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HoofPrints Newsletter
June 15, 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 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.

Dad w/baby Gina & 35 Chevy
Happy Father's Day to my Dad!
Back in May, I featured a Mother's Day tribute to my Mom here, so it's only fitting that this month should bring the same for my Dad. Dad was always fixing stuff. When I was little, it was out of necessity as you didn't just trot out and buy new at Wal-Mart whenever an item broke. Heck, he'd get other folks' old, broken stuff, fix it up like new, and that's what we'd use. The world would do well to do a little more fixing these days, too.

Anyway, shown above is me and my dad - many more years ago than I'd care to reveal . Behind us is a spiffy red 1935 Chevrolet pickup, which at that time was approaching 30 years old. Back then, old stuff wasn't cool like it is now. It was just old stuff that you used until you had the means to get NEW stuff. This was Dad's daily driver. He drove it when he went on repair service calls for the farm implement dealership that employed him at the time. He repaired the truck, too. When the motor went bad, he replaced it with something with "a little more power". He often took his hemi-powered pickup to the Saturday night drag races.

Dad & Gina w/35 Chevy Eventually, Dad left the farm equipment company to start his own business. He and Mom operated a New Holland dealership for years. The old Chevy was parked in the barn - having been replaced by more modern service trucks. Dad continued to fix things - servicing the farm equipment that he sold,  later restoring old tractors, then old cars. He has a real knack for making tired old vehicles young and new again, and he amassed quite a collection. In all the years, and all the projects I've seen him complete - I don't remember EVER seeing him rushed, or upset or stressed about them. What an inspiration. The amount of work done was monumental as most of these cars and trucks had to be completely disassembled, etc. One project car he bought was literally apart - with all the pieces (that they could find) in crates and boxes. It was a rare convertible Ford, and worth the effort as it was a show-winning beauty when complete. And he and mom don't just park these and admire them - they DRIVE them to the events they participate in - some as far as the west coast.

When my son Jordan was about 11, he and Dad started restoration on a 1952 Ford pickup that was to be Jordan's own. (Mom's theory was that a newly licensed teenager would be a more careful driver in a vehicle that had had so much time and work spent on it.) Weekend after weekend, Dad took this capricious youngster on a journey of patience, perseverance and learning - away from the TV and the video games. The completed truck has gone on to win multiple prestigious Dearborn Awards, but more valuable than that is all the lessons Jordan learned along the way. Thanks Dad!
Faraway Horses book cover
Buck Brannaman is an example of a great dad who's accomplished a LOT in spite of a not so great start in life.  
He's traveled the country for years, helping horses and riders get their act together. Unlike many famous clinicians we see today, Buck does NOT have a flair for drama. He quietly assesses the needs of the horse and the rider, then sets about helping the two better understand each other. And he articulates what he's doing in such a manner that those who are watching can learn, too. Even without the showmanship, Buck's remarkable skills have not gone unnoticed. In fact, the main character in Robert Redford's film The Horse Whisperer was based largely on him, and he served as the director's technical adviser during the shoot. Then later, designer / photographer Cindy Meehl took her troubled horse to one of Buck's clinics. She was so inspired that she she ended up deciding to make a film documenting his teachings. That's a fascinating story in itself, as the resulting Buck film was so well received that Meehl went on to produce the 7 Clinics series, that outline in even greater detail the specifics of Buck Brannaman's teachings.

The Faraway Horses Book is Buck Brannaman's fascinating and poignant account of his life from an abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses.
quotation mark left
These principles are really about life - about living your life so you're not at war with the horse, or with other people,"   Buck writes. At heart, this rich and rewarding autobiography is ultimately a prescription for living a harmonious existence - whether it involves horses or not. 

Buck DVD
BUCK DVD - Sale HALF PRICE
- only $12.49!
 
Nearly every week of the year, Buck Brannaman is on the road, conducting horsemanship clinics. Some of what's depicted in the BUCK DVD is a behind-the-scenes look at his life on the road. Can you imagine? Traveling to a new city every week, with your necessary belongings in a camper, and your horses in tow? Each clinic bringing an unknown set of horses and riders, each with a myriad of issues that must be assessed and hopefully a recipe for helping them concocted - all on the fly, by the seat of his pants - and in a manner that keeps everybody safe? Plus, he's expected to talk about what he's doing so the rest of the crowd can understand what's happening and learn, too. OMG, I couldn't even remember everyone's names! Anyway, he does bring his family along on some of his clinics. His wife and three daughters also give their accounts of what life is like for a horse clinician on the road. It's obvious that he's steered his life in a much different direction than did his own father: 
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Abused horses are like abused children. They trust no one and expect the worst. But patience, leadership, compassion and firmness can help them overcome their pasts."

Gina's note: Both the book and DVD (Buck) are based on Buck Brannaman's life and his philosophy for working with horses. Both are fascinating in their own right, but if you're inclined to read - the book fleshes out a great deal of details about the man that the film can't fit in. I recommend both as a set to fully appreciate the story. This is our third year carrying the BUCK DVD - it was immensely popular - I based my fall buying based on previous order history. But when the 7 Clinics DVD Series came out last fall, interest switched to those and we ended up overstocked on BUCK.
 
To order, click here 
All Greeting Cards - HALF PRICE!  
All fall/winter we take calls from budget-minded farriers and other equine professionals - trying to decide if it's worth the cost to send Christmas cards to their clients. If you're one of those - now might be the time to reconsider.

Anyone who has been getting this newsletter for very long probably has noticed that we aren't doing big sale promotions every time you turn around. We pretty much need to sell everything at regular price in order to stay in business. We are not Wal-Mart, and we hope that low prices are not the reason folks shop with us.
 
However, when we DO have sales, I try to make them memorable. And this one falls into that category, I hope. A special reward for those out there who are clever enough to anticipate how many cards they might need at Christmas time, AND organized enough to REMEMBER that they've already purchased them and WHERE they put them. That's not me. But I know you folks exist - I've heard stories...

This sale ends June 30, some of the card designs are low inventory and will NOT be reprinted, so make your selections early. To see them click here.

Chores in barn card closeup Shown here is one of our Christmas Cards that marked a historic moment; #CIB is the first card we've ever done that has NOT had a horse, dog, or something farrier-related on it. But I saw this lovely picture of a barn in the driving snow at night - it made me shiver with thoughts of the days that I know are coming. The shot was taken by Christina Handley & Laura Cotterman - and I knew it was perfect for this wording:

This holiday Season, as you go about your chores in the barn, remember... That the place God chose for the birth of His only son was not a church, or a palace, but the home of animals - a stable.

Also, PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE read carefully the wording options available for the insides of the cards when you order. The website defaults to withOUT "thank you for your business" - but some cards are ONLY available WITH this option, so if you click those, that's what you're going to get. You're Supposed to Have A Button Nose, Rejoice! and Peace on Earth are 4 examples of cards that are ONLY available WITH thank you. To get started click 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.

Copper HoofPrint Pony Bead Bracelets - colors 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. 

The 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
Happy Father's Day to my Dad!
Buck Brannaman - another great Dad
Greeting Cards HALF PRICE
Summer Cleaning Sales
HALF PRICE
Pharaoh's Horses Print
Pharaoh's Horses with type
This old-time favorite picture has been updated by HoofPrints with a carefully researched block of illustrated history and trivia at the bottom. More info here
HALF PRICE
Rose Quartz Jewelry
Pony Girl Rose Quartz Necklace
Rose quartz is a stone of healing powers, of unconditional love and infinite peace. It's said to draw off negative energy and replace it with loving vibes. It helps with releasing unexpressed emotions and heartache, soothes internalized pain and heals deprivation. See our rose quartz jewelry here
I Make Horse Calls Books

"I was so grateful for the care the gentle senior student took with Pischka that day. ... I will not forget the thoroughness of that student, and would emulate her when I entered practice. I would never dismiss an owner's complaint, because I remember how I felt when vets dismissed Pischka's illness, never trying to find out what made Pischka so sick." -from Horse Calls, available here
Leather Treat Pouch
Leather Treat Pouch
Perfect for your phone, keys, horse treats, and more (one HoofPrints customer tells us she uses her's to carry her .38 on late night trips to the barn!  Whatever the use, it's a great deal at only $19.95! Order here 
WHAT'S ON SALE?
Hold Your Horses T
Hold Your Horses T
See our T-shirt selection here
BELOW HALF PRICE!
clay dog plaque
"Hug" clay plaque
Regular price $14.50
now only $4.99 here
WHAT'S NEW
SALE on Summer T's
3 horsey t-shirts
Cool Summer weight
Horsey T-shirts less than $10 each here
LONG TALL LIST
~ for Horsewomen ~
Long Tall List of Things To Do
Horsewoman's Long Tall List of Things to Do here
I Know Great Horses Live Again
Great Horses Framed Verse 2013
Somewhere...somewhere in time's own space
There must be some sweet pastured place
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow
Some Paradise where horses go.
For by the love that guides my pen
I know great horses live again.
Order the Great Horses custom framed verse here
WHAT'S NEW?
Spiritual Book
Desiderata cover
Desiderata for Horse Lovers makes a great gift! order here
BOOKMARKS
~ 50% OFF! ~
Bookmarks Composite
A Rider's Prayer, A Dog Lover's Prayer & Use Your Talents Bookmarks just 99� here
Message

I LOVE hearing from customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner
Gina Keesling via email at gina@hoofprints.com
 
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
 
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Memorable Quote:

Dakota and Abby English halter
A while back I shared a farrier gossip story 
about a family who took in a horse with major issues. This guy had been traumatized on multiple levels and was extremely reactive to any attempt to handle him. He was dangerous and they had to sedate him heavily just to trim his feet. Full story here.
 
The family's young daughter Abby made a project of working with Dakota and he's improved tremendously. I sent a note to Abby's mom, letting her know that the whole world (well, at least HoofPrints' newsletter subscribers) would be reading about their success, and here's her reply:
"Abby and Dakota are doing GREAT, as a matter of fact they are at the Area 6 Horsemanship camp this week. One of the instructors sent me a text last night that I will cherish for years to come. 'You daughter and her horse have a bond that I seldom see - they are one, and will excel to great heights; I am enjoying working with them'"  
Isn't that cool? The part I like best is that this is not some amazing horse guru's success story about "fixing" an unfixable horse. It's a young girl - doing it by herself with a whole lot of determination, patience, and love. We sell stacks of books outlining specific methods for working with horses to get good results - but none of these methods can replace patience and love. Way to go Abby and Dakota! 

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)