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HoofPrints Newsletter
January 23, 2014
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 the company 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.

A great gift for any rider 
- to help her stay safe & connected.
Pewter Medallions are a confidence boosting bit of bling, and the Treat Pouch is not just for treats. There's a separate zippered compartment that is perfect for a cell phone, money, keys, etc.
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.  

Protect this horse medallion Cherri Also included in the Rider's Care Package are the Protect this Horse and Rider Medallions
Since my office and warehouse are here on the farm in central Indiana, there are some weeks that I never leave the place. But I get to vacation "vicariously" via friends like Cherri. Shown here is Cherri's horse Gilbert - he's wearing a PROTECT THIS HORSE medallion on his bridle. Cherri is gracious enough to share her awesome trail ride pictures with her Facebook friends, and from the looks of some of those challenging trails, she and Gilbert certainly needed their medallions!

These Pewter Medallions from Sweet Bird Studio are made in USA. Sweet Bird's stuff is awesome, and I have fawned over it for a long time, but she works in sterling silver mostly, and with found objects, antique imprinted tin, stones, baubles, etc - so her stuff is expensive AND one of a kind. More appropriate for an upscale boutique where customers can see in person than for catalog sales. So, I was delighted to learn that these hand-stamped PROTECT THIS RIDER (and HORSE) medallions are being produced in pewter. This is a great little company and I am proud to support them. To order the Rider's Care Package (or the Medallions separately) click here

In the words of Sweet Bird Studio owner Nancy Anderson:
"Stand for something. Release the brakes. Be your own hero. Tell kids they have the power to change the world. Go outside and get dirty. Rethink the idea of cool. Remember when cool meant different? Turn off the cell phone and have a conversation with the person next to you. Legalize freedom by causing a riot in your soul. Write your own eulogy. NOW live it. 

 

And when you're going through hell, keep going. Via Con Dios..." -Nancy  
 
Gina's minor rant
It started out innocently enough...
I posted this comment on HoofPrints' Facebook page:
"These are the kind of stats that drive a marketer CRAZY. Horses and Hope Calendar Project has amassed a list of over 2,700 folks who've purchased the calendar since it's inception in 2011. Not a single person has expressed disappointment at what they received for their $20. Yet 62% of that 2,700+ failed to order a copy of the 2014 calendar. Wonder why?"

What followed was an absolute treasure trove of useful information. One of the comments brought up a point that has continually frustrated everyone involved in rescue. The fact that a sense of life-or-death urgency is often the only thing that can get folks to act in saving these unwanted horses. Rescue-savvy folks call it "The Truck Is Coming!!" marketing. For the uninitiated, it means the slaughterhouse bound truck will take the horse(s) away if they are not bailed (purchased) immediately. Online pleas are made, people send money, other people scramble to find space, arrange for transport, quarantine, etc, and many horses are saved that way. So a lot of rescues do indeed resort to continually using "The Truck Is Coming!!" marketing. Because it works.

For the 2014 Horses and Hope Calendar, Sarah and I chose to highlight some situations that were not so dire and drama-laden. Shown above is the Thoroughbred Alluring Punch. After a successful race career, Punch was NEVER in danger of being anywhere near that truck. In fact, at the time we put the calendar together, Punch was for sale for a price that was well above what an average person could/would pay for a horse. He has since been sold - and this didn't just happen in a vacuum. It happened because a lot of smart, forward-thinking people are working very hard to transition these off-track Thoroughbreds into new careers. And they're not just doing it to make a buck on what otherwise would be considered "salvage" horses. They're doing it because it's the right thing to do. This quote by  Retired Racehorse Training Projects' President Steuart Pittman sums it up: "Those of us in the sport horse world who have benefited from the generosity and grace of an ex-racehorse have a responsibility to convince our peers and clients to take a fresh look at these animals. We should do everything we can to educate the public about their attributes and ensure that they receive the training that will bring forth their potential."

Steuart and his gang are not just working hard to create a market for their own off track horses. They are unselfishly endeavoring to create buyers for ALL Thoroughbreds. And it's working. The effort is gaining momentum and more and more folks from the industry are getting on board. It's so much better to solve an unwanted horse problem BEFORE it even happens, and these folks are doing it in a big way. Here's some more info:

Retired Racehorse Training Project's website is here

Photographer Sarah Andrew's blog posts chronicling this fall's RRTP 100 day Thoroughbred Makeover - chock-full of major eye-candy photos here and here

Horses and Hope Calendars (July 2014 shown above) are here 
Manure Movers Sweatshirt

MANURE MOVERS OF AMERICA SWEATSHIRT
HoofPrints has a whole page of products dedicated to horse manure. Why would we put a page full of products dedicated to HORSE MANURE on our website? The fact is, if you've got horses, you've got manure. And lots of it. Most of us accept this as a not-all-that-unpleasant aspect of horse ownership. City folk pay to go to the gym. I can clean stalls for free! It's a great fitness workout routine - 7 days a week. Do kennel owners have an endearing relationship with dog poop? I doubt it. But for horse folk, it's all part of the lifestyle. Enjoy our humorous selection here.  

Clean Up CLOSEUP
Clutter busting 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.

Half Price PRINTS are 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. 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. Now that Christmas is past, 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 on that.

Newest is Half Price Books & Magazine Back Issues here
This represents a major turning point for HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling. This treasure trove of magazine back issues has been lovingly collected and hoarded for many, many years. It's getting to be a space problem, keeping them all stored AND due to the sheer volume of them, along with my busy schedule, they rarely get any attention. But even now, as I go through them to write sales descriptions, I am feeling sad at the prospect of letting go of this vast collection of pictures and articles about all the things I love - Horses, Dogs, Farriery and Blacksmithing, The West, Pretty Western Clothes and Jewelry, Awesome Country Homes, Recipes for Hearty Food, Healthy Living, Spirituality and more. I'll do my best to mention the content that stands out to me in the descriptions. Prices on these back issues reflect the fact that I am still very much in love with them, however they are at or below what the publishers are charging. The current sales list is small, but I'll be adding more as I am able; going through these is a slow process, as you can imagine, I get sidetracked frequently by all the fascinating content that lead me to hoard these in the first place. 

Our Closeouts Page is here - it features items that are being phased out - still lots of good deals to be had there, too.
In This Issue
Gina's minor rant
Manure Movers of America
Closeouts and sales
Here's what we talked about last time
What Did I Miss? graphic
Last newsletter is here  
ALL newsletters are here
FREEBIE!
Ironclad Beanie Cap with every pair of
TUFF CHIX GLOVES

"Best. Gloves. Ever!" ~HoofPrints customer testimonial. More info here
ORDER FARRIER GLOVES AND...
Farrier Gloves
Get a FREE EMBROIDERED BEANIE CAP

DETAILS HERE
Mule & Donkey items
Donkey Charm
Check out this brass longear charm and more here
The Natural Superiority of Mules

Brand new updated second edition covers everything you ever wanted to  know about mules. Order here
Blacksmith Calendar
2014 Blacksmith Calendar
2014 Blacksmith Calendar  back issues only $1.99 here
Horse Woman's Balm
Horsewoman's Balm
A great product that DOES WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO!
Order here
CHEAP Earrings
Brass Earrings
Only $4.98 per pair and they actually are pretty nice.
See them here
This Hug's For You

Equine Sympathy Cards here
MADE IN USA!
Horse Secret Box
Nifty little wood  box has a lid that fits so neatly that it's virtually invisible when closed. A real deal at only $19.95 here
COURAGE doesn't always roar...
Courage Pink Mug
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
HoofPrints
BARN BLADE
Barn Blade Pink Knife
Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly
Order here
Message

I love hearing from customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling via email at [email protected]
 
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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)