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HoofPrints Newsletter
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July 10, 2015
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THINGS NOT TO SAY TO A HOT, TIRED FARRIER
It's been about ten years since I first asked my farrier newsletter subscribers to submit their most dreaded things to hear on the job. I had a pretty good start on the list as I remembered all the things that were said to my husband as he did his work, attempted to stay safe, AND make a living, too. Ultimately, I received more than enough Things Not To Say to fill four T-shirts, a Coffee Mug, a Calendar, and a Magnet.
But it gets better... |
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California Farrier Mike Hayward has apparently heard more than just a few of these phrases, too, so trainer, customer, and wife Amber Lydic was inspired to put together this hilarious video that showcases, oh, about four hundred:
Owner:
"Oh my gosh! Is he bleeding?"
Farrie r:
"No, don't worry, it's me."
Owner:
"Oh, you scared me..."(farrier is spraying horse - owner runs up...) "No! No! No! He's allergic to fly spray..."
(grabs fly spray, whacks horse with fly swatter) "Got one! Don't worry, he's used to it."
Owner:
"I used my last check at the vet."
Farrie r: "I take credit cards, debit cards..."
Owner:
"You know, the funny thing is, the horse you just shod; I actually just bought. I maxed my credit card out buying him."
Owner:
"Do you have time for one more? I gotta rope tonight."
Farrie r:
"It's been a long day, I could do a better job when I can see..."
Owner:
"I've been meaning to call... Look, I brought you a head lamp to wear."
These are just highlights, you can watch the whole video here. Thanks to Mike and Amber (and the rest of the gang - credits are at the end) for taking the time to put this together.
Amber is owner-operator at HD Equestrian CenterMike's farrier website is Mike Hayward Horseshoeing
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NATIONAL FARRIERS WEEK
Farriers work hard year-round to provide quality hoof care for horses worldwide.
17 years ago, to honor their dedication and service, American Farriers Journal created National Farriers Week. The Journal's "Farriers Spotlight" is an online-exclusive compilation dedicated to showcasing some of the many farriers in the industry. The farriers featured there were either submitted by members of the equine community worldwide, or were stories sent in by farriers about what they are doing in the industry.
There are plenty of photos, videos and anecdotes for you to read and see. Be sure to share this with your family and friends, and give your own "thank you" to our beloved farriers in the comments section here or on any of the individual farrier pages that follow. For more info click here  True to form with their reputation for posting excellent, useful equine care content, SmartPak is celebrating National Farriers Week in style with their latest blog post: "Sure, you already know the saying, "no hoof, no horse." We would add to that, "no farrier, no hoof!" Your hoof care professional is an invaluable member of your horse's health team, so don't forget to show your gratitude for his/her hard work during National Farriers Week!"To see SmartPak's top 10 tips for being a great client for your farrier, click here
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Things not to say to a hot, tired farrier - ABOUT MONEY!
I've gotten a lot of mileage out of this series - filling 4 t-shirts and a mug with Things not to say to a hot, tired farrier; it never fails to get a chuckle. Farriers all over have heard these (or variations thereof) on a daily basis for most of their careers. Farriers have told me that wearing our shirts on the job has actually helped improve the behavior of some of their inconsiderate clients.
Shown here are 13 that I hand-picked concerning the subject of money. The illustration is by Lesley Bruce and the poor farrier certainly looks hot and tired as he struggles to hold up the leaning horse with the owner asleep at the lead. We mailed postcard magnets printed with this art as a promotional effort last year, and since then have been inundated with requests to purchase them. I had some more printed and they are only $1.00 for 4 - order here.
There is a special perspective that comes with being self-employed (especially if that employment involves back-breaking labor) A great sense of humor is one of them. Another is the wisdom and wherewithal to interact pleasantly with others on a personal and professional level, no matter what's going on reciprocally. While we all know of cranky farriers who've got a chip on their shoulder from hearing all the annoying owner comments, most of you have a level of maturity that lets you focus your efforts on doing the job at hand, rather than continually chafing at others' rude behavior.
And that's pretty cool.
Here at HoofPrints, I use an outside Call Center to answer our phones when I am out of the office. This has proven to be much better than an answering machine as the call center staff can take orders, relay messages and answer questions for callers after hours. Often, though, the calls they get are from folks who've come home at the end of a day to the unhappy situation of a damaged package or incorrect shipment - and they need to talk to someone about rectifying the problem. Call Center Plus is a fairly large company, and the owner has told me on more than one occasion that HOOFPRINTS' CUSTOMERS (that's you all) are BY FAR the best to deal with of any of the companies they answer phones for. Bar none. We already knew that - but it's nice to be reminded - and I wanted to pass along the compliment. Thanks for being great customers! |
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ALL CHRISTMAS CARDS HALF PRICE Through July 19, 2015
I HATE IT when companies have sales - and bombard your inbox every day... but it must be effective, because they all do it. Or maybe the person whose in charge of the email marketing needs something to do? Here at HoofPrints, I have plenty to do. In fact right now I should be working on a new sales brochure for fall. It's a monstrous project that is almost too scary to begin... so I busy myself with other things that could be deemed important - but ultimately won't be if the brochure doesn't get done. Anyway, I do want everyone to have a chance to try our cards for almost nothing... a pack of 10 is just $3.98! You have until midnight July 19. To order click
All fall and winter I 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 I'm not doing big sale promotions every time you turn around. I pretty much need to sell everything at regular price in order to stay in business. We are not Wal-Mart, and I hope that low prices are not the main reason folks shop at HoofPrints.com.
However, when I 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...
 Shown above is one of the all-time favorite FARRIER cards; HO! HO! HO!. It's one of the very first created, and it showcases in a somewhat humorous light the "dark" side of farriery. We all know that yelling "HO!" at a difficult horse is probably not the most effective way to convince him to hold still, but people do it anyway. This one depicts an escalating mele� between horse and farrier with a batman-esque altercation at the end. You can order that here.
This glorious sale ends July 19, some of the card designs are low inventory and will NOT be reprinted, so make your selections early. To see them click here.
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The Dollar Sale continues, but this time I've added a stash of ONE OF A KIND ITEMS! I know I just sent a newsletter a few days ago. Please bear with me as I have a bit of a clutter conniption. I promise I won't make a habit of it...
This week, at a time when most normal people were gearing up for a fun holiday weekend, for some reason I was spazzing over all the clutter in the warehouse. In a fit of relative craziness, I've marked some pretty good stuff down to $1.00 or less. A lot of it sold already, but I replaced with more! There are now about a dozen ONE OF A KIND things on the Half Price Page that are insanely good deals at half price or below. Some are discontinued so not to be had anywhere else at any price! To see them click 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.
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 are 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.
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Here's what we talked about last time
Last newsletter is here ALL newsletters are 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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WHAT'S HALF PRICE?
Farrier Air Fresheners!
Farrier Air Fresheners include Money, Leather, and Sport Fresh here
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FARRIER TRAVEL MUG
For those whose tool kit includes morning coffee, we have the perfect cup to take on the road. BIG 16 oz capacity, slim shape with no handle fits cup holders without problem. Rubber sealed lid - for leak free fit. Insulated and lined with stainless steel. Imprinted with our Tools of the Trade logo. Order here
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Embroidered Farrier Garments are most accurate and detailed available
Read how and why here
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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
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DON'T do it yourself
FARRIER COASTERS
No farriers were harmed in the making of these coasters. To order click here
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Look Professional
On The Job
Sturdy cotton golf shirts look and feel great! See our complete selection here
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Farriers Traveling Desk
Corral your paperwork on the road! And it's HALF the cost of the previous version here
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MADE IN USA
Custom Business Cards for FARRIERS
Full color business cards professionally designed to your specifications - dozens of logos to choose from here
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MADE IN USA
Blacksmith Shop Sign
See this and all our signs here
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MADE IN USA:
A CRAPPY MUG!
Same sh*t different day
mug here
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The Natural Superiority of Mules
Brand new updated second edition covers everything you ever wanted to know about mules. Order here
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The Doctor is In Horse Thermometer
Measures a big 17" tall and under $15.00! Order here
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This Hug's For You
Equine Sympathy Cards here
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SUMMER HORSEY Ts
3 Summery Horsey T-shirts less than $15 each 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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Message
I love hearing from customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling via email at gina@hoofprints.com |
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FREE SAMPLES FOR FARRIERS!
Try HoofPrints best-selling, most useful Farrier Business helpers for FREE
OK kids, last time I tried this it was a disaster - people who didn't even like horses were grabbing stuff up like hoarders. Let's see if it goes better this time on the new website. I've created a page of 8 FREE sample products for farriers. Place an order for samples to try (shipping is FREE on samples) or add some to your regular order of other items.
There is a limit of one each of the FREE items. (Yes, you can trick the website into letting you order more, but I will only send one of each.) This is a limited time, experimental offer. It's intended to offer folks a no-cost opportunity to try out our products. It may be discontinued at any time, so act now!
See all the freebies here |
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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"While you're here, would you mind trimming my new BLM Mustang?"
