Just when I think I've heard it all about horses and ponies

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Quote:
Actually, I think this is kinda the point everyone on here is trying to make! EVERYBODY has different experiences and those experiences are not "right" or "wrong" ways of keeping horses! They are just different. The horses themselves aren't really different--just the experiences are. That does not mean the horses are better or worse. Rather, it means we've learned more over the ensuing years. We've adapted and changed with changing times. Maybe because most of us stayed involved over all those years, those changes have not seemed drastic, just gradual. Because you have not been involved for a few years, maybe those changes seem WAY more pronounced. Also, those casually-bred horses many of us grew up with have disappeared to the meat man, sadly, so it seems like horses have "changed". In reality the current level horses were always here. They were just a little higher up the chain.

As times have moved on, whole ways of living have disappeared. When was the last time you saw teenaged boys hanging over their beat-up jalopy or saw a soda fountain or went to a movie at the local community center? I can remember ALL of these things as a normal part of growing up. As a teen I worked on a Thoroughbred farm that was just one of many in the area. Seen any big horse farms lately? Seen any that would hire a 14-year-old kid? The world has changed. This generation is having VERY different experiences growing up from what we had as kids. And their horse experiences are way different too. Not better. Not worse. Just different.

I'd bet I didn't read a horse handling/training type book until I was in my mid 20s and then only because I was at sea and the book was the closest thing to a "horse fix" I could find. Now you can go on Amazon and find literally hundreds of titles by big-name trainers. So horse people as a whole have become better read on current teaching techniques and theories that were just not available to us as kids. They are better for it. The horses receive a lot more knowledgeable care than we gave them when we were kids just because we know more now and not because we somehow cared less then!

Anyhow, I hope you can see that nobody is putting down your experiences. We're just trying to say that things have changed for the better. LOLOL would you rather have a vet treating your horse with a 60's level of medical training or one with a 21st century level of training? The doctor in the 60s was just as dedicated but he didn't have the tools today's doctor has, so of course today's vet is gonna save more horses! That's ALL we are saying.

Times have changed and we've changed with them, hopefully for the betterment of our horses.

Rusty

 

[eggcited2]

My initial post was that **I** saw horses much differently today. Just because wellsummerchicks decided to read more into that, and SHE chose to see it as an attack on how she had horses, that is on her. I did not attack her. But her dark bold long tirade at me was an attack. It was not just informational, re-read her diatribes and "If I can't move my rear and get over to the feed store before he runs out of feed, then maybe I should get a parakeet instead." I most certainly see that as an attacking statement, as were other things she wrote directed at me in an attacking way; such as this statement " She may carry the day here because more people here have the farm background, but that still doesn't make cutting down others and their animals right." I did not specifically cut down anyone. SHE chose to think of my post that way, but it was not that way. SHE twisted what I said! It was directed at me for a misunderstood comment I wrote when trying to EXPLAIN to her how our lives with horses were different. I wrote over and over that I was happy with many differences of horse care and such of today and other things having to do with horses of today, yet at no time did she or you or the other one or two who jumped on her bandwagon of attack at me wrote that into your replies. It was a simple thing that someone CHOSE to **use** to jump on me for no legit reason.

I did not deserve the tirades and diatribes and when I finally stand up and tell you to get off my back, I have every right to do that. I have the right to defend myself against YOUR attacks!

I am done with the mess of you. I want off this forum. A group who support the kind of attacks YOU have leveled at me. over something YOU read more into, I want no part of.

I have written and asked to be removed. I am tired of being attacked by wellsummer, rustyfarms, and whoever blue. what ever your names are.... I want nothing to do with a group that supports "higher than thou" attitudes you have shown me.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Quote:
Isn't that a great show grounds?! I just loved it there! Taking a golf cart to the feed store--and the people were so nice and hospitable!! I was there for the Int'l Friesian show, they decided to move it there from Las Vegas--it was an excellent decision. There was plenty of space, you didn't have to worry about crowding around when you had stallions. Really great place!! Do you live pretty close to there?

 

[verity]

There is a big problem with internet communication (as if you didn't know that, huh?!)

It is easy to come across as 'preachy' -- and some people do that -- it sounds as if it's 'my way or no way' on all things ---
This is unfortunate ---

Some people, like 'Rusty,' can get a message across in a clear but friendly and kind way -- others seem to be focused on sharing all of their knowledge in long and emphatic posts ---

*I* am a very old lady -- have had my own horses since I was 40 years old (a looooooong time ago!) I have kept up with advances in horse-care and subscribe to 3 equine publications --- horses are very important to me -- when a horse backs off the trailer at our house, he/she is here to stay -- four have lived up into their thirties and are buried in our meadow --- we are involved in two rescue groups -- our Social Security checks (and then some!) go to feed our animal family -- (if you can find/are interested in the popular little essay about 'When I Am An Old Lady' that deals with horses, you'll get a good mental picture of me.)

I do wish we could all get together over drinks and have a discussion -- it would be 'interesting' as we seem to come from all kinds of backgrounds -- in my many years of riding lessons, I learned next-to-nothing about dressage as that wasn't my focus but I believe I could make a valuable contribution --- we can learn something from everyone and not agree with any of it!

Let's try to be a bit 'kinder' in our internet discussions!

Happy Sunday, All!

 

[Jasmine1998]

I am the first one to admit that when I was showing Jasmine she had way more beauty products than I ever had, especially with her being arab.

However, I have never seen the fake eyelashes. I have seen, but never used, the fake tails, spray paint & fake pony tails for the rider. One show I was at the rider's pony tail fell out in the middle of the class. That was pretty funny.

 

[welsummerchicks]

When an opinion involves stating opinions as FACTS that demean and insult people and their beloved animals that they work very hard to afford and to care for, through good times and bad, you won't get all hearts and flowers in return. Because what you're saying is insulting and unfair. Just because YOU were never taught to gradually change hays doesn't mean someone who does is a 'snob' or 'God's Gift', nor that they should be called that.

In fact, in all your posts it's EXTREMELY obvious that ANYONE that doesn't keep a horse exactly as you did in your childhood is regarded by you as highly inferior and some sort of rich so and so.

My advice is to take off the rose colored glasses. Nothing was any more perfect 23 years ago than it is now, in your corner of the world or anywhere else.

If you make it about money you'll get a lot of sympathy here because many here don't have much, but the fact is, this has nothing to do with having money. Absolutely nothing. It's not about being 'free to express opinions', either. It's not even about eyelashes. It's purely about judging others in an intolerant, 'reverse snobbism' fashion and then putting them down when they say, 'hey, not fair'.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

This is a great thread because it's got me thinking about dogs, though the topic here is horses. I have to agree with the OP on this one..to an extent (the extent of my first hand knowledge, which was quite some time ago).

I'm thinkiing about starting a thread with these same questions about dogs. Dogs in general are taken care of-- "babied"-- far more than they were 50 years ago. Care is different, managment is different, training has changed, owners needs and wants have continued to morph, and dogs are just plain different than they used to be. I have often wondered if horses are in a similar boat. From the answers here I think most of you don't agree that horses are different, just the care. But I know for certain that dogs have changed with the change in the dog fancy.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Quote:
I absolutely disagree with this. If anything, this a perfect example of projectionism--if anyone has been demeaning, insultive, or intolerant and judges others, well it's not the OP. You definitely can't use the argument that she insulted you first and you are just defending yourself, just look at your response to my post about the hair spray. You said that around "serious" riders I would be laughed at, and that I was fair game for torture (or whatever

)---what's your excuse for that behaviour? You don't even know me, yet you assume that I am not knowledgeable or serious.

It's definitely not in the spirit of BYC which is a forum that I absolutely love, I really even hate to make waves, but I really feel that this is an injustice and poor representation of the people on BYC. The OP has stated she is leaving this forum. For good, I don't know, but I hate to think that someone coming on here to have some "down time" and enjoy themselves with conversations of whatever has left because of a gross mis-representation of helpful, knowledgable people. I don't know how many times I have asked really dumb questoins on here about chickens, all I can say is that I am extremely thankful I wasn't treated in a harsh and judgemental manner as I often see in these disaster of horse threads!

Anyway, it was nice to have the other posters try to get this thread going in a more positive way.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I'm thinkiing about starting a thread with these same questions about dogs. Dogs in general are taken care of-- "babied"-- far more than they were 50 years ago. Care is different, managment is different, training has changed, owners needs and wants have continued to morph, and dogs are just plain different than they used to be. I have often wondered if horses are in a similar boat. From the answers here I think most of you don't agree that horses are different, just the care. But I know for certain that dogs have changed with the change in the dog fancy.

Jamie, I'd be interested in a topic like that. It's something close to my heart since we had to put down an adopted Australian shepherd mix due to epilepsy (partial complex seizures) that did not respond to treatment and worsened as time went on. He was his normal sweet and happy self one minute, growling and tearing at the face of anyone and anything around him the next, or whining and hiding under the bed. I read whatever I could find on the subject, and apparently these issues were known about in the breed, but a blind eye was turned so they continued to be bred into Aussies. Awareness is growing though, including a group working on DNA tests for the breed, much like what happened with poodles. Things like breeds in certain lines or countries being bred with narrow skulls or flat faces, things that sometimes cause health issues, seem like they might be well documented. Dogs from working lines are definitely bred for different traits than, say, dogs for show lines. Oh, and Tibetan mastiffs make for an interesting read because the way they are bred, raised, and trained in America versus their home country are so vastly different. They even look different. I don't think one is 'bad' and one is 'good' though just to clarify, but they are bred for two completely different roles, so it is very interesting I think.

 

[Haviris2]

I can definately understand what the OP is saying. What it is for me, is not so much that things have changed here, but I have access to so much more then I did then. Growing up people didn't wear helmets, they didn't take lessons, it was their business if they even wore shoes. Horses were kept on pasture, not in stalls, and as was mentioned people rode thier own horses. The only person I knew that rode english was a neighbor that moved here from Germany (she quit riding english because of the looks she got). I only took a 10 year break, but still had horses in that time, so I haven't changed things that much, and currently doing things more solo, so not sure what I'll find when I get back out around other horse people.

But then back then we didn't have internet (or maybe I just didn't know about it), so now you can see how different the rest of the horse world is! That is where it seems to have changed so much, even though in reality, they may have always been that way. It's not that horses are more fragile, but maybe they are just treated that way. I've met people that are just appalled at the idea of someone not wearing a helmet, or being anywhere near a horse barefoot. They'd never leave their horses out in any kind of weather without atleast a blanket. And everyone takes lessons and english is the norm! So I can definately see how it seems things have changed!