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HoofPrints Newsletter
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July 19, 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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Things not to say to a hot, tired farrier - ABOUT MONEY!
We've gotten a lot of mileage out of this series - We've filled 4 t-shirts and a mug with Things not to say to a hot, tired farrier; it never fails to get a chuckle. Farriers all over have heard these (or variations thereof) on a daily basis for most of their careers. Farriers have told me that wearing our shirts on the job has actually helped improve the behavior of some of their inconsiderate clients.
Shown here are 13 that I hand-picked concerning the subject of money. The illustration is by Lesley Bruce and the poor farrier certainly looks hot and tired as he struggles to hold up the leaning horse with the owner asleep at the lead. We mailed postcard magnets printed with this art as a promotional effort last year, and since then have been inundated with requests to purchase them. I had some more printed and they are only $1.00 for 4 - order here. There is a special perspective that comes with being self-employed (especially if that employment involves back-breaking labor) A great sense of humor is one of them. Another is the wisdom and wherewithal to interact pleasantly with others on a personal and professional level, no matter what's going on reciprocally. While we all know of cranky farriers who've got a chip on their shoulder from hearing all the annoying owner comments, most of you have a level of maturity that lets you focus your efforts on doing the job at hand, rather than continually chafing at others' rude behavior.
And that's pretty cool.
Here at HoofPrints, I use an outside Call Center to answer our phones when I am of the office. This has proven to be much better than an answering machine as the call center staff can take orders, relay messages and answer questions for callers after hours. Often, though, the calls they get are from folks who've come home at the end of a day to the unhappy situation of a damaged package or incorrect shipment - and they need to talk to someone about rectifying the problem. Call Center Plus is a fairly large company, and the owner has told me on more than one occasion that OUR CUSTOMERS (that's you all) are BY FAR the best to deal with of any of the companies they answer phones for. Bar none. We already knew that - but it's nice to be reminded - and I wanted to pass along the compliment. Thanks for being great customers!
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Faraway Horses Book shares details about BUCK film's Buck Brannaman
The Faraway Horses is Buck Brannaman's fascinating and poignant account of his life from an abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life "horse-whisperer", Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses - and people - with his understanding, compassion, and respect.
Nearly every week of the year, Buck Brannaman is on the road, conducting horsemanship clinics in which he teaches horse owners how to better understand and work with their animals, creating a relationship based on trust and respect rather than force. Buck's skills have become legendary in fact, the main character in Robert Redford's film The Horse Whisperer was based largely on him, and he served as the director's technical adviser during the shoot.
"These principles are really about life - about living your life so you're not at war with the horse, or with other people," Buck writes. At heart, this rich and rewarding autobiography is ultimately a prescription for living a harmonious existence - whether it involves horses or not.
On Sale HALF PRICE -only $12.49!
BUCK - a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Buck Brannaman on the road to a series of horsemanship and training clinics. Brannaman eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment.
A truly American story about an unsung hero and one of the most successful documentaries of the year, BUCK is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds.Gina's note: Both the book and DVD (Buck) are based on Buck Brannaman's life and his philosophy for working with horses. Both are fascinating in their own right, but if you're inclined to read - the book fleshes out a great deal of details about the man that the film can't fit in. I recommend both as a set to fully appreciate the story. This is our third year carrying the BUCK DVD - it was immensely popular - I based my fall buying based on previous order history. But when the 7 Clinics DVD Series came out this fall, interest switched to those and we ended up overstocked on BUCK. |
NEW Book: DESIDERATA for Horse Lovers by Max Ehrmann
Consider this interesting background about the poem from the introduction: "I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift - a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods." These wistful words are Max Ehrmann's, a prolific if unheralded author and poet from Terre Haute, Indiana who lived from 1872 to 1945. His creative wish was finally fulfilled in 1927 when he penned this lovely and timeless Desiderata, a latin word for the term "things that are yearned for." But Ehrmann would never enjoy the accolades ensuing from his sole masterpiece, for the poem was not popularly published until 1948, three years after his death, in a collection titled, The Poems of Max Ehrmann.
Even then attribution and wide recognition for the work eluded Ehrmann. The book garnered little national attention, but one Maryland reader, the Rev. Frederick Kates, was sufficiently impressed with Desiderata to reprint it (apparently without credit to the author) in 1959 as a handout to his congregation. The letterhead atop the poem read, "Old St Paul's Church, Baltimore A.C. 1692" (the date noting the year of the church's founding). And so began decades of confusion as copies of the poem carrying the letterhead were widely circulated. This eventually lead to the urban myth that the poem was originally written in 1692 by an anonymous cleric of Old St Paul's Church - a notion since debunked by scholars as well as attornies representing Max Ehrmann's literary estate.
The mistaken assumptions regarding the timeline and source of the poem are perhaps understandable, for the enduring, serene message of Desiderata crosses centuries and generations. In fact, in this special edition the words transcend mankind itself as Max Ehrmann's humble gift is presented to you in unique gallery of memorable equines. This book makes an inspirational gift (for yourself or another) as it pairs on each page a few lines of the verse with an appropriate equine photo. The verse in it's entirety is reprinted again in the back few pages:
DESIDERATA by Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy. To order click here |
The Value of a Life Last year, I shared a fascinating story
written by equine veterinarian Shari Silverman about a feral stallion she encountered on an abandoned naval base in Puerto Rico.
It seems this fellow's leg had been badly broken, and had healed. Apparently well enough that he'd went on to amass his own band of mares, with the battle scars to prove it.
She describes how he's able to get around quite well, considering the fact that the bone ends are NOT fused together - he has an extra "joint" in his front leg. Most surprising is the fact that she herself has a similar story - having survived bone cancer, and a surgery that removed one side of her pelvis, along with the top portion of her femur. She's walking around on a sort of "soft tissue joint" arrangement, much like this stallion. After being told that her equine medicine career would be over, and to expect a sedentary existence for the rest of her life - she IS an equine veterinarian, AND she's out there hiking around in the field with her camera, documenting cases like this, certainly from a different perspective than those of us who've not been so challenged. You can learn more about Dr Silverman, and read the rest of her story about this stallion on her website here.
More recently, she's posted a series of photos of the same stallion, as he ousts a younger stallion and his band of mares from a coveted shady spot in a grove of trees. You can see those here.
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Here's what we talked about last time
Last newsletter is hereALL newsletters are here |
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WHAT'S HALF PRICE?
I'm Still Hot!
It' Just Comes In Flashes Now Bracelet here |
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WHAT'S ON SALE?
MORE stuff 50% OFF
Won't You Fix My Horse, Too? vintage art print $9.95 here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
Farrier Book
Order Confessions of a Horseshoer here |
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WHAT'S ON SALE?
~ Closeouts ~
Select Farrier Sportswear here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
Farrier Book
Millwater's Farriery here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
Pony Girl Earrings
Tiny steling silver riders only $19.95 per pair here |
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Breast Cancer Awareness Products
Riding for a Cure Brooch here |
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IT'S BACK!
Courage Mug
The manufacturer sold out of this mug this fall, and many of you were disappointed when you tried to order. We've since found a replacement that is even better. To order click here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
SALE on Spring T's
3 Springy Horsey T-shirts less than $14 each here! |
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WHAT'S NEW?
Cowboy 10 Commandments Sign
Sturdy Embossed Tin Sign is under $10. - order here |
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WHAT'S NEW?
~ for Horsewomen ~
Horsewoman's Long Tall List of Things to Do here
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Best Selling Christian Horse Books
Horse Tales from Heaven and Heavenly Horse Sense Christian Horse titles 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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More Farrier Gossip
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 I've talked about this before (here) and it merits mentioning again. 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.
My friend Dawn at Horse and Man has a popular blog. You never know what she's going to write about, but it's guaranteed to be interesting - real-life horse owning experiences and adventures like we all have. Today, she treats us to a LOL (laugh out loud) account of a farrier visit involving a topic that's not so funny. Equine obesity. Dawn's farrier, in my opinion, is doing his job as a hoof care provider when he sternly warns her that her horses are overweight, and that has the potential to cause problems with their feet (among other things). You can read the full account here.
Folks receive such news differently (my husband was once fired by a long time client for advising her to get some weight off her foundered mare). Some people view it as an insult to their horse management skills? But, a lot of us (myself included) get used to looking at our horses every day, and are not able to objectively evaluate their condition. The picture here shows my Arabian mare Allie in various stages of obesity - with the top being the heaviest. The bottom was taken after an entire season of concentrated weight-loss effort (on my part) - where I micromanaged every morsel that went into her mouth. She did her part by gobbling up every crumb that was given to her, trying to reach over/through fences to get more, stretching as high as she could reach to eat the leaves/branches off the only shade trees they have, eating every leaf that the wind blew off (wonder what the caloric/sugar content was in those?), and whinnying relentlessly to be fed more whenever someone came within sight/earshot. Exercise was no fun, either. She was crabby because she was hungry. If I took her anywhere outside the "Jenny Craig" enclosure, then the green grass underfoot got WAY more attention than I did. An enjoyable ride was out of the question.
And I know I am not alone. The Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance group here was formed by Dr Eleanor Kellon to help folks deal with their metabolically challenged horses. It has over 11,000 members! In order to better manage the topics, they created a couple spin-off groups to deal with specific issues - general management here, and hoof specific issues here.
So, thanks to Horse and Man for giving us a chuckle, and bringing some focus onto a serious equine health issue. You can subscribe to her daily updates here.
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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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