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HoofPrints Newsletter
August 29, 2011 Issue
Can you say "SNUGGLY"? That's what this jacket is...

It's outer shell is sturdy thermal fabric, and it's lined with sherpa fleece... 

Turquoise Jacket closeup we are so excited about these details that I didn't picture here the embroidered horse logo that's on the left chest, but instead a closeup of the wonderful textures that this jacket has.

This heavy hooded sweatshirt could double for a coat on all but the coldest days. The outer shell is constructed of thermal fabric, and it's lined with plush sherpa throughout. The seams are fashioned so that a bit of sherpa peeks through, for a casual, two-tone effect. It's cotton/poly blend so no shrinking, and it washes and dries beautifully with no special attention (yes, we tested it). The neck is taped to hold it's shape and minimize scratchiness against your neck. Zipper and eyelets are metal, and the drawstring on the hood is beefy enough to stay tied. We've embroidered it with our wind horse logo. Sizing on this one is very generous - so those of you who were needing larger sizes than we normally offer may want to give this one a second look. For more info, click here.
KEEP CALM & HANG ON... this heavyweight crew sweat is printed with

an inspiring (and oh, so wise) phrase inspired by the forgotten British wartime poster, discovered in a second-hand bookshop in 2000.  

Keep Calm Sweatshirt Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of invasion. Seeing only limited distribution, it was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private sector companies, and used as the decorative theme for a range of other products. There are only two known surviving examples of the poster outside government archives. More at Wikipedia here.

We got a kick (pardon the pun) out of this version depicting a rider doing all she can to (calmly) stay on this bucking horse. Will be a great addition to your fall riding wardrobe. To order click here.
Pink Heart Riding Gloves

These ladies riding gloves are made by Heritage, a noted glove company       

Pink heart riding glovesin the equestrian industry. They're made of soft, breathable fabrics and the durable palm material makes these an excellent choice for riding. Plus, they're incredibly cute and very well made. Sizing runs small, so would make a great gift for a horsey little girl who rides.

Please keep in mind that they are riding gloves, so are not going to provide a lot of warmth. They'll be great for chilly days, or for getting in a cold car/truck to insulate your hands from the freezing steering wheel, but are NOT a good choice for chores, etc.

For more info, click here.

 

UPDATE on Courage Mugs! ***Please Read***
courage doesn't always roar. sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "i will try again tomorrow."
Courage Quote Mug Last time we introduced these lovely new mugs, and I talked about some different facets of what the above quote means to me, personally. Thanks to all of you for your kind words about this new product.

I have a confession to make. Sometimes when we've got a new product in the works, I don't (can't) wait until I actually have it in hand to tell you all about it.  That's the case with this one; it's currently being printed and will be ready in a week or two. However, when I received the acknowledgment for my order I was horrified to learn that the shipping charges to get them to me are going to be quite a lot more than anticipated. My best negotiating and creative problem-solving skills were applied - to no avail. The mugs are big, heavy and it is going to cost a lot to get them here. So - the $10.95 price that you see here is a limited time, introductory price. When the fall catalog comes out it will be higher. So keep this in mind if you had your eye on these as potential holiday gifts and order now for the best price.

You can order yours here.
Life is short. Play with your dog.
this t-shirt is a great reminder to take a few minutes each day
Life is short dog t-shirt to toss a stick, or play a game of tug-of-war with your canine friend.

This would make a great gift for someone who takes their dogs to a dog park, or for a shelter volunteer, etc. All over the country, an army of volunteers spend time each day with shelter dogs. Thousands of dogs waiting hopefully in cages for a family to come and choose them as their own. These dedicated volunteers take the time to help these dogs learn their manners AND make sure that they don't forget how to play while they're at the shelter. I barely have time to play with my own dogs, and my heart goes out to the crowd that gives of themselves to go and spend time with what will hopefully be someone ELSE'S dog some day. More info here.
Recap - From the last newsletter
Here's what we talked about last time:
copper hoofprint bracelet Copper HoofPrint & Yak Bone Bracelet here
Farriers business cards in the directory, see who they are here
Online course teaches you to take great horse photos here
Jackpot Equine Promotion
equine industry marketing here
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 
I MAKE HORSE CALLS
books 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.
More about HoofPrints - and miscellaneous ramblings from Gina 
Check out our NEW "GOOD STUFF" links at the bottom of this section! 
Rob shoeing RockyABOUT 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 one of many on confidence from here

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You're on your own.

And you know what you know.

You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

~Dr. Seuss 
 

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Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner 

 Contact Information

GOOD STUFF: We encountered an angel last week...
we were out of town on a trip, when a big thunderstorm came through...
Angel girl Since Zack died, our black lab Puppy-Girl has become increasingly anxious when it storms. To the point that I've gotten medication for her to help quell the panic. But this time I wasn't home to give her a pill when the thunder and lightning came. I figured she'd take refuge in the barn, but apparently she did not.

When my family and I arrived back at the hotel room late that night there was a message from the answering service. "Ruth has your dog. Call her at ____." The call had come in quite a while before I got the message - and when I tried to call Ruth I got no answer. I was concerned, to say the least, and didn't sleep well that night -  wondering where my dog was and if I'd ever see her again.

The next morning my assistant Candy got a second call from Ruth, and made arrangements to pick up the dog. Puppy-Girl had gone over a mile from home - there are lots of cornfields in between... But Ruth kept her in her garage overnight, where she was safe from the storms and not able to get even more lost. I am so very thankful for the fact that Puppy-Girl was wearing a collar with our phone number embroidered on it, so her rescuer could call us. And that this gal didn't just call and say she saw our dog - she detained her there until we could come get her.

Shelter workers tell me they pray to find tags on dogs that come in. Not all lost dogs are unwanteds - and often they are never reunited with their owners (so sad)

So, I am not one to tell folks how to manage their animals, but I will today. MAKE SURE your dog has ID on him or her at all times. It just takes once for them to slip away and they could be gone forever. The rabies tag your vet gives you when your dog is vaccinated has a number on it - and your dog can possibly reunited with you via some research on the finder's part. But it's painless and inexpensive to have a collar or tag made with an easy way to contact you at any hour. Dog.com has nice embroidered collars in lots of colors here. These are the ones I get - they're cheap enough that I can replace whenever they get dirty/stinky. The plastic buckles are lightweight and not jangle-y. If your dog has to be tied up, or is a hard puller you might want to consider a sturdier buckle arrangement.
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)