a UK version of FHOTD? *also minor rant*

Kao

Kao

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Oh yes. Once again, my curiosity got the better of me.

I'm a frequent reader of the fugly blog, and I've always thought "wow. wouldn't it just be spiffing in the UK had something similar?"
The above thought was pre-"myself having a rather uninteresting blog of my ramblings" days. Back then, I'd have no clue where to start or even start a new blog.

But. As a human being with average common sense (for the most part) I've thought long and hard, and want to know if you would like a see a blog of this calibre aimed at the UK horse world?

I ask this because day in day out I browse Horsemart, Dragon Driving (yes. I could probably get 99% of my content from there...) and other such sites, and I'm constantly disheartened with the consistent lack of knowledge people have. Yet somehow, somewhere, they decided to breed some sub-standard mare to the local hairy.

Just because "she da av no feather" doesn't make your horse and it's sprongs a TB.

*headdesk*
 
she does do the odd UK horse - but yup - i'd look at a UK one - esp if it highlights backyard dreeders etc...
but.....
a) i'm not sure of the legal implications of slagging off someones horse/business etc...?
b) i'd say that (hopefully) we don't have enough problems (i'm talking in comparrison to the US) to keep a site interesting.....
 
posie_honey said:
she does do the odd UK horse - but yup - i'd look at a UK one - esp if it highlights backyard dreeders etc...
but.....
a) i'm not sure of the legal implications of slagging off someones horse/business etc...?
b) i'd say that (hopefully) we don't have enough problems (i'm talking in comparrison to the US) to keep a site interesting.....
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be so sure on the later. While I'm all for choice of lifestyle and understand people train horses in different ways, I don't agree with 18 month old foals being hammered on the road in a trap or ridden.
Cruelty, dodgey dealer stories and the widespread problem of backyard breeders I'd say is a lot of content for a blog in it's early days.

In the end, there's no real management going on re: breeding and the problem has worsened over the years. I can't see it getting any better soon.
Though, good breeders are getting more praise, that's a step in the right direction I think :)
 
Sadly there's quite enough abuse/neglect/rubbish breeding/mind-boggling ignorance going on in this country to make a daily blog :mad: I could find the content just by myself.

I think it would be a great idea. The Fugly blog does a great job of educating people as well as outing the lowlife. The only thing is, Cathy has a background in law so knows exactly what she can get away with saying and how to argue her way out of sticky situations. Plus a skin thicker than a rhino to deal with the backlash!
 
Maybe, but you have to bear in mind that you can't get all the facts on a given case by just Googling around. It would take serious investigation to get it right and avoid being sued. Cathy doesn't always get it right*, and she's made some major errors alongside her hits, according to some. A lot of people who follow her blog send abusive emails or make threatening phone calls to people who haven't done what they've been accused of by Cathy.

Whoever starts another blog like that would have to be a serious authority on horsecare and riding. Absolutely irreproachable. And they'd have to be absolutely sure that the rescues they endorsed were not guilty of the same errors as the rescues they condemned (easier in the UK as we have a lot more animal rights' legislation). They would have to follow their own advice to the letter, too.

On the one hand, she's fun to read and she's certainly got some things moving. On the other, the very aggressive style isn't always the most constructive. Fair enough letting loose at something like Amersham, but not every case is like that, and sometimes the target is going to learn more from a friendly word than from having a bunch of winged-monkey, abusive emails in their inbox.


* example below, from a site that's very critical of Cathy (and very bitchy in the comments) http://bhm-fuglyhorseofthedayreview.blogspot.com/2010/05/now-hold-it-minute.html
 
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I think the UK desperately needs it's own Fugly Blog but the libel laws are so draconian here, I wonder about the legal implications.

Still it's a worthy goal and I'd applaud anyone who took this on.
 
brigantia said:
I think the UK desperately needs it's own Fugly Blog but the libel laws are so draconian here, I wonder about the legal implications.
Click to expand...

You couldn't do an interesting and worthwhile Fugly blog here without serious risk of lawsuits - or at very least - having your webhosting cancelled! (All anyone would need to do to get it removed would be to contact the web host and say: "I'm suing - Fugly and you (as 'publisher')" Site would be gone before you could say: "But the truth is a great defence for libel!"

The oly way it could be done safely is by someone who remained totally anonymous - or transferred any and all assets to someone else :rolleyes: - and host it in a 'dodgy' country - preferably on a rented server. You'd probably also have to buy your domain name anonymously (and that's not easy to do these days!)

You can see I've thought about it!;)
 
You'd also have to be careful not to compromise the work of any good rescues by spoiling prosecutions etc. For ex., all the discussions of Amersham could have compromised the case, which is why there is a note on the forum about ongoing cases. It would be hard to stay quiet when awful things like that hit the news, but it would be worse to end up being the cause of someone awful getting off!
 
From reading the post, I've figured out what it is, had never heard of it, but then i'm always the last!!!!! sounds very interesting, if you need examples, please come to ireland, there would be enough to cover the whole blog here. Not I'm not slagging off all of us Irish, but theres a certain element that would just make you cry, from driving little foals in harness to covering mares that are so malnourished, and then theres the farmers with an extra acre, so buy a mare and start breeding foals, that have no future. they, as in one of the governing bodies, are running a breeding initiatve, explaining that unless the mare can just, and has great conformation, good temprement, etc.. NOT to breed from her. So many people only take the stallions "CV" into account!!!! Hopefully it will hit home!!!
 
[QUOTEYou couldn't do an interesting and worthwhile Fugly blog here without serious risk of lawsuits - or at very least - having your webhosting cancelled! (All anyone would need to do to get it removed would be to contact the web host and say: "I'm suing - Fugly and you (as 'publisher')" Site would be gone before you could say: "But the truth is a great defence for libel!"

The oly way it could be done safely is by someone who remained totally anonymous - or transferred any and all assets to someone else - and host it in a 'dodgy' country - preferably on a rented server. You'd probably also have to buy your domain name anonymously (and that's not easy to do these days!)

You can see I've thought about it!
][/QUOTE]

This is great info, JanetGeorge.

Kudos to anyone with the guts to take this on!
 
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