January 5, 2025

by HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling

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Today is the day the first episode of Mister Ed aired in 1961

Hollywood Hoofbeats tells us that Mister Ed (real name Bamboo Harvester), the wisecracking equine who embarrasses his human confidant by refusing to talk in front of other humans was a surefire formula. An instant success, the series ran on CBS from 1961 to 1966, before going into syndication. It was revived in the 1980s by the cable network Nickelodeon's popular Nick at Nite series.

Hollywood Hoofbeats notes that Bamboo Harvester was 3/4 Arabian, whose sire was what is known today as a National Show Horse. Himself a show and parade horse in his early years, Bamboo Harvester was 11 when Filmways Productions bought him for $1,500. Trainer Les Hilton kept him in his own backyard in the Burbank Rancho residential area near Los Angeles. Living in such close proximity enabled Hilton to develop a strong bond with the palomino, who turned out to be a remarkable actor. He easily learned whatever tricks were needed for the week's episode, and scripts were written to showcase his talents.

First published in 2005, Hollywood HoofBeats is one of my all-time favorite reference books. Here at our house, westerns are a favorite - and there are always questions about the horses. This book answers them all - and shares additional details and trivia that we never thought to ask about.

The version on HoofPrints' shelves is the 2nd edition - author Petrine Day Mitchum (watch an interview with her here) and cohort Audrey Pavia updated in 2014 to include recent movies that had come out since the first edition. Now, the publisher is completely sold out of that one and HoofPrints has all the remaining copies for sale at the published price.

Look what I found! Book about DOG movie actors

I've often wished for a DOG version of Hollywood Hoofbeats - and here it is!

Citizen Canine: Dogs in the Movies

is a light, entertaining introduction covers the history of dogs in movies, from Charlie Chaplin to contemporary indie darlings, while fun facts and stories from behind the camera bring the all the featured films to life.

After that you'll read about sixty of the smartest, cutest and furriest pooches ever to grace the silver screen. Covering 100 years of films from top-billed hounds like Lassie and Benji to comedic scene-stealers like Asta from Bringing Up Baby and Puffy from There's Something About Mary, all your favorite furry friends are here. A perfect guide to dogs, movies and the magical moments when they come together.

Read about the tricks trainers used to train these canine actors, along with interesting and surprising trivia, such as: "MGM had famously considered a man in a dog suit to play Toto; it's hard to imagine that scenario after seeing legendary Cairn Terrier Toto play the role."

Judging by how many have sold over the years, most of you reading this already have a copy of Hollywood Hoofbeats...

But in case you don't - or you need a gift for an animal-loving movie buff: The MOVIE HORSES AND DOGS BOOK SET includes one each Hollywood Hoofbeats and Citizen Canine, along with our own Rider's Prayer Bookmark and Dog Lover's Prayer Bookmark.

All this is $41.95 if ordered separately, only $34.95 as the set

New titles feature cutting-edge brain and body health science for horse and human! And the concepts are more interesting & actionable than you'd think

For me, the brain stuff in particular. My youth in the 1970s was peppered with more than a few concussions. Nobody wore helmets to ride. The only helmets that even existed back then were the fancy velvet affairs that were kept in a box, only to come out on show day.

The few that I remember include a hit to the temple from a high-headed Appaloosa. I rode so much that my Arab's shoes wore slick, which resulted in a spectacular fall on asphalt - at a walk. A Saint Bernard dog dragged me down a flight of concrete steps...

Now that I've surpassed six decades, my balance is even worse than it was when I was a teenager. Being a klutz is a whole lot more serious when even a minor fall could result in the undoing of an expensive rotator cuff repair surgery, so I ended up doing extra physical therapy sessions for balance along with my shoulder rehab.

The results of this was learning that all those knocks to my head had lasting effects. I grieve for the clumsy adolescent me who assumed other, more graceful kids just tried harder or practiced more. And now I know why I could never get along with the chestnut mare who was supposed to be my next heart horse; my body was telling her to do the opposite of what I thought I was asking.

Anyway, the good news is science knows a LOT about this, and there's much that can be done to improve things, even years after the initial injuries

HORSE BRAIN, HUMAN BRAIN: The Neuroscience of Horsemanship is an eye-opening book that sheds new light on how horses learn, think, perceive, and perform, and explains how to work with the horse's brain instead of against it.

So many of the new titles align with the brain / body / health topic that I created a whole new department for them

Stretch Exercises for Horses and Physical Therapy for Horses are now as popular as our Hoof and Lameness titles, as owners are recognizing the value in addressing whole-body wellness in our equine charges.

I usually wait until well into the New Year to mark things down so aggressively, but the decluttering urge is strong this season

HALF OFF! Various sample and closeout garments. Be sure to check out the additional 200+ items that are at least 50% Off in the HALF PRICE Department

In recent years, I've had trouble keeping stock on denim shirts for our Barn Girl embroidery. Manufacturers were always out of some sizes; it was a pain trying to keep inventory on hand. I spent last summer hoarding samples to try and solve this. As a result, I ended up with a bunch of one-of-a-kind garments. These have been wash-tested but not worn. I'm also working on improving my photos (full storyhere) so have been experimenting with accessories. These are accumulating at an alarming rate also.

The Half Price / One of a Kind Page is always changing - check this often as many of the one-of-a-kind things sell quickly

I even got my plants in on the act this time

Starts are FREE - just pay shipping

My Night Blooming Cereus stays outside all summer, getting bigger and bigger, when it comes time to bring it in before frost, it won't fit through the door! Sturdy and forgiving of less-than-stellar care, it looks quite plain for most of the year, until it produces spectacular blooms that you can only see at night during the summer. Starts grow into a hearty plant by literally just sticking them in damp dirt.

In case you missed it: here's hardest thing I've done in recent memory.

Ever come in from a long day on your feet, hustling to pack orders - and feel like creatively decorating a bunch of cookies? Me neither.

These cookies sat here on a rack in the oven for weeks - waiting for me to decorate them to promote HoofPrints' cookie cutters for Christmas. To make matters worse, I have zero self control. Do you know how hard it was to not break down and just eat them? We don't keep anything sweeter than fresh fruit in the house because I'll eat it all in one sitting. Once Christmas had come and gone, I had very little motivation to stay the course on this project.

I quickly learned that making and decorating cookies is HARD. The first batch was rolled too thick so they spread out a bunch and the result looks just like Thelwell ponies. The next batch rolled thinner was much more defined in the legs especially, but those got a little too brown. Anyway, here's the result. By then the cookies were hard and stale - but I ate them all anyway.



UPDATE: The cookie jar mentioned in the story link below is sold out.

Big things are happening here at HoofPrints - check out these departments for new stuff, new markdowns and more!

Items exist on this page for 1 day only. Reason for the bus is here

Closeouts and discontinued items - if you see something you want, don't wait!

Weird stuff that defies categorization - check back often - more added daily

Unique jewelry; Western, English, Inspirational, Horseshoe and more

Plan a South Dakota Trip - the Lodge sleeps 12; has game room, hot tub & more

Christian and spiritual jewelry, books, gifts and more for horse lovers