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HoofPrints Newsletter
December 7, 2013
Rob shoeing Rocky
ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THIS NEWSLETTER
Farriers 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.
 
The 2014 Horses and Hope Calendar is actually 2 gifts in one!
Your gift recipient gets an impressive, high quality calendar that's chock full of lovely color photos, inspirational stories, and positive quotes AND 100% of the profit goes to help horses in need via One Horse At A Time. Photographer Sarah K. Andrew chose this recipient because of their abilities to help a wide range of horses in various situations. I could not be more pleased with her choice, and there's an article I wrote explaining why here. The stats from OHAAT co-founder Penny Austin outlining exactly what they did with the money are here.
A portion of the 2014 calendar proceeds will be allocated to Helping Hearts' Simon's Legacy Fund, and will be used to obtain/purchase/pull what would otherwise be "end-of-life/career" senior drafts/work-horses and bring them to Helping Hearts. Funds will also be used for month-to-month care, for veterinary and special needs to give them a comfortable and dignified life without pain or suffering.  More about Simon's Legacy here

HoofPrints page to order the calendar is here
copper hoofprint bracelet  
The Copper HoofPrint Healing Bracelet is a unique gift choice. It's made of turquoise, coral, brass, nickel and yak bone! Actually this bracelet is made in Tibet (hoofprint charm in USA) and the Tibetan people believe that such organic components have healing properties. Certain materials are thought to improve circulation and promote the flow of healing energies through the body.

Here's what I found specifically about yak bone:
"Bone is used in practice because the more we contemplate death the more fruitful our life becomes. We begin to live life differently and accept that death is inevitable while the path to the end of this life is about service to others, loving all, and being happy (without the pursuit of happiness) in each moment...through the supposed good and bad. 
Yak is an important animal in Tibet as they are used as packing animals for the nomadic tribes and to honour their passing they are used in practice. Continuing to be of service as they pass from this consciousness to another." from DestinationOM

Whether you believe this is a valid idea or not, this is still a pretty cool bracelet. It's rugged looking with it's chunky beads (they're about 3/8" across) and the braided portion is designed to slide so you can adjust it to fit just right. To see this and all our other hoof jewelry, click here 

Barn Blade Pink Knife
This anodized aluminum knife is just what horsewomen have been waiting for! Here's a great knife to take riding or to the barn - that the guys won't cabbage onto because it's PINK! It's a good, sensible size (4" closed, 7" open) to carry and use. The spring steel clip on the back lets you hang it on the inside of your pocket so you can get to it without fishing around, and the special notch with a protected second blade lets you cut hay strings in a jiffy without ever opening your knife! The blackened stainless steel blade has an easy-open knurled grip in case (heaven forbid) you need it quickly to cut someone loose. Horsemen (and women) should always carry a knife when working around horses, and this one is perfect for the job!
The HoofPrints Barn Blade is only $19.95 but it was PRICELESS for one HoofPrints customer - here's her story: 
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The barn I board at has about 75 horses. I'm also a working student and I volunteer at a horse rescue. Between being in the fire department and being a trail guide out in Colorado 10 years I always carry a knife. My Leatherman walked away so I got the pink one because it was distinctive and I liked the inscription. It's mostly hung out in my pocket until last night.

When new horses come to the rescue they start out in the quarantine barn for 2 weeks just to be safe. We just got 2 and I hadn't met them yet. I was in the office thawing (I know Maryland isn't as bad as a lot of places but this week has been nuts) when someone said the handyman needed help up at quarantine because one of the new ones was cast. I grabbed my trainer and we drove up so we'd have the headlights. She had gotten wedged against the stall door and when he opened it to try to help her, her head and front legs came out the door and she got completely stuck. My talent lies in calming horses down so I talked to her while we tried to figure out how to help. She broke the wall so we were moving boards and buckets and anything else.

She was wearing 2 blankets layered, really nice strong ones, and we had to cut them off so she could move enough to get free. It took 5 of us 45 minutes at least, and she didn't have a scratch on her. It could have gone so wrong. We just kept saying thank God I had a good knife. For now we're calling her Angel - she is gorgeous, a big grey, the size 84 blanket was snug. She is so regal though. Once she gets some weight on I cannot wait to see what she becomes. So thank you for helping us save her. I really thought she was going to get badly enough injured that we'd lose her. Lots of power in a little pink package " -Laura R, MD

To order a barn blade click here   


Treat Pouch
Genuine Leather, only $19.95 and more than just a treat pouch... 
This handy little bag made me rethink the idea of carrying a regular purse. 
When I first hatched the scheme to take Bailey to dog class, I had some logistical problems to work out. This dog had been on 3 car rides in her life (that I know of) One to get dumped here, 2&3 were to and from the clinic to be spayed. So, her history of enjoying a ride in a vehicle is not so good. My car is a 2-door with leather seats, so that option was out - I was afraid she'd scratch them with her toenails. Second choice was my son's pickup truck (also leather seats) but enough room on passenger floorboard for her to sit comfortably. When I did a "test run" which consisted of yet another trip to the vet for the required vaccinations to attend class - it did NOT go well. She was afraid to get in. Coaxing didn't help (although it DID cause our other dog Puppy-Girl to try and get in - which only added to the confusion as I tried to keep her OUT) I didn't anticipate all this happening, and had an appointment, so as the clock ticked, I ended up picking up her 60+ lb frame and stuffing her into the truck. She promptly dashed to the driver's side floorboard - where she could, oh, stomp on the accelerator. I tried to push her back to the other side when I got in, but seeing the open door caused her to push just as hard to get out - which she did. And so it went. Must've looked like some kind of Chinese Fire Drill involving a dog. (with apologies for using what wikipedia is saying is "racially offensive slang")

Seeing that this had potentially disastrous consequences safety-wise, I recruited my son to DRIVE US to the vet - while I used both hands to HOLD THE DOG on her side of the truck. I knew then that setting off alone with this rowdy dog to a weekly class in a neighboring town was going to be a challenge.

I couldn't have done it without the Treat Pouch. This handy little number let me keep my phone, keys, driver's license, etc. in a slim hands-free pouch around my waist - so I could wrestle the dog as needed. The added bonus is the separate compartment for the actual treats. It's got a magnetic closure (so no distracting velcro sound when opening) and is separated from the other compartment by a water-resistant barrier (so my phone doesn't smell like salami) Fortunately, everything worked out OK, the rest of the dog class story is here

 

To order a treat pouch click here 


Christmas on the Farm
was a huge hit last fall. I kept it a secret because I couldn't get any.
Yup, the publisher let themselves RUN OUT of a CHRISTMAS title in the months preceding Christmas. That's an example of what makes mail order so fun/exciting (not) - as I was told when I put it in 100,000 catalogs they had good stock on this and it is a fairly new book (albeit a compilation of vintage material) I had a lot of disappointed customers who tried to order and couldn't. Anyway, now it's back and I can tell you all about it!
Christmas on the Farm is a Collection of Favorite Recipes, Stories, Gift Ideas and Decorating Tips from The Farmer's Wife magazine.

Christmas was the be-all, end-all celebration on the farm. Pages and pages on the topic appeared in The Farmer's Wife (published 1893-1939), and these pages weren't just about food-although recipes for all the various components of parties and holiday gift baskets certainly abounded.

The magazine's experts expounded on the best and latest ways to decorate home, tree, and parcels and to create homemade gifts for family and friends, as well as games to be played to capture the spirit of the season. In short, The Farmer's Wife presented its own opinion-both grand and humble, broad and minute, and always, always bearing in mind the idea of community among its readers-about the ways in which Christmas should be celebrated.

You'll find in this book a smattering of that opinion. Here are recipes to see you through the entire Christmas season; gift ideas guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing; tips for decking your halls; and even a few stories to delight both the young and the young at heart.

Even though this excerpt was first published in 1911, it's words are still relevant today:
 "Do's and Don'ts for Christmas" Pledge
Do, if you can keep it, sign this pledge. It was circulated by some enthusiastic young reformer and called "Yours for a courageous, sincere, and Christly Christmas" -
I will give no gift which I cannot afford.
I will give no gift which has not love behind it.
I will give some gifts which shall not be exchange gifts at all but genuine generosity to someone to whom it will mean very much.
Don't do up a parcel in such poor wrapping paper or in such a flimsy manner that the wrapper may easily be torn and separated from the contents.
Don't fail to put your name and address, preceded by the word "from", on the upper left-hand corner of every piece of mai.
Don't forget to mail parcels early.
Don't say that you expect nothing. You know that would not be so.
Don't sigh for a baby grand piano if a barrel of flour would do you more good.
Don't forget, if you are going to play Santa Claus, that cotton is not as innocent as it looks.
Don't go around complaining that the true spirit of Christmas has departed. That is not the way to bring it back.
Don't forget you were a child once yourself.
Don't give simply for the purpose of showing that you can afford to do so.
Don't value the gift by the amount of its cost.
Don't put aside until tomorrow the good cheer you may spread today.

To order Christmas on the Farm click here
In This Issue
Horses & Hope for 2014
Copper HoofPrint Healing Bracelet
Barn Blade Pink Knife
Leather Treat Pouch
Christmas on the Farm
Underwater Dogs Calendar
Request a catalog
Here's what we talked about last time
What Did I Miss? graphic
Last newsletter is here
ALL newsletters are here
It'll be here before you know it! Order Christmas Cards now

FOUR favorite horsey Christmas card designs plus all our old favorites are here
Underwater Dogs Calendar FREE
2014 Underwater Dogs
FREE 2013 Underwater Dogs Calendar with purchase of the 2014 version
This is not your typical dog calendar, picturing beautiful specimens of various breeds - this one features a shocking new image each month - of a freakishly distorted dog(s) face - as he or she plunges into the water to retrieve a toy! Calendars pages make great scrapbook page backgrounds too - example here.
To order click here
INSPIRATIONAL STRETCH BRACELETS
Stretch Bracelets 4
These comfortable stretchy elastic bands feature a two sided message plaque with horse charm. One size fits most - band is about 7" unstretched.
I 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 I have a special deal going - BUY 3 - GET THE 4TH FREE! To order click here.
 

~ for Horsewomen ~
Long Tall List of Things To Do
Horsewoman's Long Tall List of Things to Do here
Keep Calm & RIDE ON!
Keep Calm Necklace
Vintage glass dome
necklace here
Spiritual Book
Desiderata cover
Desiderata for Horse Lovers makes a great gift! order here
Message

We LOVE hearing from our customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner
Gina Keesling via email at [email protected]
 
Find us on facebook
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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
 
NO Catalog this fall!

After 20+ years of doing a catalog, I decided to save some trees and encourage folks to shop online - to get started click here.
You can still sign up to be on the mailing list  here
 
Quick Links
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 to get started. (please note - using this form does NOT subscribe anyone to our list - it is a one-time only forward)