HoofPrints Newsletter February 5, 2012 FARRIERS Issue
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Heavy Stainless Horse Hoof Openers
| These are unique items that we've never talked about!
| These elegant stainless steel openers are a great gift for any time. Sleekly fashioned like a horse's cannon bone, fetlock, pastern and hoof, they're surprisingly heavy. The letter opener is 10" long, bottle opener is 5" long.
Horse owners: Appreciate the time your farrier took with your difficult youngster? Or the fact that he dropped everything and came out quickly to tend to a lameness case? Buy him a 6-pack of his favorite brew, and dress it up with this Hoof Bottle Opener, tied on with a bit of twine!
The Hoof Letter Opener is a great go-with for our Business Forms. Another thoughtful gift would be a handful of Note Pads, Invoice Pads, and Doorhanger Envelopes, paired with a Hoof Letter Opener to streamline business correspondence.
To see the openers, along with other clever farrier gifts, click here.
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Brand new book! Care & Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot
| by Pete Ramey - read his take on barefoot vs. shoes and more
| What does it take to grow the very best hooves an individual horse can possibly grow? Is it some magical trim, a supplement, or some newfangled shoeing package? The answers are much farther-reaching and involve every aspect of the horse's life. Can laminitis and caudal foot pain be cured? Prevented? Can a carefully cultivated hoof form and internal foot development protect the horse from injury throughout the body?
Hoof Rehabilitation Specialist Pete Ramey has teamed up with contributing authors Robert M. Bowker, VMD, PhD, Hilary M. Clayton, BVMS, PhD, DACVSMR,MRCVS, Brian Hampson, PhD, Eleanor Kellon, VMD, Kerry Ridgway, DVM, Debra Taylor, DVM, MS, DACVIM, Kathryn Watts, BS. Together they have detailed countless aspects of the veterinary care, hoof maintenance, internal development, nutrition, biomechanics, property management, and husbandry needed to optimize the equine foot and to treat many of the problems common to horses everywhere. You can see the Table of Contents here, and a whole bunch of photos from the book here.
Gina's note: Pete Ramey is well known for his advocacy of barefoot hooves, however, this book is not just about that philosophy of hoof care. Consider this quote from the introduction: "None of the information here is absolute. None of it is 'all or nothing.' As with the whole Bare vs. Shod Debate, the most logical person will usually find a middle ground somewhere between the extremes."
To order this new, profusely illustrated hardcover book, click here.
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Something I said we'd never do...
| ...print more than one catalog per year
| Technically it's not all new, but the first 6 pages, formerly occupied by Christmas cards, has been replaced by some new products, along with a bit of editorial about some of our favorite existing products.
We've used some of our favorite elements from Sarah K. Andrew's Horses & Hope Calendar to spice things up, across the bottom of the first 7 pages is a funny horse interaction photo, along with some inspirational dialogue about how one person can make a difference in their own special way. You can see those pictures in our Facebook album here.
You can download a pdf copy (44 MB) of the HoofPrints Spring Edition Catalog right now by clicking here.
If you prefer a paper copy in the mail, you can submit your info here.
Or, if you place an order, we will include a copy in with the shipment, along with a free surprise gift.
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FARRIERS: Folks are WATCHING you!!!
| Sorry to creep you out, but it's true.
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With all the hubbub these days about privacy, huge measures are being taken to manage what various business entities are allowed to do with a person's personal information. As a marketer who uses this information to help make decisions about products & promotions, it is very valuable to me in terms of being profitable to be able to accurately target folks who are likely to be interested in what we have to offer.
But there's a whole 'nother privacy thing that can come under the microscope when you work for the public. Like a farrier does. Every day, all across the world farriers make appearances at various folks' farms to do their work. And they're being observed. And sometimes (probably most times) those folks form an opinion about what they see. If it's interesting enough, they tell their friends. With the advent of the internet, they can tell a LOT of friends.
Consider A Farrier Tale from Horse & Man blog. This blogger tells an interesting account of a routine farrier visit - doesn't much mention the actual work being done - (are they being shod? barefoot? does everybody stand well? etc - typical stuff that farriers would think focus would be on) Instead, she describes her farriers' wardrobe, his grooming, even the behavior of his kids. How well he parks his truck. She becomes aware that the working conditions she's provided for him are less than stellar. It's a fascinating chronicle of how someone else views an ordinary interaction - you can read the rest here
Farriers are being talked about on another online group I belong to - this is a very technical group that discusses (often in detail way over my head) things like operant conditioning, bridge & target training, perception modification, and more. These are highly educated folks who are on the cutting edge of animal training research. I hang out there and read all this stuff that's light years ahead of my own skills - hoping a particle or two will rub off on me? There's one gal who's blind - she writes fascinating posts about her relationship with her service dog. Amazing stuff. Another gal works with troubled horses. She's rehabbed a number of "hopeless" cases. Including a mustang who'd been so traumatized by someone's effort to do "natural horsemanship" on him that he was afraid of even the water in his bucket. The discussion has recently shifted to hoof care. This gal shared her story - she'd spent eons of time getting this horse comfortable enough that she could even touch his feet. Finally she can pick them up and hold for a short time. She arranges for her farrier to come and give it a try. They discuss beforehand - he (the farrier) will do as much as he can on one foot, and they will consider the session a success and quit for the day. The farrier comes. The horse allows him to trim without much trouble. Farrier thinks he can do more. Against her better judgement, owner allows him to try. This is too much for the horse and he "misbehaves". Farrier HITS HIM with the rasp. Ugh. Of course, this negates months of work that's been done to gain this horse's trust. Fortunately for the farrier, the owner did not share his name. That wasn't really the point of her post - to trash the farrier - but to emphasize how very important it is that farrier interactions go successfully for a previously-traumatized horse in "recovery".
There's even a Facebook Group dedicated exclusively to Farriers Butts! There are almost 5,000 members - all posting photos of their farriers butts. Of course I had to get in on the action. Shown above is my husband Rob trimming Billy, while Lucy looks cleans up. Rob stopped shoeing years ago because of a back injury, but he still trims ours. We've found that the HoofJack really helps with working on Billy's hind feet. His hocks and hips are arthritic and he is very heavy to hold up. This device lets him lean all he wants without strain of the farriers' back.
So, farriers, remember that folks are watching everything you do. Maybe even taking pictures. Make sure the fodder that they have to share is something you're proud of!
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MORE New Farriers Business Cards added to the online directory
| I belong to several online horse groups, and nearly every day someone is
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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.
Alaska - Joshua Morris
Alabama - Barry Faulk, Tim Smallwood
Arizona - Hal Coker, Jose Reyes California - Mark Scragg, Charlie Park, Tom McLemore, Cody Haage, John Griffin, Jim Goede, Gillen Equine Veterinary Clinic, Sam Fabila, Denver Dover, Jon Anderson, Johnny Alvey Canada - Britt McDougall, Andrew Carruthers Colorado - Steve Schneiderman, Erin Schenck, Jason Perez Delaware - Joe Cratty Florida - Chris Grimes, John Greene, Richard Dunivant, Justin Dean, Earl "Tony" Avenetti Jr Georgia - Peter Reynolds, Tom W. Hix, William Heape Iowa - Jeff Smuck, Clayton Sheeder, Randy Hensley, Simon & Kathy Bontrager Indiana - Dan Helton Ireland - John A. Boyne Kansas - Stan Adkins Kentucky - Beth Lanman Louisiana - Richard Muller Maryland - Robert Stover Maine - Micah J. Young, Susan Walker Michigan - Fred Jager Minnesota - Roy Williams Missouri - Dave Priest Mississippi - Eric Burgess Montana - Hank Bevan North Carolina - Branden Maready, Matt Kelly New Jersey - Tony Puentes New Mexico - Sam Gerard New York - Dave Giesler, Patrick T. Fargnoli New Zealand - Rodney King Ohio - Alan Weilnau, Cole LoGuidice, J.T. Holub, Tom Higgins, Ted Boston, Justin Berthold Oregon - Randy Grant, Patsy Bingham Pennsylvania - Raymond Stoltzfus, Allen Cox South Carolina - Brian Simmons Tennessee - Henry Smith, Donny Phillips, Andy Blevins Texas - Billy Wilson, Terry Whitman, Chris Oglesbee, Brian L. Morris, Cody Havemann, Nick Hannan, Michael Green, Nathan Gary Utah - Max Harris Virginia - Adam White, J.C. Pope, Seth Phillips, Ryan Hoffman, Sam Clifton, Kevin Burcher Vermont - Joe O'Leary Washington - Sean Charles
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.
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FARRIERS: Consider adding magnetic business card calendars
| to your promotional efforts. These little dudes pack a lot of punch...
| when you consider that they're going to be looked at, along with your business card, for the REST OF THE YEAR! Each month sports different "Things not to say to a hot, tired farrier" - sure to get a chuckle, and maybe help your working conditions.
Something else that we've NEVER PROMOTED (duh!) is the fact that the magnetic part on the top (see top left of the picture here) has a center portion that can be punched out - to create a SECOND MAGNET that will hold a business card by itself. So, you get the calender with the magnet on top for your business card, and a second piece of magnetic material for another business card. To see these, and the rest of our calendars, click here.
Gina's note about ordering cards:
I get orders from customers all the time - who've needed to get new business cards for a while - and have put off ordering because they are struggling to decide on the exact wording they want to use. I have done thousands of card layouts. If you're unsure of exactly what you're wanting, I WILL HELP YOU get it just right. Tell me approximately what you're wanting to convey and I will make up a good example for you to look at. If it's not quite right, we will revise until it is. There is no charge for revisions, and the vast majority of the layouts I do are approved on the first attempt.
I've even written a 6 page, profusely illustrated instructional article on how to create the perfect business card. To download that (it's a PDF), click here.
Business card orders also include a FREE listing in our online farrier directory. ***NOTE TO PAST CUSTOMERS*** our online farrier directory has grown so large that we had to remove listings that were not current. Listings are good for 2 years.
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Recap - From the last newsletter...
| Here's what we talked about last time:
| Horsey Scrapbook ideas here - Horses and Hope Calendar pages make great scrapbook page backgrounds (see example above) calendar is here - Beautiful Jim Key book here PAST NEWSLETTERS - See what you missed! Click HERE to catch up on the news.
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sMore about HoofPrints | Be sure to check out the "GOOD STUFF" links at the bottom of this section | ABOUT 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 author Pete Ramey:
The way I look at it, "If you learn to do it my way and your way; you'll be smarter than both of us." And if you study this book with that attitude, I can promise it will help the horses in your care.
from his new book Care and Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot
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Thanks everyone, for reading! Gina Keesling, owner
Contact Information
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BAD STUFF: Copyright infringement - Gina rants again
| It all started with an offhand comment that I made...
| I am a huge fan of photographer Sarah Andrew, and there was a comment made on one of her photographs about the huge copyright notice plastered across the image. Folks said that it would be so much nicer if that wasn't there to distract from the image. Others chimed in - implying that photographers and artists who use those huge copyrights on their work are a bit pompous / too proud of themselves. I was immediately horrified for Sarah, as I know the real reason that's there. To keep people from using her images without paying her and/or giving proper credit.
So I fired off a retort in her defense. I said that I make part of my living designing and selling custom business cards for the farrier industry. And that frustratingly, I could go into any Tractor Supply in the country, check out the bulletin board (usually back by the restroom) and find at least one farrier's business card sporting one of my logos - that was NOT purchased from me. Grrrr. Of course, any Tractor Supply in the country was a sweeping generalization. But it was based on my experience - and nearly every farm/ag store that I've been in indeed does have cards with pirated logos tacked on the board.
After that - I got to thinking... "I wonder how much that really adds up to?" (and now I wish I hadn't) I discovered that Tractor Supply has 1,000 stores in 38 states - source here. Our minimum order of business cards is $100. (for 500 cards) so if you do that math it comes out to $100,000.00!!! OMG, how I wouldn't love to add a hundred thousand dollars to our bottom line each year. Isn't that amazing? I knew this was a problem, but I never sat down and added it up before.
Now, doing what I do, I know how easy it is to snag an image off the web, paste it into a Word document, stick a fancy background behind it and add the type of your choice. That's exactly what someone has done in the picture above. (This card came from a Dollar General Store bulletin board, of all places...) A person can buy pre-perforated business card stock at the office store and print all the cards you want on an inexpensive home printer. Voila - nearly-free business cards! But most of the time they look exactly like the amateur job that they are. Those pre-perfed cards have a tiny ragged edge that you can spot a mile away. The marble background on the above art might have seemed like a good idea, but it forced the logo so small that the wording around the tools is nearly impossible to read.
Does the person who created this know that 6 point type is a no-no? Probably not. Did they place correct emphasis on the farrier's name and phone number by judicious use of bold and italic fonts? No, they did not. I spent 4 years in college learning stuff like that, and then another 25+ years on the job practicing that knowledge.
Did the person who made the above card carefully craft that logo using the actual tools as reference? By balancing the arrangement and colors so that it all flowed together nicely? They did not. I did. This is our Tools of the Trade logo; we sell it embroidered on garments too, here.
Did this person spend $699. for Adobe Photoshop - so they could include subtle shadows around the logo and type so that appropriate emphasis can be made without looking tacky? Obviously not.
$100. can seem like a lot to spend for a box of business cards (that's our price). It's no secret that there are places out there that are cheaper. But when you order from us, you are also getting my experience as a professional designer and a farrier's wife. I fix typos, I change / rearrange wording so it sounds better and looks more professional. Those cheap places won't fix a mis-spelling of "therapeutic". They don't know the names of the farrier associations and schools - so they won't abbreviate them correctly if needed. They won't make suggestions on how your card can best sell your unique skills/expertise. They can't because they don't have the experience with the farrier industry. OK. Rant over. (almost)
What I'd like for you all to do, the next time you're in a farm/tack store check out the bulletin board and see if there are any farrier business cards that look like these , but not quite. Grab one and drop it in an envelope to: HoofPrints Business Card Rant 13849 N 200 E Alexandria, IN 46001
I will send you a little gift for your trouble. And don't worry, I'm not planning an attack on the infringers to get my $100,000. I'd just like to send these folks a copy of our catalog and let them know that next time they need cards they can leave the design work to me.
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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 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) |
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