Good advice v bad advice

[outandabout]

I'm a relative newcomer to the forum (in fairness, I do read more than I post) but I have noticed that there are lots of brilliant, knowledgeable, caring horsemen and women who post on here with great advice and about their experiences; however, there are also some who seem to post a lot and don't seem to know a great deal. Or, they even admit they don't know much and then post with apparent authority on other things they can't possibly know about, even veterinary matters! Eg, that BSJAShowjumper girl has had some cracking advice on her many threads, but, if you were inexperienced and didn't know any better how would you know who to believe? So... my ramblings aside, how does one separate the wheat from the proverbial chaff? Who do we rate and who do we slate?

*can of worms opened*

 

[DragonSlayer]

If someone instantly jumps in and says 'You are doing that wrong, stop now! You cruel and evil person, you!'...then it's bad.

Good advice is offering a possible range of solutions, or sharing something that worked for them, but also understanding that it might NOT be suitable for your problem.

The 'advice' that comes in the form of 'I know better than you, and you are the muck on my shoe!' needs to be treated with the contempt it deserves.

Ignoring it works VERY well.

 

[LauraWheeler]

Agree with DragonSlayer
On the whole i have found most people on here very supportive. Though to be fair there isn't much advice anyone can give for Lucy. I have had people tell me i'm dealing with Horrid Herbies nappyness all wrong and i should do it there way but i just calmly explain why there way won't work for him and give regular update as to how my way is working (and it is). I just avoid getting into an argument as it's just not worth it.

 

[Munchkin]

I don't tend to take advice related to riding or general horsecare from internet forums.

However, there are always certain people you "suss out" to be very knowledgable, over time. I often "bank" their advice to other people so that if/when a situation arises in the future where I may need similar advice, I have a number of options to try

 

[blacksabbeth]

Well said Munchkin,you said exactly what i was thinking!I must admit i post pics more than anything as its nice to hear comments from time to time.but generally i read more than i post.

 

[Mavis Cluttergusset]

There are some who post huge numbers per day and tend to simply 'echo' the people who actually know what they are talking about, but it is relatively easy to suss out who to stop and listen to and who to ignore. There are some who, every time a picture post is made, will nitpick, there are some who without fail go 'awww' and some who actually have good constructive advice which is worth listening to. I like coming on here but really only to read and add pointless drivel here and there - don't think Id post specific questions relating to my riding or my horses way of going/feeding regime etc - I have people whose opinions I trust impicitly in real life to sort out my dramas - and having read some of the enormous spats on here that arise ocasionally, I dont think I would be able to deal with a 78 page post that had arisen from something Id posted!

 

[touchstone]

I've seen some pretty horrific advice on internet forums, but also some excellent stuff too; I think that the only thing to do is do your own research and consult professionals if needed. (although even then I'd be doing my own research)

It is one thing taking advice but I'm a firm believer in questioning everything and not taking anyone's word as gospel.

I think that forums as a whole though are a great way of pooling people's experiences, both good and bad, are something that we can all learn from.

 

[ThePony]

I tend to pick out the bits I can see the logic of when reading threads. I tend to ignore tips that are given with no reasoning and that I can't see the logic of. I'm much more likely to take info on board and consider using it if the person has suggested a few solutions worth trying and given reasons they think they might help the op. After far too much lurking around here I recognise some names that I often see answering posts and get to know those whose responses are consistently informative and helpful, and those that just agree or disagree with what everyone else says - I tend to ignore those answers!! I guess on an open forum you just need to take it all with a pinch of salt and work out which of the suggestions might work well for your and your horse and which are best off being forgotten!

 

[Saucisson]

Uh-oh, I can feel an opinion coming on.............

Yeah, sure, there is some absolute bunkum posted on this forum sometimes. However, as has been said earlier, I think that you can quickly identify “favourite” posters who speak sense. I probably enjoy the more general “horse life' topics though if I'm honest.

I, for one, am not in any position to critique another persons horse or riding, so I don't. Nor would I generally ask for training/riding advice as I have “real life” sources for that (but I think it is good that people do ask as once you've sorted the wheat from the chaff, there can be some excellent advice – for free!). Realistically, most of us are probably “hobby” owners with experience of our own horses and those of friends/yard, but pool that together and we have what is effectively a huge database of different horses, people, techniques and experiences.

I enjoy hearing about other peoples' methods whether I agree or not (eg my horse is shod but I find the barefoot debate very interesting) – it can only go to further our knowledge of horses and thus improve the lives of our horses generally. Some of the catty posts keep me so entertained during those slow days at work (Friday pm anyone?) that I can't complain at all.

I am lucky that I have OH who is a very experienced horseman. I do sometimes read peoples' posts on problems with their horses and to be quite honest, they just need to get someone who REALLY knows what they're doing on the horse's back – horses know the difference, well mine certainly does. Of course, I would never say that though.

At the end of the day, I like reading anything about horses generally and blabbling on about my horse, especially if it's in English!

 

[hessy12]

Some very good points made by those above. I suppose just use your common sense and do not ever get upset by anything that is said on here. Genuine people will offer genuine help, you can take it or leave it, and it's nice to say thanks, as most on here do.