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HoofPrints Newsletter
January 26, 2012 Issue
Heavenly Horse Sense - A NEW compilation of Christian Horse Stories   
Favorite author Rebecca Ondov pens sequel to Horse Tales from Heaven  
Ondov Book Set Heavenly Horse Sense is a sequel of spiritual western horse stories by author Rebecca Ondov. Rebecca's first book Horse Tales From Heaven is a tough act to follow - who know one person's life as a wilderness pack horse guide could hold so much adventure? And some of it not so safe... Fortunately, she's got her faith to guide her - and luckily for us, she's chronicled her stories in these two volumes so we can learn and be inspired, too. Heavenly Horse Sense is all new stories - we even offer them as a set so you can read them all and SAVE -with the customer appreciation, discount these books are under $10. each! (Don't forget the code at checkout = TY20 to get the discount.)


We have some sample chapters to download, and you can order the books here.

Gina's note: Rebecca's books are divided into chapters (Horse Tales is 54, Horse Sense is 50), each is a short (adventure) story with a Biblical lesson tied in. Some are humorous, others serious; you can pick this up and start reading from anywhere, and enjoy what you read.
20% OFF Customer Appreciation Sale Continues...
YOU ASKED FOR IT ...finally - a COUPON CODE for you to use!
Thanks banner 2012 All year we field calls and emails from customers asking how they can get a COUPON CODE that is requested online for special discounts/sales. The truth is, we don't do that very often. We pretty much need to sell our items for full price in order to maintain our business. Click here to download a short, but very enlightening article about how consumer-driven discounting ultimately has become a vicious cycle that's undermined the stability of our economy, and has cost more than anyone could have ever imagined. Then, before you order, view this coupon code NOT AS A DISCOUNT, but as a GIFT OF APPRECIATION from us to you.

With that said, in celebration of the successful completion of yet another year - we are offering this gift to all of you who've supported us along the way. Click here to get started. Remember, you need to enter the coupon code TY20 in the special box at checkout time in order to get the discount. The coupon code also works on our CLOSEOUT ITEMS and HALF PRICE ITEMS - so you get even more savings on those already marked-down products!  The fine print: Offer ends 1/31/12, and canNOT be used on previously placed orders.

Shown here is our Framed Mule Print titled Stop for a Fix. This lovely picture by Larry Schultz depicts a farrier and mule who are NOT at odds - each a servant carrying a "load". We've paired it with the phrase "You can tell a lot about a man by whether he asks for a light load or a strong back." , double matted it, and framed it with horseshoe (mule shoe) frame stock. You can also add your own custom wording at no extra charge. Click here for details.
Silver Prices keep going up, and up
what at first was a real hassle, now is turning out to be a good thing!
Deerskin Heart Necklace 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 JUST $24.95 - with the discount it's UNDER $20!, (don't forget to enter TY20 at checkout to get this price). 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.

Equestrian Hymn for My Beloved
A great Valentine's Day gift idea - or just a great idea...
Equestrian Hymn Book This sweet little book is published in Germany, but distributed by one of our current book suppliers. So I made a spot for it in the catalog, and wrote a lovely, compelling description to tell you all about it. When our order for inventory didn't come, I got a little worried - as I didn't want to be selling something in a new catalog that I didn't have on the shelf to ship. After multiple delays, I gave up and scrapped the whole idea. Nearly a YEAR later - our order showed up.

The brief pages of Equestrian Hymn for my Beloved were likely never meant to be published, but were indeed an equestrian guideline for the author's loved one. Nonetheless, in 1928 Binding received a silver medal at the Olympic Games for this book, when still performance in art was honoured. The book is filled with wisdom, sensitivity and passion for all that is beautiful and worthy in horsemanship. Imagine reading letters written by a master horseman - to his true love - filled with love, affection, and wisdom about all aspects of horsemanship. This is better than any romance novel - at least to a horsewoman! From page 24:

"Be on guard: your horse reads you and your most secret thoughts. If you are not intent in reigning over him, he will not obey you; if it is not your will to be stronger, the extraordinary power of the best will defy you. Your call, your click of the tongue, your spurs, your whip shall not belie you; you wanted this or that, but you only wanted it halfway.

Your horse will punish you for lying.
If you do not trust him, he will not trust you;
if you waver, he will go his own way.
If you panic, he will panic;
but he will be filled with courage and good spirit
if you are courageous and in good spirit.
If you are unsteady, he will be unsteady.
If your will is not set on perpetual forward motion,
he will slow down and eventually stand still.
If you are without vigor, he will be without impulsion;
if you wish to fly, he will fly,
his feet will hardly seem to touch the ground."

To order Equestrian Hymn for my Beloved, click here
Recap - From the last newsletter...
Here's what we talked about last time:
Horsewoman's Balm Horse Woman's Balm a top pick for dry skin issues here
American West Purses best way to use 20% discount here
Comments on Favorite Positive Training Products here
Come Join the fun with us on Facebook here
I'm Listening With A Broken Ear inspirational book here 
Smart Woman's Guide to Midlife Horses here  
Tails of a Horseshoer hilarious book by Ray Legel here 
Top Five HoofPrints Customer Favorites here
Cavalia DVDs & books here
I Only Clean Up After My Horse Sweatshirt here
PAST NEWSLETTERS - See what you missed! Click HERE to catch up on the news.
More about HoofPrints 
Be sure to check out the "GOOD STUFF" links at the bottom of this section 
Rob shoeing RockyABOUT THE COMPANY
Farriers Greeting Cards was started by Gina Keesling in 1986 (in a very small way) to provide helpful promotional materials for her farrier husband Rob.

 ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
It's written by Gina Keesling, and 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 maybe some personal stuff. Let me know if you like it, and if you don't. We aim to please.

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This week's quote is by Rebecca Ondov, from her book Horse Tales from Heaven:

Excerpt from Chapter 28 "Frozen Long Johns"

     "Snow squeaked with each footstep. From the way it sounded, the temperature had dropped below zero already. Untying my tent door flap, I remembered my long johns. I walked behind the tent. The glow of the lantern illuminated a sheet of ice on the clothesline. My jaw dropped. They were frozen - spread eagle. I tried pinching the clothespins open, bu they were frozen solid. If I had a decent tent I would be out here freezing, trying to get this off that line, I murmured. I tried using both hands to pinch the clothespins open, but it was like they were super-glued. Setting the lantern in the snow, I grabbed the long johns by the ankles and jerked. Whop! They came loose from the clothesline and fell like a chunk of lead into the snow.

     Steam rose from my breath as I picked up the lantern with my left hand. Reaching down with my right, I picked up the board-like long johns. Carrying them by the top, I walked to the tent and pushed that itty-bitty tent flap open a crack. Waves of heat rolled off the lantern. Holding it so that it wouldn't burn a hole in the tent, I held the long johns in my right hand and tried to manipulate them through the door... but the outstretched legs were wider than the tent flap. I tried using my knee to poke the legs through that small hole. I got one leg in. The other leg caught on the tent frame. This is ridiculous!

     I backed out of the tent and turned the long johns sideways, carrying them like a suitcase. This time one leg hung up on my duffel bag and I tripped. I hope nobody's watching me dance with frozen underwear! Suddenly I broke out laughing. I'm dancing with long johns because they are stiff. They're not flexible at all. Not flexible... Something reverberated in my mind. Hmmm... the long johns were exactly like my frozen attitude about this tent. My attitude was making my life miserable, not Jack for choosing this tent."

You can order the book and read the rest of this story, along with 53 others, here.
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Thanks everyone, for reading!
Gina Keesling, owner 

 Contact Information

GOOD STUFF - More blogs
I've talked about blogs before... and here are some more that I've discovered
Sneaky Hate Spiral cartoon Wouldn't it be nice if you could choose the news that comes to you? Personally, I am weary of hearing about all the woes in the world today. Most of which I have no control over. All it does is make me feel bad. So, instead I have a handful of blogs that I read every few days. These bloggers are my chosen "reporters" and I appreciate their insight, wit, and passion. And it's not all "happy stuff" that lets  me wallow in denial that all is well in the world. But at least it lets me see that one person can make a difference, whether it be sharing news, teaching, or just making us laugh - for example:
Shown above is the first cartoon from Allie Brosh's "Sneaky Hate Spiral" blog entry. It's the funniest real-life account of grouchiness that I have ever read. Her cartoons are brilliant. And in case the song lyrics in the picture are not familiar to you... click here. There. Now that will be in your head all day.

Here's another new one that I love:
The Pioneer Woman - Plowing through life in the country...One calf nut at a time.

Here's another horsey one: Horse & Man - this entry is titled Rearing, Bucking, Pawing... all that bad stuff can make a great Trick Horse!

Get the kleenexes first, then click here and watch the video. I hate those Humane Society tv commercials, and change the channel whenever they come on - a lot of HSUS funds raised goes to pay for more tv commercials - to actually help animals, not so much. But this outfit is the real deal. And they're not begging for money, either, they're just showing what they do, in a very poignant way. And this one has a very happy ending.

Need to lighten up AND get your sugar fix at the same time? The CakeWrecks Blog takes a hilarious look at confections gone wrong.

Check out all the weird stuff on Oddee.com - I love the way they've got it categorized. (Warning - some of this stuff you may wish  you'd never seen... but still worth it because there's so much good.) As you wade through pictures of bad tattoos, and rock formations that look like human body parts - you also get to see 8 of the World's Most Inspirational People. Such as Nick Vujicic - he came to my teenage son's school here in Alexandria, Indiana and spoke a few years ago - what an amazing young man...


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 the Forward email link below to get started. (please note - using this form does NOT subscribe anyone to our list - it is a one-time only forward)