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HoofPrints Newsletter
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December 29, 2013
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About BIG STORIES... This is a theory I first learned of via author Robert Moss. He shares:
"The Australian Aborigines say that Big Stories hunt for the right people to tell them. Sometimes a Big Story seizes us through a riff of coincidence we simply cannot dismiss. When we are seized by a Big Story, our lives are different. We have the power to cope with every day dramas with greater courage and grace, because we are aware of a deeper drama. We now travel with a sense of mission, we draw different events and people and opportunities toward us."
As we worked on the Horses and Hope Calendar, I couldn't help but feel that Sarah K. Andrew and I had been chosen by many Big Stories. She, through her poignant photography, and myself through the words I chose to put with the pictures. Sarah and I have never met in person. We've only talked on the telephone a few times. The entire calendar is assembled via online communication. She and I have vastly varying schedules so there was often a significant gap between the times either of us requested info or feedback from the other, and when we received it. With such a big project looming, many designers would get pretty uptight at the idea that they didn't have all the necessary elements in hand to do their job. It didn't bother me. With 12 months to work on, I'd skip to another page and wait for the info I needed to show up in my inbox.
If I needed wording to go with pictures and I didn't have the details,
I made stuff up, knowing that later we could edit it. Surprisingly, most of what I wrote didn't need much editing.
It seemed that those Big Stories came to me and told themselves. Shown here is AUGUST - Esme's story. Sarah shared with me that Esme belongs to a gal she knows, and that she is one of the most beautiful, photogenic horses she's encountered. She also told me that while Esme was very well bred, at 6 years old she was completely wild; the result of a breeding program that had gotten out of hand - her prospects for finding a home were not good even though she'd landed at a rescue. You know in the horse ads where they rate the temperament on a scale of 1-10 (1=calm, 10=spirited) ? Esme needed an additional number that equated to snorting fire. A characteristic that can make for a brilliant show horse, but if that horse is left unhandled for the first several years of it's life, not so much. Big Stories want to be told - so things had fallen into place - and competent horsewoman Erin McCardell brought Esme home. Erin works at a prominent Sporthorse Center, so certainly had access and connections to many quality trained horses for a personal mount, but this fiery, hot-headed Morgan was the one for her. Sarah and Erin told me some about how it happened - and the story wove itself into what you see here on the calendar page. One of the best happy endings, for sure. There are still a few 2014 calendars left, but we expect to sell out soon. If you've not already ordered yours, you can do so here.
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Another BIG STORY is that in Horsepower
This is a sweet and moving memoir that brings into focus once again how very much "used-up" horses have to offer. Ren the Belgian was not necessarily abused; he was a teenager languishing in a pasture, doing nothing. Author Annette Israel bought him for the somewhat frivolous purpose of having a giant pet, and possibly learning to drive. What happens next is exponentially more than just feeding, grooming and driving. This story is powerful, spiritual and occasionally hilarious. When I picked this up - I was drawn in and didn't put it down until I was finished. It is a story about an ordinary horsewoman (like me) and her life with an old horse of questionable usefulness. A very good read that showcases many spiritual moments interwoven with everyday, horse owning experiences. To order click here
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Tuff Chix Glovesare one of my favorite products that I've not talked about before. If you've been following HoofPrints for very long you know that I don't suffer products that fail to perform. I test everything that comes through the door to make sure it is, indeed, exactly as I am representing it. IronClad's Tough Chix fleece gloves aren't your average girly pink gloves that you'd pick up at Wal-Mart, wear for a season and then toss because they've fallen apart. These are engineered by a manufacturer known for it's durable men's work gloves. They applied all that experience making good looking, good fitting gloves to these women's gloves. Shown here are two pair that I personally have been wearing for a few years now. One pair is the original sample that I ordered from the manufacturer to try out. The second pair was returned by a customer who wore them for a while and then claimed they didn't keep her hands warm. Now, to clarify: if you live somewhere like North Dakota and are doing chores for hours in -20 degree weather, then these are not the gloves for you. But for the rest of us who don't encounter such extremes these really fit the bill. They're soft, flexible, and give you a LOT of dexterity for a winter glove. I can personally fasten all the necessary buckles needed to tack up and ride without taking them off. I can wrangle supplement bucket lids, dip and measure rations, coil up a muddy, recalcitrant hose - pretty much anything I need to do in the barn. And more: the back sliding door to my barn gets stuck when the ground freezes. Because of the way it's situated, normal digging implements just won't work to clear out the extra dirt and gravel that's accumulated and is heaving up, blocking the way. The best way to do it is with my fingers. I hack at the frozen stuff with a pick to break it up, then rake it all out of the groove with my fingers. I'd say that it's expecting a lot for a pair of $24. gloves to hold up to that kind of treatment for very long, but these two have survived the ritual without apparent wear. The top picture shows what they look like after a few week's hard labor - the bottom pair just came out of the washer. Yes, they clean up that good.  And to sweeten the deal, I'll throw in FOR FREE one of these embroidered IronClad Beanie caps. These were part of a cool manufacturer's promotional effort that I totally dropped the ball on in time for Christmas. So if any of you out there have been wishing you could look like Zac Brown when you go to the barn - now's your chance to make that wish come true. A $9.95 value FREE with each pair of gloves ordered - details here
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"These principles are really about life - about living your life so you're not at war with the horse, or with other people." ~Buck Brannaman
Sometimes the best teachers (both human and animal) are the ones who've endured a challenging past. People and horses who've been dealt a bad hand, and have every reason to be bitter and adversarial, show us time and again what great things can be done with just a little hope.
The documentary DVD "BUCK" follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his successful approach with horses. He shuns the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Possessing near magical abilities, he transforms horses - and people - with his understanding, compassion and respect. An 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. Complete selection of Buck Brannaman books and DVDs are here.
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Pharaoh's Horses Necklace
The Pharaoh's horses have found themselves on lots of products over the years, and while it's brand new (made in the USA by an artisan) this glass domed necklace looks like something you'd find tucked away in the back of an antique dresser drawer. It's only $14.95 here. HoofPrints also sells a color version of this old favorite image by J. F. Herring.
When I first located this color version of an old favorite print, I was disappointed that I could not pass along a little more info about this lovely picture - it's been around for ages and many of us remember it from childhood times. Well, I did some more searching, and came up with the whole story (and then some). Did I find it with the JF Herring estate? an art historian? perhaps a horse art guru? No.
I found it in the back issue archives of a tattoo magazine; Skin & Ink. Palmer Utterback has written a wonderfully researched article chronicling all about this painting - from it's history and mystery surrounding the original artist, to speculation on it's symbolic meaning. Interspersed throughout are historic facts about the image's use as tattoo art! Here's an excerpt (link to the entire fascinating article follows)
 "In biblical times, horses were a symbol of wealth, status and, in warfare, power. A joint German-Egyptian archeological team has reported a discovery of horse stables, which housed over 400 horses, on the edge of the Nile Delta. The stables have been linked to pharaoh Ramses II who ruled more that 3,000 years ago. Such stables presumably boarded war horses similar to those used to draw the pharaoh's chariots in pursuit of the Israelites into the Red Sea. While the galloping steeds of Pharaoh's Horses convey a sense of power, majesty and grace, the implied reference to Exodus 14 suggests a symbolic warning against the singular pursuit of a tragic course without regard to the consequences: "The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen-the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived (Exodus 14:28)." Entire article is here
One of the best parts of this job is all of the different people I have the privilege of meeting. (even though many days I barely leave my office) Last fall, an end-of-the-day order that I took resulted in a delightful conversation with a fascinating lady who has spent a lifetime collecting and selling arabian horse art. Mary Lou Walbergh is an amazing source of equine art knowledge, and she shared this story about J F Herring and his chosen subject for many of his horse paintings:
"The Arabian stallion which Herring used as his model in so many of his paintings was named Imaun, named after the Imaun of Persia, who gave him, along with three other purebred Arabs, to Queen Victoria. The Queen thought, quite sensibly, that Imaun might prove to be too much horse for her, so she gave him to her Chief Clerk. This man immediately (showing great tackiness) sold him at Tattersall's, the famed horse sales establishment which is in business to this very day. Herring bought him and kept him all the rest of his very long life. His first idea was to use him as the horse model in a series of paintings he planned around the hero Mazeppa, who tied himself to his horse, so Herring hired a trainer to train Imaun to lie down, to be "housebroken," etc. This trainer said that Imaun was the most brilliant horse with whom he had ever worked, and Herring loved him so much that it is quite possible to pick out the horses he painted using Imaun as a model, because of the love and care taken with every stroke of the brush. Imaun is all three of the heads in The Pharaoh's Horses, his head is on the big grey work horse in his painting of The Blacksmith Shop here (The woman standing in the scene is Herring's daughter, Jenny), he is in the two paintings Herring did of Mazeppa, and in countless others."
Since then I've learned even more fascinating details, and have assembled them into a short article. We've added this article to the bottom of the Pharaoh's Horses print. It outlines some interesting details about the print, and features 11 small color pictures illustrating key points. This is for entertainment purposes only, it's the best info we could find from a myriad of sources - and it's intended to be trimmed off before the print is framed or displayed.
To see a closeup of the article, and the rest of our Arabian prints, click here. I have seen old versions of this go for a lot of money on ebay - they are not particularly rare - so in this instance it's probably a better bet to buy a NEW one that's in perfect condition!
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Here's what we talked about last time
Last newsletter is here ALL newsletters are 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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Blacksmith Calendar
2014 Blacksmith Calendar available now + back issues only $1.9 9 here |
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CHEAP Earrings
Only $4.98 per pair and they actually are pretty nice. See them here |
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A Pet's Prayer
This lovely framed verse has a spot at the top for your own pet's photo. A wonderful gift for any pet owner, or for yourself - as a reminder that our pets are, indeed, a gift from God. To order click here. |
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AMAZING DOG FACTS
AND TRIVIA tells us that this plaque is from the Charles Bridge in Prague (circa 1357) It's become popular to rub the dog to ensure that a spouse will remain faithful. Look how shiny the dog is in the picture above, he's been polished by years of visitor's hands rubbing. Order the book with the full story here |
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COURAGE doesn't always roar...
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."
~Mary Anne Radmacher
order the mug here
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~ for Horsewomen ~
Horsewoman's Long Tall List of Things to Do here
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SPIRITUAL BOOK
Desiderata for Horse Lovers makes a great gift! order here
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FALL GIRL: Life as a western stunt double
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Mule & Donkey items
Check out this brass longear charm and more here |
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Leather Treat Pouch
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HoofPrints
BARN BLADE
Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly Order 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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COFFEE & DOG HAIR
I NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM Order the Travel Mug 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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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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