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HoofPrints Newsletter
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April 28, 2015
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Whenever something new comes along, I feature it in a newsletter
Somehow, these nifty coasters never got their deserved accolades.
As the wife of a former farrier, I know very well how the drill plays out when it comes to using horseshoes for purposes other than protecting horses' hooves. We'd spy some clever object (like these) fashioned using horseshoes. My husband would look at the price on said clever object, and in abject horror forbid me to pay that, 'cause he could make one up himself for nothing but a little time. And, without being asked, he'd add it to his long list of projects. What a dilemma for me - I wanted the clever object, but I didn't want add more work to his already long list. While I know there are certainly farriers out there who do indeed make lovely things from used horseshoes, I suspect there are many more who are like my husband, with trucks to fix, lawns to mow, hay to put up (and more) after all the horses are trimmed and shod for the day...
So, for as long as I can remember, I have championed products that LOOK LIKE they're made with repurposed horseshoes
but instead are commercially produced. I am a pretty tough sell as far as accuracy goes, and these coasters certainly pass with flying colors.
This set of four horseshoe coasters have a non-skid leather-look neoprene "pad" inside each one to protect your furniture against sweating glasses. The "corral" they come with is just that - a wood-look resin corral with a detailed western saddle and cowboy hat thrown in for good measure - you can zoom in and see here. They're made of resin, so they're not heavy, they won't rust, and they can be cleaned with soap and water if need be. No farriers were harmed in the making of these coasters. To order click here
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Inspirational Verse
Don't Sell Your Saddle
Don't give up on dreams.
Take time to see 'em through.
There are no easy trails.
Hard work makes dreams come true.
You'll make it through tough times.
Friends will stick like glue.
Don't ever sell your saddle,
Dreams won't give up on you.
This unique picture and verse by Don Bishop is laser engraved on leather and framed in aromatic red cedar by a real lumber mill in Yukon, Oklahoma. It measures 10"x12" overall. To order click here
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Laminated Horse Anatomy Charts
These charts are great educational aids - for 4-H all the way up to vet offices.
Remember last fall, when I was so excited about the features on the all-new website? I talked about that here, and showcasing these charts is an area where the mechanics of the new site really shines. For years, I'd get calls and emails from customers asking if a chart shows details of a specific region - and with the new zoom feature, it's easy to see a closeup of the WHOLE THING! (can you tell I am excited?)
These durable, laminated anatomy charts have been a perennial favorite here at HoofPrints, and we have 13 to choose from, along with some money saving sets. The "antique" versions (shown here) are faithful reproductions of antique drawings, meticulously and colorfully done, they're as much educational as works of art. The WC charts are modern depictions that show current terms and treatment modalities.
Understanding the mechanics and workings of the body Equus has long been a passion of man. Leonardo Da Vinci sketched volumes of anatomy studies of the horse. The renowned horse painter George Stubbs was so dedicated to the study of anatomy that he produced an extensive book of drawings on the subject. In order to study the anatomy firsthand, Stubbs dissected horse cadavers in his house - a house that he had to rent far from neighbors so as not to offend them with the smell of the decaying specimens. His works are still used for reference - his careful documentation of the dissection from the skin through the muscles and finally to the bones is as detailed and accurate as any work produced today.
These laminated charts are perfect for: � Educational aids - from 4H/Pony club - the veterinary teaching classroom
� Visual aids for talks and seminars - farriers and vets find these invaluable
� Office decor - for veterinarian or farrier
To see the complete selection of educational items, click here.
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Positive training for hoof handling
Last time, I shared a story about a pretty young mare who got off on the wrong foot (metaphorically) at her new home (ours) because of her fractious behavior while being shod. I received a number of emails from newsletter subscribers, asking my advice on training difficult horses for hoof handling. I am NOT an expert, but I DO know that what we did all those years ago with that mare was not very effective. In my journey from that point forward, I've observed a lot of new and interesting methods to appear to be very useful. At this juncture in my life, my interactions with horses are greatly influenced by the motivation to stay in one piece. For me, this means not taking unnecessary risks by getting into fights that I might not win. Positive training methods have proven to be an excellent alternative (for me). For those new to positive training, it basically involves rewarding correct behavior and ignoring incorrect (or "bad") responses withOUT correcting or punishing. It can be a novel idea - as most of us have been counseled that allowing misbehavior will perpetuate and even encourage it.
Shown here is a still from a video illustrating how to teach a horse to have his feet handled. This is a yearling stud colt, and it's his first time with this experience - he has only been halter trained for a few days and was previously completely feral. Be sure to listen to the narration.
Part 1 shows the handler patiently trying to pick up the foot, while the horse moves around, jerks it away, paws, and even acts like he's thinking about biting her. There are dozens of instances where many folks would have whacked that dude for being a turd. After all, who wants to let a horse think it's EVER okay to throw a foot in any direction when you reach down to pick it up?! But, grit your teeth and keep watching. Listen to her descriptions of what's happening. After just 7 minutes he's doing much better. Not great, but better. And with no battle.
Part 2 shows even more improvement. He's moving around less, is less anxious about what's happening, and lets her hold his foot up a LOT longer. So - a total of 12 minutes spent here - with pretty good results. It's interesting to see this kind of training applied to horses. It's been used effectively for many years on animals that can't be physically overpowered or punished. How do you punish a dolphin? Or wrestle that foot away from an uncooperative elephant? You don't. So people came up with smarter ways to convince these creatures to comply with requests. Fran Jurga's Hoofblog has a great picture of an elephant offering up it's foot (hoof? toe?) for trimming here.
Gina's note: "Punishment based training is so deeply rooted that when I started exploring alternative methods I was absolutely lost. When the option of whacking somebody that was misbehaving or disrespectful was eliminated - I didn't know WHAT to do. It's been an interesting journey, to say the least. The good news is, while my horses are not exactly Cavalia contenders these days, my lack of whacking did NOT lead to the lawlessness that I was always warned about. They're not dangerous, disrespectful monsters. They really, really like me. They're interested in what I am doing, and what I might be asking of them next. I'd like them to be learning more, and a little more quickly - but I think that lack of progress is my ineptitude. When I finally figure out how to convey an idea - with appropriate commands, rewards and timing of said reward - my horses and dogs are always there waiting for me "what took you so long?" It's pretty cool.
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EVEN MORE ITEMS ADDED to HALF PRICE SALE!
Clutter busting continues at HoofPrints
My efforts to clear the warehouse (and my 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 website/flyer. And the rest have got to go! Only one of each available so act fast if you see something you like. The image shown here is what was available at the time this newsletter was sent. All prices on this page are at least 50% off retail. The red SALE! tag doesn't show if a product has size or color options. Don't know why. Don't know how to fix it...
*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.
Half Price JEWELRY is 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.
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 overstocks, items that are being phased out - still lots of good deals to be had there, too
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Here's what we talked about last time
Last newsletter is here ALL newsletters are here
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FARRIER GOLF SHIRT
Edwin Landseer's "Shoeing The Bay Mare" image makes an appearance in embroidery on a sturdy, professional looking golf shirt here
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GINA'S BLOG
Fun on the Farm
read the latest happenings in the Keesling household, involving construction, destruction, remodeling adventures and general wreckage here
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MADE IN USA
Wood Blacksmith Sign
See this and all our signs here
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MADE IN USA:
DC Metals Steel Cross Pendant
 This makes a great gift for a man, but it's not too big for a woman to wear, either. To order click here |
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MADE IN USA
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
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MADE IN USA
Horse Woman's Balm
A great product that DOES WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO!
Order here
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MADE IN USA
Horsewoman's Note Pad
Horse Woman's LONG TALL LIST of things to do here
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MADE IN USA:
A CRAPPY MUG!
Same sh*t different day
mug here
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MADE IN USA
Riding for a Cure
See HoofPrints breast cancer awareness products here |
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MADE IN USA
Tooled Leather Bracelet
Features braided rawhide, engraved heart and fancy buckle. Only $19.95 here
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HALF PRICE AND PRINTED IN USA: "Pharaoh's Horses"
20x26 Print with history and trivia article included is available here
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PRINTED IN USA:
This Hug's For You
Equine Sympathy Cards here
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Copper HoofPrint Bracelets in 7 colors!
Hand tied right here at HoofPrints - see them all 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 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.
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Share our emails
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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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