HoofPrints Newsletter
December 26, 2011 Issue - Great news concerning the Horses & Hope calendar
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Some GREAT NEWS concerning the Horses & Hope Calendar
| Last time we talked, I told you that Sarah would be is presenting proceeds
|  from the calendar sales to One Horse At A Time. We kept the actual number a SECRET, because we wanted it to be a surprise, and it was. Shown here is calendar photographer Sarah K. Andrew, Penny Austin of One Horse At A Time and her horse Charm (an auction rescue). In their hands is the check Sarah presented to Penny. That check totaled over $26,000!!! Needless to say, Penny was very surprised - you can read her account of the moment here.
This check was presented on December 10, and since then the calendar orders have continued to roll in. At the time of this newsletter, we have another $7,000+ earmarked for One Horse At A Time. All because of hundreds of regular folks, believing that even with a seemingly insurmountable problem, everyone pitching in their little bit to help can make a change for the better, and as you can see by these numbers, it certainly did!
Penny says it best:
"Those of us who have these calendars know how special they are. Not only are they a work of art, they are an incredible teaching tool, but most of all, they are a resounding testament to the power of each one of us doing just one thing - and how each of our "just one thing" combined with everyone else's has the power to MOVE MOUNTAINS. Don't ever forget that. Don't ever think that you can't offer but a little. Your little is mighty. Always."
We are still selling calendars. Thanks to a myriad of mentions online, the orders continue to come.
Check out Teresa Genaro's Raceday 360 column here.
Fran Jurga's Horse Tip Daily Radio Show here
Sarah's own blog account of the project, along with dozens of amazing positive comments here
A nice mention in the EQUINE Ink blog here
This calendar is destined to be a collectible - I've already had customers telling me how they plan to frame the pages to decorate their tack room, etc. To order yours click here.
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MORE GOOD STUFF added to closeouts section
| All throughout fall, then holiday season - I am too busy to notice
|  this accumulation of stuff. It's all perfectly good stuff - odds and ends from previous catalogs. Some discontinued by the manufacturer, some we've replaced with items we liked better. Whatever the reason, it's still pretty good stuff, but it's gotta go.
The lovely tooled leather purse shown here is the one the manufacturer American West chose for their own company Christmas cards this year. We've got a few left and have marked them down by almost $20.
See this, and our other discounted purse and wallet selection here.
Below is Barn Blade pink knife. This sturdy, anodized aluminum knife is just what horsewomen have been waiting for. A great knife to take riding and to the barn - that the guys won't cabbage onto because it's PINK! It's a good, sensible size (4" closed, 7" open) to carry and use. The spring steel clip on the back lets you hang it on the inside of your pocket so you can get to it without fishing around, and the special notch with a protected second blade lets you cut hay strings in a jiffy without ever opening your knife! The blackened stainless steel blade has an easy-open knurled grip in case (heaven forbid) you need it quickly to cut someone loose. Horsemen (and women) should always carry a knife when working around horses, and this one is perfect for the job!
 We inspect each of our knives before shipment to make sure they open and close properly, and are free of any defects. We have a small stash of knives that work fine but have minor cosmetic problems with the finish, and we've marked them down by $5.00! To see this and the rest of our closeout items click here.
***Note about closeouts - not all garments available in all sizes. We will do our best to keep the website current, but it is possible something may be sold out before your order gets here. Order right away for best selection.***
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BRAND NEW! Pray first - then ride...
| This unique and rustic cut out steel sign is MADE IN USA
|  It measures 15" wide x 6" tall. It does NOT have hangers on the back, so plan for that - but the open design allows for a variety of nail placement, or a clever person could fasten some twine as a hanger for an even more country look. To see this, and our other Christian gifts, click here.
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Cowboy & Cowgirl Bible Pocket Partners
| We just got these in - they make great companions to our Horse Lovers Bible
|  Saddle-Up for Jesus Bible Pocket Partners include a clear plastic front/back protective cover page, 31 days of meaningful devotional pages, and several sheets of note paper bound with the devotional pages. It is the perfect small devotional for cowgirls of all ages, pastors, cowboy churches, bible study, etc. They measure 3" wide x 5" tall. The devotional pages are thick, glossy paper that's durable enough to stand up to daily use. There are 10 extra pages of note paper bound into the back, for jotting down important thoughts and notes.
To see this and our other Christian horse books click here.
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Bad Clock Roulette - get 2 Farrier Clocks for the price of one
| Use your own mechanical skills to make one (or both) of them work!
|  ***Note - this offer is ONLY for folks who are inclined to fix things***. I am calling this roulette because if you fail at this endeavor I will NOT refund/replace. You may end up with 2 clocks that work perfectly, you may end up with none (highly unlikely, but possible).
Gina's note: Years ago we introduced this clock and it was a huge hit. I think it was new to the manufacturer also. They did a great job, at first. Now, they've made some changes that have caused these to be more temperamental in their operation (changing from a thin styrene backing and swinger to a heavy paper - which can warp under humid conditions) Quality has been less consistent, and we've had to repair or finish assembling more and more in each shipment. I will also note that they (the vendor) takes pride in announcing that this is an American Made product - both assembly and components. This was my year for overload with vendor problems, and I may be over-reacting, but my response is to axe products and vendors that have been giving me headaches.
So, here's the deal on the clocks. I will send you 2 clocks with issues for the price of one ($32.95 + shipping). These are from a large stash that we accumulated this past season when we were filling orders. Each clock is inspected before shipment by us. If we found a problem it was put aside to fix later. Every other year my dear husband Rob would take a few hours and attack the mountain of bad clocks. He was able to get nearly all of them into saleable condition. But this year was different in that he had numerous other commitments in his schedule that kept him from his clock repair role. Now, the holidays are over and he deserves a break. I am assigning clock repair to my adventurous customers who are so inclined.
Here is a list of the possible problems you may encounter, should you decide to take on this mission:
1. Swinging farrier may be detached from peg. Remedy: Re-affix with super glue. Advice: Have a plan of how you're going to position/secure the parts while the glue dries before you get out the glue.
2. The Swinging farrier may interfere with the hands as they go around. Remedy: Use a hair dryer to carefully heat that part so that it curves back toward the face instead of toward the hands. Advice: Go slow or you could overdo it.
3. The crystal may be scratched/rubbed. Remedy: Not much - just don't look at it too closely. We complained to the manufacturer and they kindly sent us a box of crystals to replace the bad ones. They weren't much better. I will do my best to send the nicest ones we have.
4. The clock may not keep proper time. This was a rare problem, but it did happen occasionally. This is where using parts from 2 clocks to make one will be necessary. Advice: It's not hard to take them apart/reassemble - you'll figure it out.
5. The swinging part doesn't swing. Nearly every clock that was returned because of this problem worked fine for us. Making sure it's hung at the correct angle and that the battery is oriented correctly seems to do the trick.
So - if you're still reading by now, you may be wondering if this might be a clever marketing ploy to pawn off junk and still make a buck. It might appear to be the case, but it really is Gina at the end of her patience. Even at these "disposal" prices, I will have to buy a specific carton to ship the clock pairs in. That's not a bad price for a big box - except the freight to get the empty boxes to our warehouse adds another $.59 to the price of each box. These will weigh about 5# once all packed up - so even charging $8.95 for shipping it's a losing endeavor for shipments outside of the Midwest. I really hate wasting something that could be made to work with just a little tinkering by someone who's mechanically inclined.
Supplies are limited (thank goodness) so act fast to get your pair of non-working clocks! Remember - NO RETURNS on these. To order click here.
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Healing Shine - A Spiritual Assignment...
| This is still one of my very favorite books.
|  Oklahoma Cowboy Michael Johnson shares a great deal of the inner dialogue that he has with himself surrounding his struggle with the "flighty, spooky, special needs, mentally challenged" horse - Shine. The reader finds himself alternately laughing out loud, and shedding a tear as we realize that Michael's words of frustration and anguish are a lot like our own. Here's an edited excerpt from chapter seven:
"Long solitary conversations in the barn were the norm for me in those days, sometimes with the dog - but mostly with my self. I considered options, weighed angles, and most of all, wrestled with that internal voice we find inside us all; the one when someone else asks about, we deny knowing. "What?" we say. "No, I don't talk to myself; that's what crazy people do." I admit to hearing mine, and also that not only did I hear it in that barn, but we argued constantly. Then, to my surprise, I found someone - or something else - in there. I talked to myself all right, but at some point, somebody else butted in. Something - something more than me - started talking too. And by the way, what is that "thing?" That internal voice we all share our innermost thoughts with, that sparring partner we tell things we tell no other.
Who is that?
Is that our "self" or is it the Spirit? Is that Jesus, and does he know where Idabel Oklahoma is? Is that voice the "Comforter" He promised to send? Be it guardian angel or deceased ancestor looking down on us from above, I have no idea - not a clue.
Not only was the voice interested in Shine, it was the only one - considering the number of friends I had alienated - as interested in the topic as me. Indeed, it seemed to want to talk about Shine more than I did. Not just idle chatter, either - this thing had ideas, suggestions, and thoughts I simply could not have generated on my own. And the voice even claimed to have the answer. And the answer was...
"You do it!"
"Best way is - you do it!"
...whatever had lit on the shoulder of my mind just didn't understand. The reason I was in this fix with this horse was due to my lack of knowledge. So why on earth did the answer keep coming to me that somehow the solution was in me? That was impossible."
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"You are like all the rest. You pray for great horse. You say, 'Oh, please give me great horse.' Get one, and what do you do? You say, 'Oh, he's crazy, I can't handle him, I need help, send him to someone else.' HEY! Are you listening? We didn't send him to someone else! We sent him to you!"
On the other hand, Michael received plenty of advice from EXTERNAL voices, too.
"Wet saddle blankets are all he needs." "Guarantee you a good ten-mile lope everyday for a week would solve most of your problems." "Hell, just rope on him. All that psychology stuff is messing up your brain. Just rope on him." "Why don't you find a horse that has some sense and will just let you rope and enjoy yourself?"
Click here to order Healing Shine - and read (or listen to) what happens next.
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Recap from the last newsletter - here's what we talked about last time
| in the November 27th Issue - Crappy Christmas gift ideas & Thanksgiving story
|  I never shared the rest of the Camelot Thanksgiving story - it's here.
NEW Music CD from Mary Ann Kennedy here
Embroidered ear warmer headband here
Customer favorite books here
Prayer at Valley Forge Framed Print here
Turd Sign and other Horse Manure Products here
Gina clarifies her positive training advice here
Snuggly Thermal Sherpa Lined hood is a favorite here
More about our research & development department here
Free excerpt - Sometimes a Woman Needs a Horse here
GOOD STUFF: Things aren't always what they appear here
NEW BOOKS- Good Ol' Cowgirl stories here
A Look at Life From the Saddle 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! |  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 comes from HoofPrints Newsletter subscriber Jack Ely
Jack is a trainer from Terrebonne, OR He reminds us that "rewarding the try" goes both ways: "We win some and lose some, but the try to get to the loving side is worth the ride. I always remember what Tom Dorrance said about rewarding the try. I later found out that it works both ways. Horses will reward our try, too if they think they have been given enough room. Horses are the most forgiving creatures I have ever encountered. Much more so than people. They also seem to have the ability to sort through their friends' past mistakes and usually, but not always, gently remind us when we are making the same mistake again. I say usually, because they can also become annoyed if we keep making the same mistake over and over and eventually will let us know in whatever form they think will get our attention."
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Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner
Contact Information
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| GOOD STUFF! | | Links to things we like, things that make us smile, things we want to share... |  Here's one that's been around for a while. A picture from space titled "The Eye of God". According to TruthorFiction.com this is an actual photograph of the Helix Nebula. Snopes.com goes into greater detail, and we discover that the color was added later and is not how the original image looked (it is actually a composite created from multiple sources)
Here's another "discovery" that I found: Abraq ad habra
It means "I will create as I speak" in Aramaic.
Say it out loud, quickly, a time or two. And it becomes "abracadabra". Here is an article from prayergear.com
I think Sandra Ingerman says it best here
"Your words, like thoughts and emotions, have the power to change your experience and the world we live in. This applies to both the words we say out loud to others as well as self-talk. If you tell yourself that you're not a good person, you begin to manifest this reality. Fill your mind with positive words and this is how your life will unfold. "Abraq ad habra" is Aramaic and means "I will create as I speak". We said this phrase many times as children as "abracadabra" without knowing what we were really saying." |
Share our emails
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Viral marketing... it sounds bad, doesn't it?
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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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