HoofPrints Newsletter
August 8, 2011 Issue
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A great deal on our 3 popular T-shirts!
| I Train Horses - Handle with Carrots - I Only Clean Up After My Horse!
|  These lovely, feminine t-shirts have a scoop neck and cap sleeves . They are cut for ladies and are not too small or too fitted. The midweight fabric is a cotton/poly blend that is cool, soft and washes up great. Logos are screenprinted. You get one of each as a set for UNDER $40! To order click here
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Back by popular demand
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Our Stainless Steel TOOLS OF THE TRADE Travel Mug
|  Well, technically no one was DEMANDing it - but the original manufacturer discontinued this very cool woodgrain style and we were unable to find a replacement. And we did have a lot of folks asking when we'd have more.
We looked for a long time - until we found just the right one. We don't like travel mugs with handles. They're never facing the right way when you go to pick them up - and they don't always fit into the cup holder in your car/truck.
We don't like the ones with the screw on lids - it's a pain to line up the threads and then they leak. This version has a multi-finned silicone seal that lets the lid push right on without a fuss.
We also don't like the ones with the plastic interiors - plastic absorbs the smell of whatever you put in it - if you forget to take the cup out of your vehicle for a few days... yuck.
So, we rejected a lot of choices before we found one worthy of our farrier Tools of the Trade logo. These are being printed now, and will be on the shelf in a couple weeks. Click here to reserve yours.
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Another great new book added to "We All Fall Down" category
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Until Tuesday, A Wounded Warrior & the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him
|  In case you missed it, we talked about the Animals Helping People books in a newsletter here - I titled the category "We All Fall Down", and there's a video by the same name in that newsletter also.
Until Tuesday is the story of a highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalvan. He never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home from combat, however, the pressures of his physical wounds, traumatic brain injury, and crippling post-traumatic stress disorder began to take their toll.
Haunted by the war and in constant physical pain, he soon found himself unable to climb a simple flight of stairs or face a bus ride to the VA hospital. He drank; he argued; ultimately, he cut himself off from those he loved. Alienated and alone, unable to sleep or bend over without pain, he began to wonder if he would ever recover.
Then Luis met Tuesday, a beautiful and sensitive golden retriever trained to assist the disabled. Tuesday had lived amongst prisoners and at a home for troubled boys, blessing many lives; he could turn on lights, open doors, and sense the onset of anxiety and flashbacks. But because of a unique training situation and sensitive nature, he found it difficult to trust in or connect with a human being until Luis.
Until Tuesday is the story of how two wounded warriors, who had given so much and suffered the consequences, found salvation in each other. It is a story about war and peace, injury and recovery, psychological wounds and spiritual restoration. But more than that, it is a story about the love between a man and dog, and how together they healed each other's souls.
Gina's note: This book has a little different tone than most of our others. The whole time you're reading you can sense the authors anger, pain, frustration and struggle. He's a skilled writer, and if you're not careful, you'll be feeling that way too as you read. But don't let that turn you away from this title - the powerful part of all this is how he is able to let his dog help him; and how he's able to analyze and convey their story. PTSD is a terrible, crippling disorder that is very real with many, many trauma victims. The last thing you'd think would be a good idea is to live in a stressful place like New York City where people can be rude/hostile/dangerous, and businesses deny access to service dogs. So, to navigate a scary, potentially dangerous struggle every day AND to relive everything prior to that by writing a book about it is truly a very brave act. And Luis didn't stop there. He's made a mission of speaking up for veterans and their service dogs (actually ALL folks with service dogs), doing all sorts of intense things like television appearances and public speaking. He served our country in the military, and continues to do so now. His story is an inspiration.
The first printing of this book sold out, and it's being reprinted now. We will have some in stock around 8/19. You can watch some video interviews of Luis and Tuesday, as well as reserve your copy of his book, here.
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NEW!! Awesome cowgirl note cards
| 10 cowgirl paintings by Terri Kelly Moyers grace this assortment of blank cards
|  from Leanin' Tree. These cards are a big 5.5" x 7.25" and are printed on heavy, glossy paper. The insides are printed in color with western motifs, and the back of each card tells more about the work on the front and the artist who painted it. You also get 22 parchment textured envelopes that match the cards. These all come gift boxed in a lovely package that you'll probably want to keep once the cards are all used! See these and our other all-occasion cards here
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Silver Prices keep going up, and up
| what at first was a real hassle, now is turning out to be a good thing!
|  The silver market has been volatile for the past few years, and it keeps getting worse. It's very bad for us; we print a catalog with prices based on what the manufacturer has told us - the the cost for materials skyrockets - as then does our cost on silver jewelry. To this point, I've just bit the bullet and absorbed the difference - rather than have to tell folks that the price they see printed in the catalog is not really the price... but this approach is really hard on profits. As much as I love to see you all get the cool products that you want, I need to make some money while I am at it to keep the lights on, etc.
So, what's the GOOD thing about silver prices going through the roof? It's caused jewelry makers to explore other options for materials. An unremarkable sterling silver chain now costs triple what it used to - instead of that we can offer you this pewter horse heart pendant on an incredibly soft deerskin thong for UNDER $25! Pewter looks just like silver, it's made of an alloy of metals; mostly tin, with copper and other components. Previously pewter contained lead, but modern pewter used to make jewelry is lead-free. The necklace shown here is handmade for us in Colorado, USA. The deerskin strap is adjustable with a sliding bead, the ends are fringed and knotted for a very cool effect down the back of your neck. Up front are two matching accent beads, and a weighty heart embossed with primitive running horses and a life spiral. To order click here.
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Lightweight French Terry Summer Jacket
| I know you're asking; "What the heck is FRENCH TERRY?...
|  Well, french terry cloth is a variety of terry (or toweling) fabric, which is identified by its uncut looped pile. French terry cloth only has the highly absorbent looped pile on one side of the fabric; the other side is flat and smooth. It can be woven from different kinds of threads and can be stretch or non-stretch. French terry cloth is used primarily for sportswear, casual clothing and infant clothing. More info here.
We found this cute cadet collar jacket and embroidered it with our own "loose horse" logo. This jacket is softly shaped for a classic feminine fit. It's got lots of great details; back locker patch, ribbed side inserts, pockets, brass tone zipper. A great lightweight jacket to keep on hand when a sweatshirt is too heavy. For more info click here.
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Recap - From the last newsletter
| Here's what we talked about last time:
|  Lorenzo the Flying Frenchman - inspirational book tells how he trained those horses here
Sleeping Angel Puppy sculpture here
2 Brand New Farrier Texts here
2012 Horsewoman Calendars here
Excerpt from Gregory's Text of Farriery here
Positive hoof handling video here
MORE GOOD STUFF about dog training here
HoofPrints PINK PRODUCTS - Barn Blade, Breast Cancer Awareness Products & more 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
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 Beyond Blue:
"Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." -C.S. Lewis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner
Contact Information
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| GOOD STUFF: 52 Thoroughbreds FOUND HOMES | |
Somehow, the story of the herd of thoroughbreds who were about to be
|  shipped to auction by an uncaring heir of a deceased veterinarian went viral. It was the kind of viral that marketers dream about. People shared, and shared, and some acted quickly and the horses were all placed. I'd love to write promotional emails that get shared like that... Anyway, something about this particular story was so compelling that it's going around AGAIN new (the whole event unfolded in February of this year). Check out all the stories about it here. It was a big enough deal that it made Snopes.
Unfortunately, the plight of unwanted thoroughbreds is still there. Shown here is a horse who started 85 races. He earned $141,884. for his owners. And he was pulled out of the kill pen at the auction where he ended up. You can read more about him on photographer Carien Schippers' blog here.
While the stories of individual used-up racehorses ending up at auction don't end up in viral emails, they still exist. And a lot of people out there want to help - and it's the coincidental email that shows up in the inbox that may the the catalyst that spurs someone to action. These days, if you decide to take some kind of action - it's important to make sure that it's really going to do some good. There are many stories of folks donating money to fund raising entities - to help horses - only to have no horses be helped. One of my favorite blogs for reporting stories about horses in need, doing fund raising, and transparently dispersing said funds to the correct recipients is Horse and Man.
There's a Facebook group Camelot Horse Weekly that networks to place horses from a New Jersey auction. It's a remarkable group (over 21,000 fans) - they work with the owner of the auction to resell the horses who didn't get a high enough bid to leave the sale. These horses collect in a pen until there's a truckload, then, unfortunately they're sent to slaughter. All that has to happen is the auction owner has to get a price slightly above what the slaughter bid is, and the horse is saved. Now, everyone could sit around and gripe about how evil the auction guy is for shipping these horses, or how awful it is that he's making money doing it, etc, but instead this group jumps in and DOES SOMETHING. A talented photographer makes time to come in and get shots of the horses in the pens. Volunteers evaluate them the best they can and post info on the facebook page here. If someone out there sees a horse that "speaks" to them, then all they have to do is make arrangements to pay the auction owner and they've bought the horse. Of course, as with all auctions it's buyer beware on these. You never know about the health and/or temperament until the horse is settled into a new environment.
Also, all over the country are individual rescue groups who take in horses like the ones at the auctions, or animals that are seized in neglect cases, or animals that the owners just don't want any more. Sometimes they go out and convince neglectful owners to surrender their horses. Wouldn't that take some diplomatic skills? While most of the horses at the Camelot auction are fairly healthy, often the ones that end up at rescues are not. Crosswinds Equine Rescue took in the Percheron Storm Serge earlier this year. He was so malnourished that he likely would have died had they not acquired him when they did. There are pictures here. It's not cheap to rehab a horse like this, and even if they're able to get a decent adoption fee for him once he's healthy, it won't even come close to covering what it cost to get him there.
It takes special folks to do all these things, like the animal shelter workers, it's a task I could not begin to take on - so I like to support them when I can. I encourage others to do the same.
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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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