Boot Camp, EasyCare, Inc. Dealer Blog

Helpful hints and great ideas!

Newspaper Weeds Away
Start putting in your plants; work the nutrients in your soil.   Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds.  Weeds will get through some gardening plastic but they will not get through wet newspapers.

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.  It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away
To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plants and the squirrels won't come near it.

Foggy Windshield
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," & can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Meet the Warehouse Team!

Have you ever wondered who is packing your orders?  Boxing up your Easyboot Epics, Bares and Comfort Pads?  Assembling your EZ Ride Stirrups?  Well, here they are!  Mike, Russ and Roger (left to right) are the warehouse team and take pride in the work they do for EasyCare!  Great job team!  Keep up the great work! Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Sales has its own language!

Words are defined differently in sales!

Here are a few real-world sales definitions to help you understand:

Customers:  People who provide revenue!

Loyal Customer:  People who buy from you more than once and are willing to refer someone else AND give a testimonial!

Service:  Something to be of 24/7

Attitude:  The inner thought process that creates positive anticipation and positive outcomes.

Opportunity:  Every interaction with a customer or a prospect is an opportunity to build a relationship and earn a sale.

EasyCare May Blog Sale!

15% off all EasyCare Shear Comfort Products!

Stock up and save today! 

Offer must be mentioned at the time of your order!

Old Mac's G2 Testimonial

I tried the Old Mac's G2's today and I must say I'm impressed! With the old version (three years ago), the extra weight caused my horse to have problems with the gallop, but now they are lighter, she thought nothing of it! Just have to brake them in now, that's all.

thank you! 

This photo and testimonial is from one of our dealers in Sweden!

Meet the EasyCare Team - Chris

Quite a few of you already know me, but for those of you who don't...  My name is Chris Freeman.  I wear a lot of hats at EasyCare, but international sales take up most of my day!  I do the international dealer orders and any retail orders that come our way.  I also have some accounting functions, help with customer service and the hiring/training of new employees, and lots of other little tasks, too many to list..!  When I'm not working, I am spending time with my wonderful husband Russ (who works in the warehouse), my two daughters Anna and Elizabeth, and my two dogs and two cats!!

Change to Boot Camp

You may have noticed our Boot Camp blog looks a little different.  As we get more and more traffic we wanted to offer an archive to our old newsletters.  Our newsletters have a wealth of good information, so if you have not had a chance to look at past newsletters now is your chance.  Under the catagories section on the left of the screen just click on the newsletters and then scroll to the month you would like to read.

Health Check Lists

Life is in constant motion these days!  Work, kids, pets, errands, etc...Who has time to worry about their own health?!!  When was the last time you went to the Doctor?  Dentist? 

I turn 45 this year, and the health check list is getting longer and longer!  I have to admit, I am not the best at getting things checked off my list! 

Women-here is a website that has tons of information on what we should be doing and when.  Do you know what your BMI is?  It also has lots of links to even more information.

Men-here is a website for you!  Do you know what your cholesterol level is?!

We all need to slow down and learn to take care of ourselves. 

Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult.
Hypocrites

Quote for the Day!

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure--which is:
Try to please everybody.
Herbert Bayard Swope

Upcoming Events

EasyCare still has a few events left this spring and summer.  Click here for all our upcoming shows!  Be sure to stop by if you are in the area!

Our next event is Equine Affaire in Columbus Ohio, April 12-15th.  Cathie and Kay, our lead CSR, will be attending.  They will be located in booth 1004 in the Celeste Building.  See you there!

Dealer Promotions/Specials

At EasyCare we are always trying to run specials and promotions that keep our dealers motivated and offer seasonal incentives.  We post our specials on this blog and send them out in our newsletter monthly.  The sales team is always debating "What is a good special"? We want to offer specials that motivate you, our dealers, to place orders. We often look at the season, past history and newly released products as to what we will offer. Well, now it is your chance to tell us what you want, what would motivate you? Send us an email and tell us what you would like to see in our future specials and promotions. If your special is used, we will send you a free pair of boots in the Easycare line.

Quote for the Day!

Like human beings, horses are all individuals with singular personalities, their own virtues and their own faults. We become bound to them for their beauty, their eccentricities, their heart and the love they so often return to us.
    - Lana Slaton

Our Boots in action!

I received these photos from our German distributor, Gray's Hufschuhe.  Their customer (and "Little" the pony) let them know just how happy they were with their Easyboots and Old Mac's Horse Boots!

Do you have any pictures or stories you would like to share with us?  Please do!  Click here!

New Blogger to Boot Camp!

I am new to the Boot Camp blog, but not to EasyCare, Inc!!

Let me introduce myself (that's me in the blog below!!).  My name is Chris Freeman and I have been with EasyCare for about three and a half years.  I started out in Customer Service, added on some accounting duties, and have moved into International Sales.  Our products are shipped all over the world!  This position has been very exciting and I look forward to a very prosperous 2007 and beyond!  Please feel free to contact me directly with any international questions, concerns or if you wish to place an order.

Make Your Customers Believe!

Clinton Anderson believes in EasyCare boots, click here to see why.

EasyUp Buckle Winners

In the Dealer news letter we sent out on February 2 we offered a pair of our new EasyUp Buckles to the first 10 dealers who responded.  The buckles will be sent out to the winners within the next few weeks.  Thanks for your participation and enjoy your new buckles.  Here are the winners...

Jeannean at Pride Treeless Saddles

Kristen at Horse Lovers Outlet & The Distance Depot

Henry & Donna at Griffin's Tack                                             

Ann at Natural Hoof                                                                                 

Rick Gentry                                                                                                 

Katie Parker

Leslie at High Desert Hoof Care                  

Katrina at Deer Creek Saddlery                           

Paula at Hoofbootshop

Lucy at The Saddlery Shop Ltd

Melanie Spurr

We are aware this is 11 winners, the final two emails came in at approximately the same time.

Blog Specials!

Be sure to be on the lookout for upcoming posts on Boot Camp for blog only specials!  We will be adding them at random and the only way to find out about them is keep checking back.

Soakers are Here!

Good News, EasySoakers arrived this morning.  Get your orders in and we will ship them out ASAP.

The Grip is now Available!

About the Easyboot Grip 

Unrivaled Traction 

The Easyboot Grip is essentially the Easyboot Epic with an aggressive sole and traction tread pattern. The Easyboot Grip is ideal for the barefoot horse ridden in soft muddy conditions or wet grass and snow surfaces. The aggressive traction pattern provides better grip on these surfaces but should never be used on dry surfaces or hard surfaces. The Grip should be used in soft soil conditions or soft wet grass and snow surfaces only! Although the Easyboot Grip provides increased traction in slippery conditions, riding horses in wet, muddy and soft conditions is dangerous and should be done at your own risk.

Available in sizes 0, 1, 2 and 3 only. Sold individually

Demand is high, be sure to get your order in ASAP!

Products in Testing

It's no secret that EasyCare has made numerous changes and has launched several new products in the past three years.  With the addition of the Boa, Old Mac and Bare and some great new improvements Easyboots and Epics, people are always asking "what's next?" 

We have several boots in testing right now, and a few that are coming down the pike.  For all the latest developements, you can visit Garrett Ford's blog (From the Horse's Mouth) at www.easycareblogs.com or click on the following link: http://easycareinc.typepad.com/from_the_horses_mouth/

For those of you who have been asking about the screw-on buckle system for the easyboot, it's here!  Cables and buckles are now more user-friendly and easier to change with a new screw system that replaces the rivet on the buckle.  These boots will start shipping immediately.

More improvements are coming in 2007!

Clinton Anderson Endorsement

We have signed on world-renowned trainer Clinton Anderson as a sponsor.

Clinton Anderson had previously been using EasyCare hoof boots on his own horses and thoroughly put them to the test.  “ After 5 days straight of galloping thru some of the rockiest and harshest terrain in Montana, trying to wreck these boots  you could hardly tell that we had used them.  I was galloping, stopping, and turning horses on gravel and hard dirt roads.  I was shocked at how tough and durable they were, and how none of the horses ever took one lame step.  I am a big believer that boots are the way to go if you want to ride in harsh terrain with horses transitioning to barefoot.”

Clinton Anderson is a two time winner of the prestigious Road to the Horse Competition, host of a weekly training program broadcast on satellite television, and star of the Downunder Horsemanship 2006 Wahl Walkabout Tour.  Anderson is also enthusiastic about natural hoofcare and keeps many of his own horses barefoot.   

Click here and here to watch Clinton Anderson explain why he believes in EasyCare Boots.

Electronic EasyCare Newsletter

Our "Boot Camp" newsletter will soon be available to dealers electronically.  In addition to keeping you up-to-date with product information, it will contain all kinds of useful and informative links for dealers who want more details about booting, barefoot horses, and what is going on in the industry.  In order to subscribe to the newsletter we will need your e-mail address and permission to put you on our list.  Please e-mail your request to chook@easycareinc.com.

EasyCare Dealer Blog

Subscribe to this blog news feed and keep up to date on news and information from EasyCare that is specific to our Dealers.  We will also have an online newsletter that Dealers can subscribe to, and we'll be posting more information on that in the next few days.