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HoofPrints Newsletter
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August 14, 2013
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Author Temple Grandin speaks in the clear voice of a woman who emerged from the other side of autism, bringing with her an extraordinary message about how animals think and feel.
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"Some trainers swear rough handling is effective. But what's interesting about these trainers is that if you check out their horses, they're all big boned, low-fear horses who habituate fast to treatment that would crush a high-strung animal. ... The rough trainers were all working with big, heavy horses, and they all think Arab horses are crazy. The gentle trainers were working with the fine-boned, nervous animals."
~Quote by Temple Grandin from Animals In Translation
Gina's note:
This book is one of my favorites. Temple Grandin's candid account of how she believes that animals perceive their world is a very good one and it explains a lot about why horses act the way they do in certain situations. One of my favorite analogies she uses (in the book) is this: Imagine that you lived somewhere where you saw people frequently walking down the sidewalk. And one day, you stepped outside your door and saw people walking down the sidewalk.... on their hands. You'd probably freak out (I know I would). This is the type of situation that arises when a horse spooks at a perfectly familiar item - in a context that is unfamiliar. The book and movie are full of thought provoking theories like this - that can really help us understand, and empathize, with our animal friends when they do things that don't make sense.To order the book and DVD click here
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 Revisiting Gina's stupidest horse training mistake...
Last time, I talked in detail about the lengthy fiasco the ensued after a failedattempt to "desensitize" my horse to a rope. (If you missed that, you can read it here) I've gotten lovely, encouraging notes from several folks, and only a few: "that's a crazy arab for you..." comments, as I suspected I would. What I saved for another newsletter was the fact that this mare is absolutely the horse of my dreams. Cat-quick, and so intuitive I swear if I had my act together I would not need tack. She only had about a dozen rides on her when I bought her. The few times (just moments, really) that I rode without messing it up with my worrying were AMAZING. I could direct this mare's speed, direction, etc with the slightest movement, just a thought, really. I've been around horses long enough to know that was not training - she was just too green to have had time to learn that. It was the kind of lightness and quick response that trainers strive for forever - and I had it right there with her - just using my mind. Unfortunately, big problems came when my mind started thinking about her spooking, or bolting, or bucking. Because, of course, that's what she did. Kind of a creepy horsey version of the King Midas story. I got what I wanted - quite literally - but I got the whole ball of wax - not just the good part
My friend Mary from Arizona had these wise words: "She sounds like a wonderful mare and if she is this good now, she will just get better and more in tune with you. This is both a blessing and a bit of a curse. You have to be a good example. When the human "tornado head" (a term coined by Linda Kohanov in her book Riding Between the Worlds) takes over, it imagines all sort of things happening, even sometimes things which have no chance of happening, which changes your breathing, how you sit, and your level of tension, Your horse has blessed you with the role of chief tiger spotter and now thinks you have spotted one. Horses don't think that it is themselves and their antics that are causing you to tense up." | | WARNING: clicking on this picture will take you to more of the same (((shudder))) |
Veterinarian and animal behaviorist Sophia Yin uses an excellent analogy that explains what being forced into scary situations must feel like to a horse: "Turn the tables around and the picture becomes clear. Say you're afraid of spiders and your friend shoves her pet tarantula in your face. If she simultaneously reassures you, "She's a friendly tarantula. See her amicable expression?" or "She can't cause harm, she's just an innocent baby," would you suddenly feel safe? No, in fact the only way you could get used to the spider is if you greeted it at your own pace. That means it would have to be on a table or in some locations where you could control your distance from it. Then when you were ready you could gradually approach for a closer look and to even touch it. Even when you're finally comfortable enough to examine and touch the tarantula, if it suddenly moves its mouthparts or waves one of its legs in the air you might jump away out of fright. To you these movements may conjure images of the tarantula leaping at you and taking a bite whereas to the tarantula the movements may just be a subconscious change in position or even a signal that it's your friend." Another thought provoking point is made by Buck Brannaman in the DVD Buck. In explaining how important it is to let the horse know that he does indeed have the option to move away from something frightening, he tells us that he is unafraid of heights, and can stand on the edge of a scary precipice without fear of falling. However, if someone comes up close behind him, taking away his option to back up, then he gets REALLY nervous. But, we all think, what about all those horses who've seemingly gotten over being terrified of something, by being forced to stand and tolerate it? To "learn" that it won't hurt them? Scientists call this kind of conditioning "flooding" - meaning you "flood" (overwhelm) the senses with the stimulus until they no longer react. And it's really not humane. Would you like to be locked in a room of spiders with no escape - to "learn" that they won't hurt you? Me neither.
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The black BARN girl sweatshirt was a big hit
in spite of the $60 price tag...
she was even spotted trekking on horseback in Outer Mongolia! (full story here)
Many of you preferred a full zip hoodie instead of a pullover (the un-zippered front was necessary to accommodate the bazillion stitches that it took to embroider the design - which, BTW, is beautifully sketched by artist Lesley Bruce)
I found one in this lovely celadon green. It's garment washed, super soft, and ladies cut. We've separated the girl from her name, and her rude horses; she stands alone here. And it's only $39.95! To order click here
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SPRING CLEANING - (now SUMMER cleaning) continues at HoofPrints
My efforts to clear the warehouse (and my house- house) of accumulated oddball products continues to gain momentum. I've written about it before. The point continues to be, sometimes the space becomes more valuable than the items that are occupying it. So this is where most places say... "our loss is your gain!" Well, check out this super-cheap stuff and BUY IT. And your gain will be my gain, too. Because I need that space on the shelf. The Half Price Page is here - check this often as they're one-of-a-kind things that will sell quickly and be replaced with whatever else starts to get on my nerves. I am currently going through a large stash of samples* - so many wonderful things, it's hard to choose just a handful for the catalog. And the rest have got to go! Only one of each available so act fast if you see something you like.
*A note about the samples - Someone made a comment on the HoofPrints Facebook page that the samples are free to me and implied should thus be priced accordingly. Just to set the record straight - I pay for almost every sample I acquire. Occasionally an author or publisher will send me a book unsolicited, but I prefer to buy these anonymously so if I review and don't think it is a good fit for the product line, I don't feel guilty about not including it.
NEW is Half Price PRINTS here - there are a lot of lovely prints languishing in drawers here that really should be hanging on folks' walls making them smile and beautifying their homes. Summer is NOT the time that people are inclined for "nesting" - that usually happens during the colder months when everyone's inside. But fall/winter is busy season here and I don't encourage print sales then - I don't have the extra time it takes to wrap these carefully for safe delivery. I've marked them way down now to sweeten the deal. ALSO NEW is Half Price JEWELRY here - The more I got to digging, the more I found. Jewelry doesn't take up much room - suffice to say there is a LOT of lovely stuff that needs to find a new home. Then there's that whole problem I have with the beads. It's getting worse. Stay tuned for details. Our Closeouts Page is here - it features items that are being phased out - still lots of good deals to be had there, too.
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GOOD NEWS!
52 Thoroughbreds FOUND HOMES. Somehow, the story of the herd of Thoroughbreds who were about to be shipped to auction by an uncaring heir of a deceased veterinarian went viral. It was the kind of viral that marketers dream about. People shared, and shared, and some acted quickly and the horses were all placed. I'd love to write promotional emails that get shared like that... Anyway, something about this particular story was so compelling that it's going around AGAIN new (the whole event unfolded two years ago). Check out all the stories about it here. It was a big enough deal that it made Snopes
Unfortunately, the plight of unwanted thoroughbreds is still there. Shown here is a horse who started 85 races. He earned $141,884. for his owners. And he was pulled out of the kill pen at the auction where he ended up. You can read more about him on photographer Carien Schippers' blog here. While the stories of individual used-up racehorses ending up at auction don't end up in viral emails, they still exist. And a lot of people out there want to help - and it's the coincidental email that shows up in the inbox that may the the catalyst that spurs someone to action. These days, if you decide to take some kind of action - it's important to make sure that it's really going to do some good. There are many stories of folks donating money to fund raising entities - to help horses - only to have no horses be helped. One of my favorite blogs for reporting stories about horses in need, doing fund raising, and transparently dispersing said funds to the correct recipients is Horse and Man. There's a Facebook group Camelot Horse Weekly that networks to place horses from a New Jersey auction. It's a remarkable group (over 56,000 fans) - they work with the owner of the auction to resell the horses who didn't get a high enough bid to leave the sale. These horses collect in a pen until there's a truckload, then, unfortunately they're sent to slaughter. All that has to happen is the auction owner has to get a price slightly above what the slaughter bid is, and the horse is saved. Now, everyone could sit around and gripe about how evil the auction guy is for shipping these horses, or how awful it is that he's making money doing it, etc, but instead this group jumps in and DOES SOMETHING. A talented photographer makes time to come in and get shots of the horses in the pens. Volunteers evaluate them the best they can and post info on the Facebook page here. If someone out there sees a horse that "speaks" to them, then all they have to do is make arrangements to pay the auction owner and they've bought the horse. Of course, as with all auctions it's buyer beware on these. You never know about the health and/or temperament until the horse is settled into a new environment. Also, all over the country are individual rescue groups who take in horses like the ones at the auctions, or animals that are seized in neglect cases, or animals that the owners just don't want any more. Sometimes they go out and convince neglectful owners to surrender their horses. Wouldn't that take some diplomatic skills? While most of the horses at the Camelot auction are fairly healthy, often the ones that end up at rescues are not. Crosswinds Equine Rescue took in the Percheron Storm Serge in spring 2011. He was so malnourished that he likely would have died had they not acquired him when they did. There are pictures here. It's not cheap to rehab a horse like this, and even if they're able to get a decent adoption fee for him once he's healthy, it won't even come close to covering what it cost to get him there. It takes special folks to do all these things, like the animal shelter workers, it's a task I could not begin to take on - so I like to support them when I can. I encourage others to do the same.
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Here's what we talked about last time
Last newsletter is hereALL newsletters are here
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CAVALIA
See the books & DVDs here |
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Last of the Saddle Tramps
One woman's 7,000 mile horseback odyssey here |
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Mule & Donkey items
Check out this brass longear charm and more here |
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Equine ER Book
See this and more books about people helping animals here |
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Don't Look Back
That's Not Where You're Going - Inspirational Necklace only $14.95 here |
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HoofPrints
BARN BLADE
Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly Order here |
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Leather Treat Pouch
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HALF PRICE
Fleece Lined Trapper Hat and Pony Girl Hood are both discontinued. Half Price while supplies last here |
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FREE DOG CALENDAR
Get the 2013 Underwater Dogs calendar FREE when you buy the 2014! While supplies last 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 NEW?
SALE on Spring T's
3 Springy Horsey T-shirts less than $14 each 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
I love hearing from 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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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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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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