It took a long time to sort out how I wanted to word it - in a way that reflects my hopes and dreams for my interactions with horses these days. It's not about perfecting a certain movement, or winning a ribbon, or beating a time. These days it's more about just getting out there and enjoying the simple things.

 CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA: Shiny Pink Gift Bag

Such is the case with Leslie Guttman. In researching her first nonfiction book, the author/journalist spent a year chronicling the everyday activities at famed Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. The result of her efforts - Equine ER was a huge success. I think she did an incredible job documenting what she saw. Equine ER is much more than just an account of shocking injuries and illnesses, repaired / cured at the 11th hour by a team of the best equine veterinarians. Leslie adds a degree of observation and insight to the stories that make this book one of my favorites. But while she was watching emergency surgeries, riding along on farm calls, and interviewing vets who'd just been kicked for the umpteenth time, she was noticing something else there in the Bluegrass. The tack. "I had never seen such high-quality leather goods outside of Italy," Guttman says. She arranged to have a dog collar and a purse custom made (in horse tack style) by a Kentucky saddle maker. When strangers kept stopping her, asking where she'd gotten these lovely pieces - because they wanted them, too, Guttman was inspired to start her own leather goods company - daisy1010.
The company's first product is equestrian style dog collars. Like the handmade bridles for thoroughbred racehorses, daisy1010's custom dog collars have a brass plate - engraved with your dog's name and a phone number if desired. These are handcrafted in Kentucky using the finest quality leather. Also matching the bridles used on valuable, thin-skinned thoroughbreds, they are padded for comfort, and all surfaces that touch the dog are smooth and soft. They come in two main leather colors (black or brown) and your choice of several different snazzy accent colors. Matching leashes are available, too. "The goal with daisy1010 is to make beautiful things that last," says Guttman. I first ran this story last year. At that time, Leslie was not offering collars for small dogs. I wanted to order one for my Jack Russell Terrier Lucy, so inquired about the smaller size. Leslie and her leatherworker put their heads together, and worked out the details for scaling down these lovely collars. Keeping the elegant look AND managing the materials in such a way that they remained pliable and comfortable for a tiny neck presented a special set of challenges. I sent in my measurements, and a couple weeks later it arrived! I am thrilled with the result. All the details are perfect, and the fit is exact. It's smooth on all the inside edges, and not one bit clunky like thick leather could be on a 12" dog. When I put the new treasure on Lucy, she promptly took it for a test drive in the woodpile. And later, in the pond. I was horrified to see the collar get wet - but then it occurred to me that horses get their tack sweaty all the time and people don't think a thing about it. I dried it off when she emerged from the water and it remained as new. Lucy's worn her collar daily for over a year now, and it's lovelier and softer than ever!

Leslie is offering a special discount for HoofPrints newsletter subscribers. Enter FRIENDOFGINA at checkout, and you'll get a $10 discount on each collar that you order! Offer ends December 1 - this is the last day to order for Christmas delivery. The discount also applies to gift cards - so you can reserve a collar as a gift without knowing the size and color preferences. To get started click here

Even if you're not in the market for a new collar for your dog right now, do take a moment to sign up for Leslie's newsletter. Her prototype collar was developed for her own dog, a standard poodle named Daisy. Like all of us, Daisy has issues. And she's teaching Leslie about life through their adventures. They're just getting started, so you can get in at the beginning of the story here.

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