HoofPrints Newsletter
August 21, 2011 Issue
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courage doesn't always roar. sometimes courage is the quiet voice
| at the end of the day saying, "i will try again tomorrow."
|  This quote by Mary Anne Radmacher always resonated with me. I've had a clipping of it taped to my computer for many years - and always referred to it when I was having struggles with my super-sensitive horse that I just couldn't seem to get along with. (I wonder if she has the same thing taped up in her stall?)
These days it seems to apply more and more - to work challenges, family challenges, and health challenges. I had just finished up the artwork on this and sent it off to the mug printer. I logged onto Facebook and saw an update from a friend, announcing that she'd arrived home from having a "brain zap" for a cancerous tumor, and was feeling pretty good, considering. This gal owns a busy boarding stable, and puts on public events there. She also takes care of her aging mother who needs quite a bit of attention.
I've followed her journey through this illness, and kept her in my prayers. But what she doesn't know is what an inspiration she's been to me. Throughout her various treatments, she's done her best to be in the barn with her horses, in spite of feeling so sick and weak. When the doctors told her not to ride, instead she hung out with the riders at her barn's events, photographing them and sharing their pictures online with an encouraging word. And, a few days after her "brain zap" she posted on facebook that she'd just come in from a nice ride on her Haflinger pony. Wow.
So, this one's for all you courageous women out there who "try again tomorrow" no matter what your difficulty at hand. This 16 oz. heavy ceramic mug is at the printer now and will be available for shipment in about 10 days. You can order yours here.
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New Farriers Business Cards added to our online directory
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I belong to several online horse groups, and nearly every day someone is
|  looking for a farrier. There are many reasons for this - and I think we are quick to assume the worst when the "I can't find a farrier..." scenario comes up. Sometimes there's a reason that owners can't get a farrier to come, (bad working conditions, slow to pay, etc) or sometimes it's the farrier (won't show up on time, is rough with the horse(s), etc.) and we tend to gravitate toward that kind of thinking.
But the fact is, there are lots of reasons farriers and owners need to "shop around" until they find a good fit. And they aren't all negative. For every story I hear about a farrier that won't keep appointments, or an owner who has unruly horses, I also hear stories about wonderful relationships between owners, farriers and their horses. If you take the time to get it right, hoof care can be a whole lot less of a headache for everybody involved.
Since I started listing the business cards on Facebook (as well as in the directory) I am delighted that our followers frequently take the time to chime in a kind word about their farrier. So, it's in that spirit that I list below our current batch of directory additions. (The cards shown here are for illustration purposes, were randomly chosen and are in no particular order.)
Click on the state to view details for each farrier listed below.
Canada - Blair Bartlett
Colorado - Shane Schliesser
Florida - Jason Eure, Dewey Johnson, Mark Martin, Phil Saunders
Illinois - Lamar Plank, Chris Staley
Kentucky - Joseph Schenk
Louisiana - Michael Driver
North Carolina - John Parker
New Mexico - Sam Gerard
New York - Geri White
Ohio - Mark Sullivan, Kirk Underschultz, Jeff Ward, Craig Dennis
Pennsylvania - Korie Kalavoda
South Carolina - Dianne Lemmon
West Virginia - Patrice Sager
Wyoming - Jade Lenhart
There you have it, at least for now. We will feature the next batch of cards once we get some accumulated. If you're a farrier (or other equine professional) and are interested in ordering custom business cards, we have dozens of lovely full color logos to choose from here. And don't forget to look at page 2 here.
Also, if you are on Facebook, and have a business card listed in one of our albums here , be sure to go and tag your photo. That will give other HoofPrints Facebook fans a direct link to your Facebook page, and will also post an image of your business card on your wall. If you are friends with a farrier that's pictured, you can also tag that person and the above will happen for them. Since the HoofPrints Facebook page is a business page, I am not able to tag photos.
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Copper HoofPrint pendant hangs on bracelet made also of...
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turquoise, coral, brass, nickel and yak bone
|  What a combination! Actually this bracelet is made in Tibet (hoofprint charm in USA) and the Tibetan people believe that such organic components have healing properties. Certain materials are thought to improve circulation and promote the flow of healing energies through the body.
Here's what I found specifically about yak bone:
"Bone is used in practice because the more we contemplate death the more fruitful our life becomes. We begin to live life differently and accept that death is inevitable while the path to the end of this life is about service to others, loving all, and being happy (without the pursuit of happiness) in each moment...through the supposed good and bad.
Yak is an important animal in Tibet as they are used as packing animals for the nomadic tribes and to honour their passing they are used in practice. Continuing to be of service as they pass from this consciousness to another." from DestinationOM
Whether you believe this is a valid idea or not, this is still a pretty cool bracelet. It's rugged looking with it's chunky beads (they're about 3/8" across) and the braided portion is designed to slide so you can adjust it to fit just right. To see this and all our other hoof jewelry, click here
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Recap - From the last newsletter
| Here's what we talked about last time:
|  Handle Stess Like a Dog wood sign made in USA here
New Gloves for Farriers save your hands here
Adams Lameness in Horses NEW 6th edition here
Dog Lovers Scrapbook and cute Doggy Memory Kit here
All our dog stuff showcased online here
GOOD STUFF: Spider story rerun here
I MAKE HORSE CALLS books here
Owney, the beloved postal dog story here
Pewter Heart on Deerskin thong necklace here.
3 Horsey T-shirts - set for UNDER $40. here
Farrier Travel Mug is BACK! Order here
Until Tuesday; a soldier & dog who helped him here
Cowgirls of the American West notecard set here
French Terry embroidered summer jacket here
Lorenzo the Flying Frenchman - how he trained those horses here
2012 Horsewoman Calendars 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 by Mary Anne Radmacher
"for yesterday i hold no apologies. for tomorrow i offer no answers. today is a gift: i will honor it by fully living in it." I am so grateful to Mary Anne for allowing us to share her calligraphy on a mug for our horsewoman customers. This will make a wonderful inspirational (and inexpensive) gift for anyone undergoing a challenge - including yourself! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner
Contact Information
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GOOD STUFF: Learn to Take Great Horse Photos
| The Essence of Equus - an online fine art photography course for EVERYONE
|  This is a pretty cool deal that's come about now that most everyone can get on the internet. It's an online course taught by talented equine photographers, meant to help the average person take better, and more creative photos.
Back when I was in college (and we won't say how long ago that was), and had to take photography courses as part of my graphic design major, I figured out immediately that I did NOT want any part of the photography scene. It cost a fortune for all the materials, which were finicky and often didn't behave properly - thus producing bad prints. Adequate pictures could be taken with a regular 35mm camera, but you had to be a brainiac and pay attention to all these things like the light meter, aperture and shutter speed, etc. By the time I checked on all of that, I had missed the shot anyway. My instructor was a self-proclaimed crotchety old dude who told us the first day of class that any photo (no matter how good it was) of a cat was an automatic C grade. I didn't dare take a chance with horse shots.
Had something like this been available back then I'd have been all over it. Here's a chance to study with 4 gals who make their living taking beautiful and effective horse photos. The course lasts 8 weeks, you get 4 lessons and 4 assignments, plus all the ensuing dialogue with the instructors and fellow students for just $199. A great way to send yourself "back to school" along with the kids. Details are here .
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| MORE GOOD STUFF | |
Online promotion. It's important, and it's not that hard.
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 | Jacquelyn Leuener of Jackpot Equine
Marketing has lifelong horse experience |
Anyone who has a business needs to have an online presence. Even if you don't sell product online like we do. Farriers especially; a horse owner typing "jones farrier service, yourtown, USA" into google should be able to easily find a web page with your contact information on it. It is not expensive to secure and register a domain. Some experts recommend doing this anyway to ensure that someone else doesn't get there first. One year as a fun Christmas gift, I bought my son jordankeesling.com . It was my hopes that he'd get super interested in web design and be able to give me a hand here, but so far that's not worked out as planned. But, someday if he becomes a famous ___? he will have the web domain sporting his name to promote with.
Another good feature that goes with having a domain of your own is the ability to have the same email address forever. Free accounts like yahoo and gmail are nice, but if yahoo or gmail disappear, then so does your email address. Plus, since they own the service, you get (have) to see whatever ads they want to show you, whenever you log in.
OK, you say, this all sounds great, but I have NO CLUE how to do it; even where to begin. That's why it's great to know that there are folks out there like Jacquelyn Leuener of Jackpot Equine. She's a lifelong horse and dog person so understands these industries well. For a reasonable fee, she helps her clients navigate the online promotional world, doing as little (or as much) as needed. Check out her website 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 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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