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HoofPrints Newsletter
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May 22, 2013
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ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THIS NEWSLETTERFarriers Greeting Cards was started by Gina Keesling in 1986 (in a very small way) to provide helpful promotional materials for farrier husband Rob. Along the way we became HoofPrints.com, too, adding a selection of fun horse and dog products geared toward women of a certain age. 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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Positive training advice - I felt compelled to clarify...
Last time, I shared some info about how I solved a couple real problems with my own horses.
In reviewing this particular newsletter after I had sent it, I realized that it could be construed by folks reading that I may really be lacking in the horse management skills department, especially if 2 of the 3 horses I currently own (and have owned for years) had issues just coming out of their stalls! Who would be impressed by the fact that I solved these problems using treats? Hmmm.
So I went digging for proof that I wasn't a total incompetent, and got a chuckle out of what I found. Here are a few shots of me and one season's winnings. I won't say how long ago these were taken, but I will say that I was very proud of my Dorothy Hamill haircut, which was all the rage in those days.
I could (and would) ride any horse without an ounce of fear. And well enough, apparently, that judges saw fit to give me ribbons. Other than the occasional clinic or lesson, I trained all my horses myself. Including my first registered Arabian (which was a very big deal in those days). As a kid in school, the only way I could afford such an "expensive" breed (my, how times have changed) was to buy an untouched 3-year-old stallion who was still running with his dam in a pasture. My vet (also an Arabian breeder) found him for me - wrestled him into a trailer, gelded him, and delivered him to me - with literally just a day or two of handling. We went on to survive that, and he and I won most of the awards you see in these pictures in a variety of disciplines. These days, things are a whole lot different. I could care less about a ribbon. I want my horses to be happy, and to enjoy interacting with me. Gone are the days where I justified meaningless drilling to attain a particular look - even if my horse hated it - because they lived a cushy life otherwise, and "owed" me their best efforts as repayment.
Once I made the decision to take the tools of pressure, coercion and punishment out of my toolbox (metaphorically speaking) I was left with a feeling of being clueless, lost, and often fearful. My horses realized it and worried about who was in charge. To say that things did not go smoothly early in this endeavor would be a huge understatement, and there were many times that I was very close to deciding I was too old and wimpy to even own horses. It's been an interesting journey, to say the least.
So, it's from this perspective that I offer up discussion of what I've discovered. And I have my horses to thank - all those years ago for humoring me when I wasn't very nice to them - and now, for responding in ways I didn't know were possible AND for insisting that I stay this new course. There's a little more about my start on this journey here, more of my favorite books on the topic here, and the positive training items specifically are here.
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HEALING SHINE - A Spiritual Assignment This is still one of my very favorite books. In it 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." ..."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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Living A Dream With Horses... I Make Horse Calls Interesting characters, both human and equine, enrich the lives of veterinarians every day. I Make Horse Calls and More Horse Calls are collections of true heartwarming, not heartbreaking, stories from equine veterinary practice. From the rare diseases that pose diagnostic challenges, to the exhilaration of saving lives and the joy of life itself, these true, uplifting stories allow the reader a personal glimpse into the world of veterinary practice. I Make Horse Calls and More Horse Calls define the importance of teamwork between owner and veterinarian in order to save the lives of animals, while exposing the depth of the human-animal bond. These humorous and poignant stories entertain readers with a wide array of equine and human characters and along the way deliver small doses of education about horse care. They illustrate the dedication of veterinarians and the important role owners play in the health care team that maintains their horses' good health. You'll enjoy following the author on her challenging journey from show horse groom, through pre-vet classes through veterinary school and into practice. Gina's note: These stories aren't all about the author curing animals. One in particular stands out in my mind, where the author's own dog Pischka was sick and no vet could diagnose: "She acted like a horse with colic, sitting with her head held low, her nose hovering just above her toes, refusing to eat. I took her to my regular vet seeking help.
He diagnosed an upset stomach from eating garbage. I knew he was wrong because Pischka didn't have access to garbage. He insisted. I followed his advice, giving her mineral oil for an upset stomach, the same treatment horse vets use for colic, but I know she got better on her own.
When the problem recurred, I took Pischka to a different clinic. The vet again diagnosed "garbage can gut". When I described her symptoms, he told me dogs don't get those kind of symptoms. He implied that I was crazy, because dogs don't get colic. And he recommended mineral oil.
When the problem occurred the next time, I tried a third vet, who said Pischka wasn't sick. I was frustrated that none of the vets tried to figure it out. The problem recurred several times a year, but she remained undiagnosed until I became a vet student. The next time she was sick I took her to the teaching hospital. A senior vet student, in less than five minutes, using only her hands, diagnosed a rare liver condition based on the size of her liver. She just did a thorough physical exam, including palpating her abdomen, and lab tests later confirmed her diagnosis."
.... the book goes on to describe the condition in detail ... the author continues:
"I was so grateful for the care the gentle senior student took with Pischka that day. ... I will not forget the thoroughness of that student, and would emulate her when I entered practice. I would never dismiss an owner's complaint, because I remember how I felt when vets dismissed Pischka's illness, never trying to find out what made Pischka so sick."
To order Horse Calls & More Horse calls click here
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INSPIRATIONAL
STRETCH BRACELETS
These comfortable stretchy elastic bands feature a two sided message plaque with horse charm. One size fits most - band is about 7" unstretched.
Folks love the fun messages that these feature:
"I'm Still Hot - It Just Comes In Flashes Now"
"Life is Tough - But I Am Tougher"
"The Biggest Risk In Life - Is the One You Don't Take"
"Count Your Blessings - Not Your Troubles"
They're inexpensive, lightweight and fun. They come nicely packaged on flat cards, so could be mailed (also inexpensively) as a thoughtful gift along with a card.
These are only $9.95 each and there's even a special deal going:
BUY 3 - GET THE 4TH FREE!
To order click here.
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Revisiting a favorite - Cowboy & Cowgirl Pocket Partners These make great companions to our Horse Lovers BibleSaddle-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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Great Horses Live Again verse here
Vests are best here
Positive Training Products here
Horse Savvy Planners HALF PRICE here
Books to help riders manage fear here
Framed Stamp Prints on sale here
Lorenzo Horse Training Book here
Good selection Farrier Textbooks here
Horsewoman's Hair Control hereHorsewoman's Balm saves hands hereRevisiting a favorite: The Horse Boy book herePAST NEWSLETTERS - see what you missed!
To catch up on the news, click here
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Leather Treat Pouch
Perfect for your phone, keys, horse treats, and more (one HoofPrints customer tells us she uses her's to carry her .38 on late night trips to the barn! Whatever the use, it's a great deal at only $19.95! Order here
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WHAT'S NEW?
Hold Your Horses T
See our T-shirt selection here! |
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BELOW HALF PRICE!
"Hug" clay plaque Regular price $14.50 now only $4.99 here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
Wood Blacksmith Sign
See this and all our signs here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
Breyer Pink Stablemate
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WHAT'S NEW
SALE on Summer T's
Cool Summer weight Horsey T-shirts less than $14 each here! |
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LONG TALL LIST
~ for Horsewomen ~
Horsewoman's Long Tall List of Things to Do here
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WHAT'S ON SALE?
Horse & Buggy Days
Framed Blacksmith print by Paul Detlefsen here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
Horse Coaster Set
Wood Framed Ceramic Horse Sense Coasters here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
A Dog's Journey
Sequel to best-seller A Dog's Purpose here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
Spiritual Book
Desiderata for Horse Lovers makes a great gift! order here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
~ Christian Book ~
The Invisible Woman - When Only God Sees here |
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HALF PRICE!
Underwater Dogs
While supplies last - 2013 calendars here |
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BOOKMARKS
~ 50% OFF! ~
A Rider's Prayer, A Dog Lover's Prayer & Use Your Talents Bookmarks just 99� here |
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Message
We LOVE hearing from our customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling via email at gina@hoofprints.com |
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Find us on facebook
Be sure to LIKE our facebook page - it's where we announce special sales, breaking news and everything else we find interesting. To see it go here |
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Share our emails
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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)
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