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HoofPrints Newsletter
January 15, 2015
WHAT'S UP WITH THE PINK SALE?
January has historically been the month for HoofPrints Customer Appreciation Sale. For new subscribers, the Customer Appreciation Sale consisted of a storewide discount on every product HoofPrints sells. The sale pricing was activated by entering a simple coupon code in the shopping cart. Easy-peasy, right? Well, not really. My dear subscribers (that's you all) would read about the cool stuff I was featuring, click the links and place their orders. WithOUT remembering to put in the code. No matter how BIG, BOLD, BRIGHT COLORED, whatever, my reminders were - most didn't remember to do that part. Because so many of you have taken the time to send me personal comments over the years, I recognize your name(s) when you order. Soooo - with each order that was missing the awesome discount, I'd go back in and manually apply it when I processed the paperwork. 
However, with the change to the new, improved website (details here) it's a lot trickier to be changing up pricing on orders once they're submitted. So, this year, instead of the storewide discount, I'm giving you my VERY BEST DISCOUNT possible on a whole lot of customer favorites.
No coupon codes to apply - all you have to remember is to order BEFORE February 15. 


GREAT GIFT IDEA
Tuff Chix Pink Winter Fleece Gloves
 
These are one of my favorite products.
If you've been following HoofPrints for very long you know that I don't suffer products that fail to perform. I test everything that comes through the door to make sure it is, indeed, exactly as I am representing it.

IronClad's Tough Chix fleece gloves aren't your average girly pink gloves that you'd pick up at Wal-Mart, wear for a season and then toss because they've fallen apart. These are engineered by a manufacturer known for it's durable men's work gloves. They applied all that experience making good looking, good fitting gloves to these women's gloves.

Shown here are two pair that I personally have been wearing for a few years now. One pair is the original sample that I ordered from the manufacturer to try out. The second pair was returned by a customer who wore them for a while and then claimed they didn't keep her hands warm. Now, to clarify: if you live somewhere like North Dakota and are doing chores for hours in -20 degree weather, then these are not the gloves for you. But for the rest of us who don't encounter such extremes these really fit the bill. They're soft, flexible, and give you a LOT of dexterity for a winter glove. I can personally fasten all the necessary buckles needed to tack up and ride without taking them off. I can wrangle supplement bucket lids, dip and measure rations, coil up a muddy, recalcitrant hose - pretty much anything I need to do in the barn. And more: the back sliding door to my barn gets stuck when the ground freezes. Because of the way it's situated, normal digging implements just won't work to clear out the extra dirt and gravel that's accumulated and is heaving up, blocking the way. The best way to do it is with my fingers. I hack at the frozen stuff with a pick to break it up, then rake it all out of the groove with my fingers. I'd say that it's expecting a lot for a pair of $24. gloves to hold up to that kind of treatment for very long, but these two have survived the ritual without apparent wear. The top picture shows what they look like after a few week's hard labor - the bottom pair just came out of the washer. Yes, they clean up that good. To order Tuff Chix Winter Fleece Gloves, click here.  

Tuff Chix Pink Chore Gloves 
These have their own BIG STORY, too. I hated them when I first got the sample. I had it in my stash for quite a while, and I was disappointed that the fingers were a little too long. They were the correct size for me, and I have average hands, so I was concerned that there would be fit problems with my customers. And the material they were made of is so thin - I didn't see how they could possibly hold up to hard use. This surprised me, as the Tuff Chix fleece winter version by the same manufacturer is perfect in every way - fit, durability, design - nothing could be any better. I figured they just dropped the ball on these and tossed the sample back on the shelf after trying them on.

However, I had a big landscaping project to do the other day, so dug these out and forced myself to wear them - long fingers and all... By the time I finished I was sold. They'd sort of molded to my hands and the finger length problem went away! I was cutting rose bushes and scooping debris out of landscaping rock - these performed perfectly. I love them.

And now that I've worn them to do hot, sweaty work I have a different view of that fabric that I thought seemed flimsy. It's not flimsy, it's breathable. And that is a good thing. The backs are a nice mesh that lets the air through while still protecting your hands, there's a strip of extra padding over the knuckles. Palms are a suede-like synthetic that grips like leather but washes up a lot better. The sides of the fingers are another material - thinner, but still very protective. Very well designed and constructed gloves that beat leather hands down.

My customers tell me these are great for grooming, building fence, baling hay and other farm chores, gardening, and even riding! To order Tuff Chix Chore Gloves, click here   
 

ON SALE!
The Thermal Sherpa Lined Hood that gets rave reviews
We are so excited about these details that I didn't picture here the embroidered horse logo that's on the left chest, but instead a closeup of the wonderful textures that this jacket has.

This heavy hooded sweatshirt could double for a coat on all but the coldest days. The outer shell is constructed of thermal fabric, and it's lined with plush sherpa throughout. The seams are fashioned so that a bit of sherpa peeks through, for a casual, two-tone effect. It's cotton/poly blend so no shrinking, and it washes and dries beautifully with no special attention (yes, we tested it). The neck is taped to hold it's shape and minimize scratchiness against your neck. Zipper and eyelets are metal, and the drawstring on the hood is beefy enough to stay tied. We've embroidered it with our wind horse logo. Sizing on this one is very generous - so those of you who were needing larger sizes than we normally offer may want to give this one a second look.

HoofPrints customer Jessica P. loves hers:
quotation mark left I received my jacket just 1 day after it was shipped! Awesome!! It looks sooo great and is absolutely the warmest, softest, and best jacket I have ever ordered! Thank you so much! I will be keeping the catalog that was sent to me and placing more orders as needed. I love this jacket! Have I said that before? Lol. Anyway...thanks again and remember you can't always make everyone happy, but you sure made me happy!!"

 Regularly priced at $59.99 - I've marked the Wildberry version of this jacket down by $12. here

Horsewoman's Balm
VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT IDEA 
Horse Woman's Balm

A great product that DOES WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO! The 3 ounce tin doesn't sound like much, but I have been using out of the SAME tin since it arrived here a couple years ago as a prototype.  It's made especially for us by the folks at Little Moon Essentials - they make the

This special balm is formulated specifically to be soothing and healing to skin AND pleasant smelling to horses. As it turns out, we think it smells pretty good, too. Laura at Little Moon did considerable research, and even consulted an animal communicator friend as she worked on the formula. The result is a fragrant blend of lavender, sage, cinnamon, and oat extract in an emollient base of cocoa butter, vitamin E and essential oils. This stuff is great for dry skin, ragged cuticles, cracked heels, etc. And the scent stays there long after the balm has been absorbed - withOUT being too strong or overpowering. These are super-high quality ingredients and a little dab goes a long way.


And, like the rest of our products, we test this ourselves (more about R&D here). This particular product was put through it's paces quite a bit this fall. Most people don't think about cardboard being a drying agent to skin. But it is. Anyone who handles boxes all day will testify to that. It strips the oils right out of your hands, scuffs them, scratches them... ever get a paper cut from cardboard? It hurts badly - and is a nightmare to get healed.

So, as I entered January my hands were really feeling challenged after handling so many boxes. Then, the side of beef that we'd spoken for from a local farmer was ready to be picked up at the processing house. We always can a portion of our meat (in quart glass Ball jars) so there's a ready supply of pre-cooked meat on hand for fast meals. It's great for vegetable soup, barbecue, beef manhattan, beef & noodles, etc. Just open the jar and heat. But getting it to that point requires a bit of work. The meat comes in chunks from the butcher unfrozen in big plastic bags. The procedure after that is to stuff the raw meat into clean jars, put on the lids, and pressure cook each batch for the required time. Do you have any idea how many times a person washes their hands in hot, soapy water while processing 80 pounds of meat? Me neither, but it's a LOT. Between the physical effort required to pack the cold meat tightly into the jars, along with being wet/washed/dried over and over - my hands were a mess at the end of the day. All I had to do was slather on some Horse Woman's Balm at bedtime and they were like new in the morning. Whatever is in this stuff is what hands need - that's for sure. The great thing is, too, you can use a little - or a lot. For minor dryness, a little dab makes a thin film that absorbs quickly and doesn't feel greasy. For major dryness like I was having - you can use quite a bit so it continues to "feed" your skin as it soaks in overnight.

So, if the price on this discouraged you from trying it in the past - reconsider giving it a shot now - you won't regret it. I've marked the 3 oz tin size down by 20% (regular price $29.95 - SALE PRICE $23.96) - to order, click here
ON SALE 
A Woman's Place
Is On A Horse
I can't get enough of singing the praises of vests in general.
Vests are the best because they give you so much more freedom about the arms than a regular coat. Paired with the sweatshirt or longsleeve T
of your choice, you've got more options for climate control, too. If you start to overheat (as often is the case with me) you can take off the vest without getting chilled until you cool down. This is not really an option with a heavy coat as then you get too cold.
 Shown at left is the wardrobe staple that's with me as soon as it starts to get cool outside. This soft fleece vest has a flattering, slimming cut and lots of details; zippered pockets, adjustable elastic hem, longer tail in the back for better coverage. With the insanely cold temps we've been having here lately, our 1880's farmhouse has been more than chilly. Pair that with a thermostat war of sorts as propane prices have skyrocketed - and I am throwing vests at everybody in the house. "Here, put this on. It'll solve everything." and it does. Vests are a better solution than piling on another long-sleeve layer. The biggie for me is the collar. If my neck is cold then the whole rest of me is cold. But, being of a certain age - wearing a turtleneck is NOT the answer. Because in 5 minutes I may be overheated. This radical temperature fluctuation is easily solved with the stand-up (or not) vest collar and zipper. In two seconds I can be wearing a turtleneck of sorts - or a v-neck - depending on whether I am chilling or sweating. This pink fleece vest is ON SALE for only $23.95 - pretty cheap really, for personal climate control. Vests are available in 2 colors here. ***NOTE - be sure to check the size charts to verify that you're getting the perfect size, and especially note the arm hole measurements. These tend to run a bit on the small side***

VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT IDEA: 
SOMETHING FOR YOUR TIRED OLD ASS
It's an exhaustion "Survival Kit"
for Farriers, Horse Owners, Mule Owners... 
and other hard working folk... 
The "Tired Old Ass Pack" Rejuvenating Survival Kit is just the thing for all the weary bodies you know (including your own)

It consists of four carefully formulated products, each geared to warm your tired bones, relax your aching muscles, soothe your chapped skin, and calm your frazzled mind. What more could any farrier, vet or horse owner need? With each pack you get: 
 
Tired Old Ass Splash - after shave/energizing mist 
Tired Old Ass Soak - aromatherapy mineral bath salt 
Ass Kisser Salve - sports rub for sore muscles 
Tired Old Ass Cream - energizing lotion

These delightful smelling all-natural products are made in Colorado, USA by a small, woman-owned "microblendery" body care company.  The scent is a pleasant one - and suitable for a man or a woman. Regular price on these is $24.95, they're on sale for just $19.96 through Valentine's Day. To order click here 
 
LIFE IS TOUGH...
No doubt about it. Seems like the past months have been tougher than usual for a lot of folks.
A few minutes browsing Facebook confirms that fact - from a myriad of tragic happenings worldwide, to those right here at home.
An unfortunate side effect to all this trauma and angst is the apparent lack of patience and understanding with each other. After you get done reading all the stories of tragedy, sickness and loss - then you get to the cranky comments thrown at each other. I wrote about that in this newsletter.

At any rate, I think author Judith Orloff has the right idea concerning this phenomenon of global angst and crankiness: 
"Emotional freedom means learning how to stay centered in a stressful, highly emotionally charged world. Since emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration are energies, you can potentially "catch" them from people without realizing it.

If you tend to be an emotional sponge, it's vital to know how to avoid taking on an individual's negative emotions or the free-floating kind in crowds. Another twist is that chronic anxiety, depression, or stress can turn you into an emotional sponge by wearing down your defenses. Suddenly, you become hyper-attuned to others, especially those with similar pain. That's how empathy works; we zero in on hot-button issues that are unresolved in ourselves. From an energetic standpoint, negative emotions can originate from several sources. What you're feeling may be your own; it may be someone else's; or it may be a combination." 

Read the rest of this article here. Dr Orloff is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA an intuition expert, and bestselling author. Her website is here and she's got a youtube channel here. 

ON SALE: LIFE IS TOUGH - BUT I AM TOUGHER BRACELET 
Shown here is one of my favorite reminders that we are all in this together. But it's also a reminder to resist taking on the problems that aren't mine. And especially to be compassionate for those angry, upset folks who, like Dr Orloff talks about above, are not only dealing with their own challenges, but are attracting and experiencing more of the same from others. It's a hard trap to get out of.

These inspirational jewelry pieces are inexpensive -
a perfect little pick-me-up for a friend who needs encouragement - even if that friend is yourSELF! The pink stretch bracelet is lightweight and comfy with it's sweet little pony girl charm. The stamped charm necklace is rather bold and chunky. The chain is a little longer (and adjustable) so you can wear it outside a sweater or with a shorter necklace if desired. The charms are removable, too, so if you have a day that you just need COURAGE, or STRENGTH - you have that option. To see all the inspirational jewelry, click here

Evening Prayer Print
And isn't it cool - while we are all out soaking up crankiness and angst from each other, and adding it to our own - that our pets are still so willing to engage and comfort us? Jean Hofve DVM makes this interesting observation:

 

"I've often thought it strange
that, despite the close relationships between animals in a household, when their people come home, what they want most is to be with their human friends. Wouldn't you think they'd be just as happy with each other? Wouldn't they just look up and say, "Oh hi, honey, how was your day?" and go back to what they were doing? But no matter how much fun they're having, or how comfortable they are - right away they come to greet their human family members. They stay by us - or on us, as the case may be - they plainly prefer to be with us than with each other.
- from Timeless Spirit Magazine
Fun on the Farm: More about the folks at HoofPrints
For years, the HoofPrints order form included three tiny photos of our old farmhouse in various stages of remodel. I have had so many folks mention that they enjoyed reading about the transformation, that I've decided to blog about it!

For the record; I started out as a horse crazy girl, who, when she couldn't be riding horses would draw them instead. There didn't seem to be employers lining up with jobs needing girls to ride and/or draw horses all day, so I put that aside and went off to college for a sensible degree in Graphic Design.

I married a farrier and unleashed all that repressed horsey art into promotional materials for him, and later, other farriers. The long story is here.

In spite of both of us working full time, we were basically poor. Interest rates were in the teens and banks were stingy with loans. We desperately wanted a small farm, but there were none to be had in our price range. Except... an abandoned farmhouse situated on the corner of a remote patch of land owned by a corporation in another state. God had His hand in that one, as door after door swung wide open and this naive, albeit energetic couple purchased and fixed up our "dream" (and I use that term loosely) house in the country.

Along the way we acquired a menagerie of animals, loved them, and cried when they left us. This blog is an eclectic compilation of our adventures along the way. You can read the debut entry here
In This Issue
Here's what we talked about last time
What Did I Miss? graphic
Last newsletter is  here   
ALL newsletters are here
These just in...

Check out new products here
When they're gone - they're gone...

Don't miss one you've been wanting - sadly, some favorites have been discontinued with no replacement - see them here
PINK SALE
Heart Zipper Pull

A great way to dress up any vest, jacket, sweatshirt, or purse. Just $3.96 here 
PINK SALE
HoofPrints Barn Blade
Barn Blade Pink Knife
Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly
Order here
PINK SALE
Courage doesn't always roar...
Courage Pink Mug
sometimes courage is that quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "i will try again tomorrow." To order click  here
PINK SALE
Woman's Place Is On A Horse Gift Bag
Metallic Pink Bag
This metallic pink gift bag is sturdy, durable, and UNDER $4.00! It measures a handy 9 "x 4" x 12" (not counting the handles)

When I posted a picture of it on HoofPrints Facebook page, a customer immediately chimed in: 
"I love this bag! It's just the right size for my lunch, or shoes + a big bottle of my favorite flavored water. And, since I carry a giant tote anyway, it takes up no room to have it folded and available when I need it, Plus -- it's pink; what more needs to be said?" ~Jenne

You can see this, and a sweatshirt that matches, along with all our other PINK SALE products here

PINK SALE
Leather Heart Bracelet

This spiffy leather bracelet is loaded with details without being gaudy. It's rich brown tooled leather, finished edges with stitching, and braided rawhide accents on either side of a floral embossed silver heart. Closes with a fancy silver buckle, complete with silver keeper and tip. Regular price is a bargain at $19.95 - it looks like it should be a lot more expensive. But it's A STEAL as part of our Valentine's Day PINK SALE at only $15.96. Hurry - sale ends 2/14/15. You can see this and the rest of the horsey heart jewelry here
PINK SALE
Sleeping with a Farrier NIGHT SHIRT
Pink farrier night shirt
It's screenprinted with little horse and farrier logos along with phrases unique to only farrier households: 
* How many horses did you do today?
 * How did you get that bruise/cut/burn?
 * I promise I won't kick you.
 * Hoof smoke makes your hair smell good.
 * No horsing around tonight.
 * Do you want me to rub your back, again?
 * It's too bad toothpaste won't remove that blue nail residue from your lips.
 * Really, I don't mind the smell of thrush on your hands.
 * You're not putting me in cross-ties!
 * Did you eat beans for lunch or work on an abcessed foot?
 * Gee, do you think that toenail will fall off?
 * Settle down or I'll twitch you.
To order click here

PINK SALE
Riding for a Cure
Cure pin
See HoofPrints breast cancer awareness products here 
Copper HoofPrint Bracelets in 7 colors!
Copper HoofPrint Pony Bead Bracelets - colors
Hand tied right here at HoofPrints - see them all here
MADE IN USA
Horsewoman's Note Pad

Horse Woman's LONG TALL LIST of things to do here
MADE IN USA
This Hug's For You

Equine Sympathy Cards here
MADE IN USA
Don't Sell Your Saddle
Don't sell your saddle verse
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.

To order click  here 

MADE IN USA
Secret Box
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
BEST NEWS EVER!

BEAUTIFUL JIM KEY movie is in the works! Morgan Freeman has signed on as the star! This TRUE STORY is a fascinating feel-good tale that's loaded with accurate historical details from our country's history. Make sure you've read it before you see the movie! Order here
Message
Gina Keesling with Clydesdale
I love hearing from customers. You can contact HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling via email at [email protected]
 
GINA'S BLOG
Fun on the Farm

read the latest happenings in the Keesling household, involving construction, destruction, remodeling adventures and general wreckage here

Find us on facebook
facebook logo
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
 
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.
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)