoofPrints PINK PRODUCTS - Barn Blade, Riding for a Cure Pin, Breast Cancer Awareness Products and more all here
Pink Cowboy Boot Slippers on sale for HALF PRICE here
Special Deal on Farrier Invoices here
Things not to say to a farrier about money here
Excerpt from Chosen by a Horse here
Gina's vacation & women who "fell down" here
Equestrian Hymn for my Beloved - a unique book of horse wisdom here
We All Fall Down is our book category featuring stories about animals healing people.
BAD DOG is about the struggle and triumph of an alcoholic man and his badly-behaving Bernese Mountain Dog, Hola here
New Book Love is the Best Medicine here
Great Riding & Training advice from an OLD LADY here
Antique Balinese horse coin & gemstone Spirit necklace here
PAST NEWSLETTERS - See what you missed! Click HERE to catch up on the news.
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| More about HoofPrints - and miscellaneous ramblings from Gina | | Check out our NEW "GOOD STUFF" links at the bottom of this section! |  ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THIS NEWSLETTER
Farriers Greeting Cards was started by Gina Keesling in 1986 (in a very small way) to provide helpful promotional materials for farrier husband Rob. This newsletter is 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 more.
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= This week's quote is from Gregory's Textbook of Farriery:
"Keep working with the horse. It is important to maintain your composure. Do not lose your temper. I know. This is a hard one, and every one of us has our moments when it is just too much, and we get mad at the horse. Try and remember that you should never get mad at a horse for being a horse. That is how God made them, and if you are going to work on and with them, you will have to accept it.. Getting mad is apt to get you or the horse hurt, and later on you may regret it, either way."
See this, and our complete collection of Farrier Books here
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner
Contact Information
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| GOOD STUFF: Positive training for hoof handling | |
Here are a couple videos that I found really interesting.
|  For those new to positive training, it basically involves rewarding correct behavior and ignoring incorrect (or "bad") responses withOUT correcting or punishing. It can be a novel idea - as most of us have been counseled that allowing misbehavior will perpetuate and even encourage it.
Shown here is a still from a video illustrating how to teach a horse to have his feet handled. This is a yearling stud colt, and it's his first time with this experience. Be sure to listen to the narration.
Part 1 shows the handler patiently trying to pick up the foot, while the horse moves around, jerks it away, paws, and even acts like he's thinking about biting her. There are dozens of instances where many folks would have whacked that dude for being a turd. After all, who wants to let a horse think it's EVER okay to throw a foot in any direction when you reach down to pick it up?! But, grit your teeth and keep watching. Listen to her descriptions of what's happening. After just 7 minutes he's doing much better. Not great, but better. And with no battle.
Part 2 shows even more improvement. He's moving around less, is less anxious about what's happening, and lets her hold his foot up a LOT longer. So - a total of 12 minutes spent here - with pretty good results. It's interesting to see this kind of training applied to horses. It's been used effectively for many years on animals that can't be physically overpowered or punished. How do you punish a dolphin? Or wrestle that foot away from an uncooperative elephant? You don't. So people came up with smarter ways to convince these creatures to comply with requests. Fran Jurga's Hoofblog has a great picture of an elephant offering up it's foot (hoof? toe?) for trimming here.
Gina's note: "Punishment based training is so deeply rooted that when I started exploring alternative methods I was absolutely lost. When the option of whacking somebody that was misbehaving or disrespectful was eliminated - I didn't know WHAT to do. It's been an interesting journey, to say the least. The good news is, while my horses are not exactly Cavalia contenders these days, my lack of whacking did NOT lead to the lawlessness that I was always warned about. They're not dangerous, disrespectful monsters. They really, really like me. They're interested in what I am doing, and what I might be asking of them next. I'd like them to be learning more, and a little more quickly - but I think that lack of progress is my ineptitude. When I finally figure out how to convey an idea - with appropriate commands, rewards and timing of said reward - my horses and dogs are always there waiting for me "what took you so long?" It's pretty cool. |
| MORE GOOD STUFF: Look how far we've come... | |
Part of Martin Kihn's journey in his book "Bad Dog" was learning how to train
|  his dog. Never having owned a dog before, he did not have the first clue about what to do. Consequently, his dog Hola, a Bernese Mountain dog with a challenging disposition, was out of control on multiple levels. And not just jump-on-people or tear-up-stuff out of control... She was surly and attacked people. Even her owners were not exempt from her aggressive behavior.
Because Martin had no preconceived notions about how he expected to execute the training of his monster dog, his commentary on what he observed as he entered into the world of dog training methodology is fascinating. And he doesn't spare anyone - no matter how well known or well accepted - from his careful scrutiny. He's not an expert and doesn't claim to be, but you sure can learn a lot from his unbiased and careful reporting of the information he gathered along the way. You can order Bad Dog here. Consider this quote Kihn shares in the book:
"Hold (the dog) suspended until he has neither the strength nor inclination to renew the fight. Once lowered he will probably stagger loop-legged for a few steps, vomit once or twice, and roll over on his side. But do not let it alarm you." What medieval text would advise a person to choke their dog until it vomits? This is actually a quote from a long-time best selling dog training book "The Koehler Method of Dog Training". Written by William Koehler - head of training for Walt Disney Studios and the man behind the dog actors in Swiss Family Robinson and The Incredible Journey. Eek! This book was first published in in 1962, and has undergone 38 reprints - over 475,000 copies sold. All telling people to hang and choke their dogs.
Thank goodness better times have come. One of my very favorite folks to look to for wonderful dog training insight is Dr Sophia Yin. Be sure to spend some time on her website. She's got a wealth of free information there for the taking. And not just partial info that tries to hook you into buying stuff. Genuine, "I'm here to help" info that you can use. Her personal dog (Jonesy) is a Jack Russell Terrier. This is a challenging breed that's whip-smart, but not necessarily so interested in doing what's asked. They have boundless energy and tend to be a little on the nervy/high-strung side. He stars in many of her videos, and his cheery obedience is a joy to behold.
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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 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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