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HoofPrints Newsletter
October 1, 2011 - A Blessed Project Issue
GOOD STUFF: A Blessed Project - Horses & Hope Calendar

HoofPrints partners with award winning photographer Sarah K. Andrew   

Sarah shooting photo Sarah and I are wrapping up the finishing touches on this calendar. In case you missed it, you can read previous newsletter mentions here , and here. The longer I work on this, the more I am convinced that it really is a blessed project (and that's not just something I thought up to say to get you all to buy the calendar).

Taking a step back, I first want to say that the unwanted horse problem is a very big one, and nearly everyone in the industry has an opinion about how it should be solved. Unfortunately, many folks' ideas involve mostly what they think OTHER folks should be doing to solve the problem. This "armchair quarterback" style of addressing problems works fine (for them) meanwhile unwanted horses continue to lose their lives in Canadian/Mexican slaughterhouses. The decision makers (and the folks trying to influence them) continue to debate the issues and options.

It's such a big problem that it's easy to think one person could not possibly make a difference. But there are many of these such "one person"s all over the country doing just that. Making a difference. They bring their respective skills to the table, and use them to help find a home for one - dozens - maybe hundreds of horses each week. This calendar features the work of one woman who stepped up to the plate and said "I can do this to help." Sarah K. Andrew is a professional photographer. She works by day for the Thoroughbred Daily News. They pay her to go on site and document the world's racing elite, horses that can cost/earn more than most of us paid for our homes.

But, once a week she steps out of that role and uses her skills with a camera to document a different kind of horse. The unwanted horse whose sale price at the auction was not even enough to outbid the meat buyers.  And it's not as simple as just schlepping down to the auction with a pocket digital camera and firing off some shots to upload to Facebook.

Take a look at the picture above. It was taken on site at the auction. Pretty unremarkable, huh? (with apologies to the photographer) It's blurry because there was not enough light. You can tell by the shadows that there are numerous overhead lights; probably those kind of fluorescent bulbs that make everyone look like their lips are blue... It's dark out, so there's absolutely no sunlight - which is what saves the rest of our butts when we we are trying to take photos. Sarah's here, on her knees in the dirt (with cats crawling all around) shooting through the fence into a pen of horses.

Remember the last time you tried to take a nice picture of your horse? And (s)he wouldn't put their ears up. So you recruited someone with some interesting thing (like a can of grain) to rattle and (hopefully) get the ears up. But then the ears are up and your horse looks like a camel (or worse) because you're not at the right angle - so his body looks out of proportion. Or there's junk in the background that you didn't notice at the time. Or the shot's perfect but you moved a bit and it's blurry. Or the sun was in the wrong place and your background looks great but the horse is too dark. Or your flash went off and the horse has marble eyes (like the cat above). You get the idea. Sarah's shooting strange horses that she's never met before. She doesn't know if they are even halter broke, or if they will kick at her when she puts the camera up to her face. There's no one there with a grain can to get the ears up. The light is terrible. She has no control over what's in the background. The list goes on.

SKA chestnut horse Now, take a moment and look through the facebook album here at the tentative calendar layout with all the pictures. They were almost ALL taken in these challenging conditions. And they are not just adequate, they are amazing. It's like Sarah's got angels helping her out. It seems that God Himself looks down from Heaven, His attention falling onto a particular horse; ethereal light bathes beautifully onto the subject; he or she fairly glows - and the image is then captured by Sarah's camera for the world to see. (example at left)

And it's working. Through the efforts of a team of dedicated volunteers, networking the pictures and descriptions of these horses, the Camelot effort has placed every horse that's landed in the feedlot since they began in 2009. It's through this success that we encourage others to attempt the same. As rescue director Penny Austin says; "there are no unwanted horses, just horses needing better matchmakers."

To reserve your copy of the Horses & Hope calendar, click here.
If you've ALREADY ordered your calendar, please continue to sit tight - I am reviewing preliminary proofs from the printer today, to make sure the colors are reproducing correctly and the paper stock we've chosen is just right. We expect to have them in hand within a couple weeks. Thanks for your patience!

NEW  Christian Cowboy Sculpture
The Crossroads, by Paul Cameron Smith
Crossroads Sculpture This richly detailed bronze-look resin sculpture is patterned after cowboy artist Paul Cameron Smith's drawing by the same name. It's 12" long x 4" wide x 7" tall. The front of the base has a brass plate that says "The Crossroads" and Paul's signature is embossed in gold on the top near the cowboy's boot. It's remarkably detailed on all sides. The price is very reasonable at $84.95. We've got a limited number of these reserved from the manufacturer, so if you're thinking it might make a good gift for someone on your Christmas list, you may want to order now. You can see a rotating picture of it here.
New Ladies Vest - LIFE IS SHORT; RIDE YOUR HORSE

Fall is here, and it's the perfect time to grab a vest to wear...   

Life is short horse logo closeup There's always a dilemma this time of year - a jacket could be too warm, but a sweatshirt's not enough by itself. Enter the hero - the vest! We love these, especially the freedom it gives you around your arms. We've got two lighter weight fleece versions to choose from, along with the heavier diamond quilt washed canvas version, and everything in between. To see the complete selection, click here.
More outerwear offers - Bucephalus fleece headband only 1�!

Yup! It's just a PENNY when you purchase any other garment from us   

Bucephalus headband that's priced over $50.We've embroidered it with a funky graphic of Bucephalus. Who could forget the scene in the Black Stallion, when Alec's father gives him the little figurine and tells him the story of Alexander the Great and the indomitable Bucephalus? It's such a great story, on multiple levels. The accomplished horsemen of the day could do nothing with the stallion, but young Alexander took the time to notice what was bothering the horse, and to work around it so as to establish a rapport. The rest is history as Alexander became a mighty ruler - but did you ever stop to consider?.. He could have had any horse he wanted - surely the best in his kingdom to choose from. Yet he continued to ride Bucephalus for the rest of the horse's life, until his death at age 30. You can see the picture that inspired this logo, and purchase the Black Stallion DVDs from us here. Our garments that qualify for the free headband offer are here. Be sure to give a look to the Sage/Gray two-tone fleece jacket, it's really nice, fits well, and the logo matches the headband.

More New Christmas Cards for this season
When the holidays roll around... Remember to take time to be yourself!
2011 new christmas cards2 Each year we try to come up with at least a few new holiday card designs. This year I am particularly proud of the results. Shown here is a rolling horse - making his own horsey "snow angel" and flying off!

The photo on the front is by Sarah K. Andrew, the winged horse sketch is pictured inside, that's drawn by Lesley Bruce.


Below that is the classic print "The Evening Prayer" updated for Christmas with "May all your Christmas prayers be answered" and the Laura Ingalls Wilder quote inside:

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime."



To see these, and the rest of our Christmas cards, click here.
Farriery: Foal to Racehorse
 this profusely illustrated hardcover book by Simon Curtis is not widely
Farriery, Foal to Racehorse available here in the United States. It is published and distributed by the author, and even the mighty Amazon doesn't have this title. They currently list only one new copy available for $998.99, and 2 used for $229.53 here.
We have brand new copies from Simon himself for $135.95.  This book covers all farriery needs and requirements for Thoroughbred racehorses, from birth, through development as a foal and yearling; preparation of the feet and shoeing for sale to training and racing. Once the racehorse has finished it's career, farriery plays an important part in prolonging a successful stud life. Chapters are included on the assesment of limb and foot conformation and how farrier skills can be used to help produce the optimum soundness for any individual.
To order click here.
Recap - From the last newsletter
Here's what we talked about last time:
Buck DVD BUCK DVD here
HoofPrint Magnets are BACK! here
Horse Woman stylish Wool Flap hat in new colors here
Freeze Dried Horse Hoof Models here
BARN Girl Bales again! here
Update on Tits to the Sky! here
Pink products for breast cancer research here
Protect this HORSE medallion here
NEW Hill Country purse & wallet here
Oh, What Fun it is to Ride T-shirt here 
Life is Short, Play with Your Dog here
Snuggly Turquoise Thermal Jacket  here
KEEP CALM & HANG ON Sweatshirt 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 by Henry Beston:

"The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth" 

  

The above quote is also featured on the Horses & Hope Calendar (August)

 

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Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner 

 Contact Information

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)