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HoofPrints Newsletter
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July 19, 2017
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HALF PRICE CARD SALE ENDS SOON!!
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 31. To order click here
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More Farriers Business Cards added to online directory
I belong to several online horse groups, and nearly every day someone is looking for a farrier.
There are many reasons for this - and I think we are quick to assume the worst when the "I can't find a farrier..." scenario comes up. Sometimes there's a reason that owners can't get a farrier to come, (bad working conditions, slow to pay, etc) or sometimes it's the farrier (won't show up on time, is rough with the horse(s), etc.) and we tend to gravitate toward that kind of thinking. But the fact is, there are lots of reasons farriers and owners need to "shop around" until they find a good fit. And they aren't all negative. For every story I hear about a farrier that won't keep appointments, or an owner who has unruly horses, I also hear stories about wonderful relationships between owners, farriers and their horses. If you take the time to get it right, hoof care can be a whole lot less of a headache for everybody involved.
Since I started listing the business cards on
Facebook as well as in the
directory) I am delighted that our followers frequently take the time to chime in a kind word about their farrier. So, it's in that spirit that I list below our current batch of directory additions.
(The cards shown here are for illustration purposes, were randomly chosen and are in no particular order.)
Click on the state to view details for each farrier listed below:
Alabama - Barry Faulk. Tim Smallwood
Arkansas - Jason Rankin
Arizona - Tyler Claves
California - Angel Fuentes, John Pfening
Colorado - Steve Schneiderman
Florida - Ron DeVries, Mason Walsh
Georgia - Benjamin Flanagan, Thilo Hoffmann
Iowa - Clayton Sheeder, Kent Stravers
Illinois - Lavon Jess
Indiana - Sharon Wirey
Kentucky - James Miller
Minnesota - Richard Calkins
North Carolina - Roy Barnes, Larry Elliott, Allen Heffelbower, Scott Rauf, Eric Richard
Nebraska - Jason Owston
Ohio - Chris Hillsamer, Mike Ratermann, Wes Hardin
Oregon - Scott Kelsay
Pennsylvania - Omar Wayne Fisher
South Carolina - Josh Hearl
Texas - Stephanie Abbott, Brent Tryon
Utah - Tony Erickson
Virginia - Ryan Hoffman
Washington - Darri Leavitt, Ann Szolas
There you have it, at least for now. I'll feature the next batch of cards once I get some accumulated. If you're a farrier (or other equine professional) and are interested in ordering custom business cards, we have dozens of lovely full color logos to choose from
here.
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FARRIER BOOK - HAND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR!
I have a limited number of Farrier/Author Ray Legel's book
TAILS OF A HORSESHOER - hand signed and personalized by the author. Farriers will enjoy the stories, including a crappy chapter; "Road Apple Assault".
Ray's candid account of his attack on his now ex-brother-in-law is not something that many folks would be brave enough to put in print about themselves:
"...He took off with juicy, green horse s**t smeared from sideburn to sideburn. I really do not think he was licking his lips..."
Click
here to order - and find out what happened after Ray meted out the deserved punishment on his good-for-nothing brother-in-law.
***note*** Ray's book is SELF PUBLISHED - meaning he did all the work involved in procuring the illustrations, typesetting, arranging for printing, and warehousing the printed copies. This is a huge effort beyond the writing part. The copies I have on hand are the very last ones from Ray's stash, and may very well be the last press run that he does. You can listen to a podcast and learn more about Ray
here.
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All Farrier Sportswear is ON SALE!
HoofPrints' embroidered Farrier Garments are the most technically accurate and detailed available -
I guess that sounds a little braggy... but it's the truth. Check out the other designs I found
here
, and
here
. Farriers spend their days telling uninformed clients hoof- healthy reasons why there are no nail holes in shoes past the widest point of the hoof (and in the toe) - the last thing they want in an embroidered logo is something depicting that very thing. And what's up with those scary heel caulks that stick out to the sides? A toe clip makes a nice decorative touch - but it's always drawn on the WRONG SIDE of the shoe! (sigh) OK, end of rant.
Before I made the shift to full time Farriers Greeting Cards, my "day job" was creating embroidered logos for customers at a local T-shirt company. Along the way I learned a great deal about what makes a good design and what does not. (Heck, I am still learning that. You guys "teach" me by not buying the ones you don't like!)
Anyway, the process by which an idea becomes an image that can be SEWN IN THREAD on a garment is complex. There's a lot of computer stuff - to do with how the machine "knows" to sew - the sequence, tension, etc. But also a lot of organic, artsy thought goes into it. Just because something looks cool on the computer screen DOESN'T mean that it will translate that way to thread. And the color choices can make or break a design. Embroidery has a tactile effect to it that you canNOT very well simulate on screen. Fortunately, my embroiderer is very patient with me - and they work hard on multiple revisions of new designs until we get them just right. The result of this successful collaboration is all ON SALE
here
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NEW LOWER PRICE!
Farrier DoorHanger Envelopes
This is the best revision ever on an old favorite - more compact, same good quality, but LOWER PRICE! If the price on these ($35/100) was a deterrent before, be sure to give them a second look now, as I've found a new supplier with a slightly different style for these handy envelopes. They are now
UNDER $20 for a package of 100! The hanger portion on these is shorter, more compact AND double thickness, so less likely to tear. The envelope portion is exactly the same size as our previous doorhanger, so our standard farrier invoices fit neatly inside. Another improvement is the opening flap is on the long side, so it's much easier to insert the contents and seal.
This was an idea I had years ago when we were visiting a friend in Long Island, NY. We were touring one of the exclusive boarding stables near her home, and the farrier had been there earlier that day. The shoeing bills were tacked to all of the stall doors. Of course, we HAD to snoop and see what the prices were for shoeing and trimming on Long Island. It just doesn't seem like a good idea to leave the bills where they could be read by everyone, or be torn off and lost.
Leave your bills or notes in confidentiality with this special hanger that doubles as a return envelope. The reverse side has a place for your address and stamp. The hanger portion is perforated to detach easily before mailing. To order doorhanger envelopes click
here.
Ever have those clients who say they would have sent payment - but they didn't have your address? (yeah, right...) You can be sure that they DO have your address - by stamping it on each of the envelopes you leave behind!
CUSTOM RUBBER STAMPS are available
here. These are self-inking - and good for many, many impressions before they need refilling.
You can also use this opportunity to also include a
NEXT APPOINTMENT STICKER to remind clients when you're coming back. These are brightly colored and specially printed with farrier artwork - will stand out on the calendar and help cut down on forgotten or missed appointments. Time after time we have had frantic farriers call - because they've run out of stickers and their clients are clamoring for them. To order stickers click
here
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PRINTED IN USA: FARRIER INVOICE PADS
HoofPrints uses a
local printer for our 2-part carbonless farrier invoice pads and he'd absorbed the increase in paper costs for a lot longer than he should have. He warned me that there was going to have to be an adjustment... you know - like having to pass on the increased price of shoes, nails, and shipping - after you finally sit down and realize how much more they are costing you vs how much the customer is paying for shoeing;you've given
yourself a PAY CUT by not raising prices as materials increase? Anyway, that's what happened here, too.
The official increase took effect with the last catalog. However, I've held the old price ($9.00 per pad) on invoice pad ASSORTMENTS. With the assortment option, you get to choose the "A" or "B" body style, but I pick the logos that you get. If it's important that your invoices match your business cards , then this might not be for you. But if you're wanting to save money, then here's a way to do it. The price is $40. for 5 pads - which is a savings of $1.00 per pad! To order, click here
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FARRIERS: Folks are WATCHING you!!!
Sorry to creep you out, but it's true.
With all the hubbub these days about privacy, huge measures are being taken to manage what various business entities are allowed to do with a person's personal information. As a marketer who uses this information to help make decisions about products & promotions, it is very valuable to me in terms of being profitable to be able to accurately target folks who are likely to be interested in what we have to offer.
But there's a whole 'nother privacy thing that can come under the microscope when you work for the public. Like a farrier does. Every day, all across the world farriers make appearances at various folks' farms to do their work. And they're being observed. And sometimes (probably most times) those folks form an opinion about what they see. If it's interesting enough, they tell their friends. With the advent of the internet,
they can tell a LOT of friends.
Consider
A Farrier Tale from
Horse & Man blog. This blogger tells an interesting account of a routine farrier visit - doesn't much mention the actual work being done - (are they being shod? barefoot? does everybody stand well? etc - typical stuff that farriers would think focus would be on) Instead, she describes her farriers' wardrobe, his grooming, even the behavior of his kids. How well he parks his truck. She becomes aware that the working conditions she's provided for him are less than stellar. It's a fascinating chronicle of how someone else views an ordinary interaction - you can read the rest
here
Farriers are being talked about on another
online group I belong to - this is a very technical group that discusses (often in detail way over my head) things like operant conditioning, bridge & target training, perception modification, and more. These are highly educated folks who are on the cutting edge of animal training research. I hang out there and read all this stuff that's light years ahead of my own skills - hoping a particle or two will rub off on me? There's one gal who's blind - she writes fascinating posts about her relationship with her service dog. Amazing stuff. Another gal works with troubled horses. She's rehabbed a number of "hopeless" cases. Including a mustang who'd been so traumatized by someone's effort to do "natural horsemanship" on him that he was afraid of even the water in his bucket.
The discussion has recently shifted to hoof care. This gal shared her story - she'd spent eons of time getting this horse comfortable enough that she could even touch his feet. Finally she can pick them up and hold for a short time. She arranges for her farrier to come and give it a try. They discuss beforehand - he (the farrier) will do as much as he can on one foot, and they will consider the session a success and quit for the day. The farrier comes. The horse allows him to trim without much trouble. Farrier thinks he can do more. Against her better judgement, owner allows him to try. This is too much for the horse and he "misbehaves". Farrier
HITS HIM with the rasp. Ugh. Of course, this negates months of work that's been done to gain this horse's trust. Fortunately for the farrier, the owner did not share his name. That wasn't really the point of her post - to trash the farrier - but to emphasize how very important it is that farrier interactions go successfully for a previously-traumatized horse in "recovery".
There's even a
Facebook Group dedicated exclusively to Farriers Butts! With members all posting photos of their farriers butts. Of course I had to get in on the action. Shown above is my husband Rob trimming
Billy , while
Lucy cleans up. Rob stopped shoeing years ago because of a back injury, but he still trims ours. We've found that the
HoofJack really helps with working on Billy's hind feet. His hocks and hips are arthritic and he is very heavy to hold up. This device lets him lean all he wants without strain on the farriers' back.
So, farriers, remember that folks are watching everything you do. Maybe even taking pictures. Make sure the fodder that they have to share is something you're proud of!
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These just in...
Check out new products here
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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
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EMBROIDERED CAPS for Farriers
See all our unique, high quality caps designed especially for Farriers 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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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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Farriers Traveling Desk
Corral your paperwork on the road! And it's HALF the cost of the previous version 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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FARRIER GLOVES
Protect your hands and keep dexterity with these durable, open fingered gloves.
Order
here
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MADE IN USA
Blacksmith Shop Sign
See this and all our signs here
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MANURE MOVERS
OF AMERICA - sweatshirt and sign available 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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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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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
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BOOKS for FARRIERS
Millwater's Farriery and more here
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HANDS ON GROOMING GLOVES
The scrubbing nodules on the fingers and palms provide a deep thorough clean and are the best de-shedders on the market today. Another added benefit is hair does not stick to HandsOn Gloves; just a simple flick of the wrist and the hair instantly releases!
To order click here
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Tuff Chix CHORE GLOVES
great for grooming, building fence, baling hay and other farm chores, gardening, and even riding!
To order, click
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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Don't Look Back
That's Not Where You're Going - Inspirational Necklace only $14.95 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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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.
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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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