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HoofPrints Newsletter
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August 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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Revisiting Stupidity
Recently I revealed My stupidest horse training mistake, ever. The response from readers was overwhelmingly positive, many wrote to thank me for sharing the harrowing story. A few had been through similar experiences, and were able to form lasting partnerships with their formerly traumatized horses, which was encouraging. So, I talked about it some more, here, along with the mention of some of my favorite authors on the animal psychology subject.
My friend Vicky Kaseorg was so impressed upon by the story of my horse's apparent terror of something that was harmless to her, that she made mention of it in her insightful Christian blog here - Fighting the Wrong Enemies. I wish I could say that Allie and I have conquered this little problem and moved on to greater things, but that's not the case. It's pretty slow going when you're in it alone, and I've learned the hard way that getting "help" from an "expert" can sometimes be worse than no help at all, but that's a whole 'nother tale. In the meantime, here's the reply I sent to a brave soul who did write and ask the obvious question - "So, did you get it solved already?"
"Dear Nathan:
Thanks for your note. Allie is much better about the rope, but not 100% OK. I spent a really long time carefully showing her it was OK, but quickly learned she had a threshold for what she would put up with - without getting irritated. She's more than willing to "meet me at the table" (so to speak) but the minute it starts to feel like drilling her on stuff she's already shown that she knows - well, she gets frustrated. I've never had a horse like this, ever. She's pushed me past everything I thought I ever knew - it's been a tremendously humbling experience.
I've grown weary of trying to share what it's like to other horse people, and have them immediately assume I am a limp-wristed pansy and she just needs her ass kicked so she'll straighten up.
My farrier, who's a nice kid and never lets his opinion be known (if he has one) occasionally asks me questions about my horses. It's all just in the name of conversation, as they stand perfectly and he's not needing to engage in dialogue concerning training, etc, for the sake of his job... anyway... I told him a condensed version of the rope drama story. Then, I got out the soft rope I used and showed him how she would stand quietly for it to be flopped all around her, over her back, around her legs, belly, etc. So, I am standing there showing him all this, flopping her with the rope as I am talking. Eventually, I get to the part where I tell him I'm not certain she's drop-dead reliable, but if I continue to drill her after she's shown me she can stand still, then it ticks her off. As if on cue, she turned her head around, took her nose, and deliberately bumped me lightly on the arm as if to say; "OK, I've stood here quietly like I am supposed to, now cut that out!" This guy's pretty experienced, and a good hand with a horse, I think - but totally NOT one to anthropomorphize. His eyes got big, and he looked at me - "Did you see that? She just asked you to stop!" It's stuff like this that keeps me trying with this horse. She really wants to engage. And she's very polite about it as long as I am respectful of her.
I suppose some people would keep after a horse like that until they totally gave no reaction whatsoever. But how rude would that be? There was the day I would have done that, in the name of making sure she "knew I was in charge", but these days, with this horse, that means picking a fight that I don't think I can win. And honestly, I just don't want to. There's got to be a better way."
So, right now, I'm just working on being a more confident leader for her.
As author Michael Johnson quotes the "little voice" in his book Healing Shine: "Best way is - YOU DO IT!" And so it goes. I'll share more next time.
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Cheap Horsey Earrings!
Only $4.98 per pair
Shown here are Brass Victorian Heart & Horseshoe Earrings along with the Brass Galloping Horse Earrings that match the Stamped Charm Necklaces: Don't Look Back That's Not Where You're Going and Life Is Tough But I Am Tougher hereThese earrings are really nice for the inexpensive price! The deeply embossed, detailed hearts measure about 5/8" wide. They're hollow on the back - so lightweight you barely know you're wearing them. To order, click here |
BIG SALE on Cool Summer Horsey T-shirts!
These lovely, feminine t-shirts have a scoop neck and cap sleeves. They are cut for ladies and are not too small or too fitted. The midweight fabric is a cotton/poly blend that is cool, soft and washes up great. Logos are screenprinted. You get one of each as a set - I've marked it down to $29.95 (that's less than $10. per shirt!) As you can see by the picture, these run a little on the short side - there's a size chart with measurements on the web page tto help you see if these will be a good fit. Hurry, sale ends soon. To order click here |
"Hold Your Horses"...
I got this one in a while back from our friends at Snorgtees. I liked it, but I didn't love it - so I set it aside and it ended up not getting featured in the catalog - I ran out of space. So I put the sample on our HALF PRICE / One of A Kind page (since I only had one) and it was snatched up in a matter of minutes. My webmaster was away from his computer and we didn't get it taken off the site right away. I could have sold a bunch of them - as multiple people continued to try to order that one shirt. At this point, I decided to give this one another look - so here it is! A soft, royal blue cotton T - with a funny/serious play on words. And it's ON SALE $5.00 OFF! - to order, click here. (these run a little small, so be sure to check the size chart for help getting the perfect fit) |
WARNING!
This is one of my all time favorite T-shirts and it's on sale, $5.00 OFF. We've all had those days where it seems like (almost) no one we encounter is pleased with what we do. Might as well hold the goal at just one and anybody happy after that is a bonus. Wear this shirt to let them all know where they stand. To order click here |
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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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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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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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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