I have 0 right to say this but...

[ponynutz]

Hey!
Seen a couple of posts on here lately that have made me very uncomfortable. People sharing links to adverts, or facebook pictures and picking these people apart. Imagine being the owner of those pictures/advert and seeing these comments. Please, if you wouldn't comment it directly under the original post, or say it to their face do not send it.
If you're really worried about a horse, get in touch with the owner, or the yard owner/manager (if you know them) or literally contact an animal welfare charity.
This is my, and I'm sure many others, safe place and seeing it be somewhere of toxicity makes me really unhappy.
Dulcie and Dusty

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Hey!
Seen a couple of posts on here lately that have made me very uncomfortable. People sharing links to adverts, or facebook pictures and picking these people apart. Imagine being the owner of those pictures/advert and seeing these comments. Please, if you wouldn't comment it directly under the original post, or say it to their face do not send it.
If you're really worried about a horse, get in touch with the owner, or the yard owner/manager (if you know them) or literally contact an animal welfare charity.
This is my, and I'm sure many others, safe place and seeing it be somewhere of toxicity makes me really unhappy.
Dulcie and Dusty

You can use the report button on a post if it breaks forum rules

Edited to add, I think you are still a minor OP? You do need to take on board that this is an adult forum with varying views on all kinds of things

 

[ponynutz]

You can use the report button on a post if it breaks forum rules

Edited to add, I think you are still a minor OP? You do need to take on board that this is an adult forum with varying views on all kinds of things

I'm not sure if it does qualify as breaking the site rules, but I'll report anyway, thanks!

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I'm not sure if it does qualify as breaking the site rules, but I'll report anyway, thanks!

Well, worth reading the rules 1st?
As I mentioned, this is an adult forum, so do think before pressing buttons and causing problems for yourself if you are under age to be on here.

 

[Johnjojo]

I completely agree with you, the same with me I hate to discuss someone behind his back, if something wrong it's much better to say directly

 

[shortstuff99]

I also think it depends on what/who it is. I think talking about rides from top class shows ie Olympics, world cups, burghley etc is okay (and normal) as that is the same as match of the day pundits and such things. Finding a random amateur on facebook and tearing them apart is a bit different.

 

[ponynutz]

I also think it depends on what/who it is. I think talking about rides from top class shows ie Olympics, world cups, burghley etc is okay (and normal) as that is the same as match of the day pundits and such things. Finding a random amateur on facebook and tearing them apart is a bit different.

Agreed! More than normal in any sport, and indeed life - just upsets me when people go for amateurs as you say.

 

[Chinchilla]

If you're referring to my advert thread, then don't comment on it if you don't like it - or hell, even report it- but equally - people should think about how pictures/wordings of adverts available freely in the public domain reflect on them and the horse they are selling for often thousands of pounds. I wasn't slagging anyone off/saying they were terrible owners or anything of that ilk, I just thought those were pretty uncomplementary photos! Critiquing adverts and in some cases having them changed is in the best interests of animal welfare, horses finding suitable homes, riders being matched with suitable animals, and sellers being able to rest easy with a clean conscience that they have not intentionally misled anyone and found the most appropriate home for their horse.
I also thought the discussion points it brought up were pretty interesting discourse and nowhere as catty as some of the attacking threads you see on Facebook and Instagram etc.

ETA - for instance, in the advert I posted with the badly fitting tack, how terrible would it be if someone inexperienced bought the horse and thought tack like that was acceptable for everyday use? It could have very dire consequences for horse and novice owner alike if it was subjected to such discomfort and ended up acting out out of pain, not to mention a seller could wind up in legal troubles for selling a horse with 'issues'.
There's also very little any 'welfare charity' can do about, for example, badly fitting tack in an advert, or a baby being sold as broken to ride or drive, or a grossly obese animal, or any of the other myriad sins which are actually pretty commonplace if you spend an afternoon perusing online ads.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I'm not sure if it does qualify as breaking the site rules, but I'll report anyway, thanks!

Well done, that thread you reported was actually not against the rules.
Perhaps do some reading up 1st on the terms and conditions (which as a minor you really must be aware of).

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Well done, that thread you reported was actually not against the rules.
Perhaps do some reading up 1st on the terms and conditions (which as a minor you really must be aware of).

I can't say that I am keen on having self-appointed forum police telling people what they can and can't post.

 

[Flicker]

Hey guys, as you’ve pointed out the OP is a minor. Go easy. If you don’t agree with her post, you have the option to scroll past without commenting too. And, as adults, perhaps we can also take on board the views of a minor that something is making them uncomfortable and reflect on whether we maybe could be doing anything differently.

 

[Tihamandturkey]

Hey guys, as you’ve pointed out the OP is a minor. Go easy. If you don’t agree with her post, you have the option to scroll past without commenting too. And, as adults, perhaps we can also take on board the views of a minor that something is making them uncomfortable and reflect on whether we maybe could be doing anything differently.

Well said

 

[Whoopit]

Hey guys, as you’ve pointed out the OP is a minor. Go easy. If you don’t agree with her post, you have the option to scroll past without commenting too. And, as adults, perhaps we can also take on board the views of a minor that something is making them uncomfortable and reflect on whether we maybe could be doing anything differently.

Is the point though that she’s under an age that is permitted for the forum? (Actually asking as I joined a while ago and & wouldn’t have paid attention to if I needed to be over 18 as I am waaaay over that age)

 

[Tiddlypom]

Well, yes, but if we’re talking terms...

4.9If under the age of 18 a User will need to obtain a parent or guardian's permission before posting anything onto the Forum. You should never reveal personal information about yourself, such as your name, age, address, telephone number and school.

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/help/terms/

This is a forum for adults.

 

[ycbm]

Hey!
Seen a couple of posts on here lately that have made me very uncomfortable. People sharing links to adverts, or facebook pictures and picking these people apart. Imagine being the owner of those pictures/advert and seeing these comments. Please, if you wouldn't comment it directly under the original post, or say it to their face do not send it.
If you're really worried about a horse, get in touch with the owner, or the yard owner/manager (if you know them) or literally contact an animal welfare charity.
This is my, and I'm sure many others, safe place and seeing it be somewhere of toxicity makes me really unhappy.
Dulcie and Dusty

I admire you for writing this in such an adult way. And I both agree and disagree at the same time, which feels odd.

I would hate to have a horse advert of mine pulled to pieces on the forum, but I also recognise that if I put something into the public domain I have absolutely no right to complain what other people say about it. And also that there is no such thing as bad advertising and that any attention brought to my advert is likely to increase the possibilities of a sale. And lastly that commenting on horses which are being badly treated in some way (fat, sold when lame, sold when very old....) might benefit other horses if not that one.

I completely understand your discomfort, and at times I share it. I think you write your post very well, especially if you are a child. But on balance, I think it does more good than harm.

 

[Rowreach]

I admire you for writing this in such an adult way. And I both agree and disagree at the same time, which feels odd.

I would hate to have a horse advert of mine pulled to pieces on the forum, but I also recognise that if I put something into the public domain I have absolutely no right to complain what other people say about it. And also that there is no such thing as bad advertising and that any attention brought to my advert is likely to increase the possibilities of a sale. And lastly that commenting on horses which are being badly treated in some way (fat, sold when lame, sold when very old....) might benefit other horses if not that one.

I completely understand your discomfort, and at times I share it. I think you write your post very well, especially if you are a child. But on balance, I think it does more good than harm.

Quite. Everyone has a perfect right to say if something makes them feel uncomfortable, and they should not be made more uncomfortable by doing so.

 

[Flicker]

Well, yes, but if we’re talking terms...

4.9If under the age of 18 a User will need to obtain a parent or guardian's permission before posting anything onto the Forum. You should never reveal personal information about yourself, such as your name, age, address, telephone number and school.

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/help/terms/

This is a forum for adults.

So it’s ok to be dismissive of a younger forum user’s point of view? If anything, as adults, we have a responsibility to moderate our behaviour if we know another poster is young or vulnerable in some way. And if we don’t feel we can do that with a particular post, we really should just be scrolling past.

And is what the OP suggesting really so unreasonable? That we reserve judgement of others on a public forum when they are perhaps doing something differently to how we would do it, but not really causing any harm? (I’m referring to the bay horse with the funny noseband here).

Life is hard enough as it is at the moment...

 

[ycbm]

I do think that the noseband was so incredibly extreme that it invited comment. It's truly bizarre to have a cavesson noseband set just below a horse's eyes. Nobody who has ever seen a tacked up horse wearing a noseband could believe that was normal.
.

 

[meleeka]

Well, yes, but if we’re talking terms...

4.9If under the age of 18 a User will need to obtain a parent or guardian's permission before posting anything onto the Forum. You should never reveal personal information about yourself, such as your name, age, address, telephone number and school.

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/help/terms/

This is a forum for adults.

it doesn’t say in the rules it’s for adults,
Just that under 18’s need a parents permission. I think OP makes a valid point actually. It might be fun to laugh at other’s expense, but I can’t imagine how I’d feel reading some of the comments if it were my ad.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I read the terms as meaning that minors should get their parents to oversee anything they post, which I think is wise.

I haven’t followed the thread which seems to have prompted this.

 

[Rowreach]

I read the terms as meaning that minors should get their parents to oversee anything they post, which I think is wise.

I haven’t followed the thread which seems to have prompted this.

We used to have loads of young forum members, that’s what the Common Room was for so they had their own area of the forum, but that didn’t preclude them from posting in the rest of it.

Personally I think the OP has a point.

 

[Chinchilla]

OP does have a point. I wouldn't like it if anyone "tear apart" my horses or horsemanship.

But I also don't think the thread that prompted this particularly was "tearing anyone" apart. If it was, it wasn't actually intended to do that (the title, in hindsight, was harsh; it was hyperbolic, but as we're all aware, the nuances of tone aren't conveyed online. So, that was a mistake on my part. It's not the first such I've made on here and probably won't be last.)

Maybe the lesson here is that there's no such thing as too much reflection as to the impression something is going to have on others before pressing post, whether that's a comment directed to someone else or an image or a link or anything, really.

And fwiw. H&H isn't and shouldn't be fully shut off to minors imho. It can be a really useful resource for younger people to access the knowledgebase of horsey adults, which not everyone has in real life. I joined here when I was 15 and have honestly found it invaluable in exactly that way.
But it does need both sides to conduct themselves appropriately ?: one of the reasons this place is still going is probably that it isn't really heavily moderated so varied discussion can still happen, e.g. on the recent hunting thread (until derailed a bit).

 

[PurBee]

To be fair on the advert threads, i’ve found that the critiques people raise highlight my awareness what the horse world ‘wants’ in a horse, and the things they spot in an ad, i wouldn’t spot. It therefore helps me to see horses for sale differently, learn to look at things i wouldnt have noticed etc etc...so in essence, through ‘constructive criticism’ they’re educational.

I’ve not read anything below the moral belt-line that is just to have a mindless jab at the poster of the ad. Many people describe horses inaccurately, are rarely honest about faults, and it requires experts to read between the lines. Forum members here do that proficiently.

Also, should i sell horses, i now know, thanks to such threads, how to better advertise them - thanks to the honest critiques of folk on here.

The horse with the high noseband probably has sold thanks to that thread....i was even tempted!! Yes, the noseband was focused on...mainly because its extremely unusual to tack a bridle in that way...im sure the owner has a valid reason, and probably is used to/expects comments. Seems the horse did have marks on the lower nose to suggest some history of injury, so a less conventional bridle was obviously used.

Whatever is put out into the general public, whether an advert, or a social media post, all posters have to realise public readers will like, not like, agree, disagree. It’s natural. Self-confidence is the armour required to not take criticism so personally. If criticism erodes self-confidence, that confidence is not sustained via self, and is dependent on external validation from people....so isn’t really self-confidence in the first place.

 

[honetpot]

There are very few on here I think post to be deliberately unkind, we may be a bit blunt and to the point. I can remember being about twelve and putting a bridle back together with the bit upside down, if someone doesn't tell you never learn. There are so many bad welfare practices displayed on the internet, which pass without comment, does this mean that becomes the norm, or do you say what is correct? A badly fitting bridle is a welfare issue.
A poor ad actually tells you a lot about the competence or otherwise of the person selling.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I saw your post on Chinchilla's thread, but I have to say that I did not understand it. I didn't see anyone ripping anyone to shreds, people was saying that the horse is cute, sweet etc. But what the heck is the noseband doing sitting so high up.
Since the noseband factually is sitting up just below the eyes, I fail to see the toxicity.

Later others mentioned other adverts/posted some links to other adverts they've seen. I think I posted a link to an advert I had scrolled by, a horse broken to ride, but only bareback. I would have no problem saying to the owner that I find that part a bit odd. To be able to sit on a horse bareback, is not what I think of when I hear that a horse is broken to ride. But I'm not a buyer, so why waste the sellers time.
Besides, if people had posted saying 'Oh no, it's not odd at all, I've said many times that a horse is broken to ride, despite it is only bareback ridden/sat on', then I would have no trouble apologising, and would probably say something about learning something new every day.

 

[SEL]

Is this really about the noseband thread? I had a giggle looking at that. Can just imagine the dealer getting ready to get some footage of the horse in traffic only to realise it has a super sized head - never mind, crack on!

All publicity is good publicity etc ?

 

[SEL]

Ok so I've just read that entire thread (when I found it) & really can't see what the fuss is about. Moved on to discussing adverts in general - hardly the first time that's been done on here!

 

[Red-1]

Hey!
Seen a couple of posts on here lately that have made me very uncomfortable. People sharing links to adverts, or facebook pictures and picking these people apart. Imagine being the owner of those pictures/advert and seeing these comments. Please, if you wouldn't comment it directly under the original post, or say it to their face do not send it.
If you're really worried about a horse, get in touch with the owner, or the yard owner/manager (if you know them) or literally contact an animal welfare charity.
This is my, and I'm sure many others, safe place and seeing it be somewhere of toxicity makes me really unhappy.
Dulcie and Dusty

I actually don't like pulling adverts apart, I think that is why so many don't have video nowadays. That being said, when I have sold, my horses have al been sound so I did have video, and no one would have said they were not sound!

I rarely comment on such adverts, as it is not what I believe in.

That being said, I think it is a very dangerous thing to use a public forum as your 'safe place'. It is a public forum, never will be a safe place as it is full of strangers. There is no entry requirement, no safeguarding training, no policing for political correctness. There is a set of guidelines to ensure the forum stays within the law, but no active policing to ensure it is a 'safe place' for a minor. I suspect that is why it needs an adult's permission before posting anything.

 

[scats]

Hey!
Seen a couple of posts on here lately that have made me very uncomfortable. People sharing links to adverts, or facebook pictures and picking these people apart. Imagine being the owner of those pictures/advert and seeing these comments. Please, if you wouldn't comment it directly under the original post, or say it to their face do not send it.
If you're really worried about a horse, get in touch with the owner, or the yard owner/manager (if you know them) or literally contact an animal welfare charity.
This is my, and I'm sure many others, safe place and seeing it be somewhere of toxicity makes me really unhappy.
Dulcie and Dusty

You articulate yourself incredibly well for a youngster and I actually think you make a very valid point. A lot of times people do post about adverts out of genuine concern, but I do agree that I’ve seen some in the past that I think verge on just being a bit bitchy for the sake of it and I don’t really like that.

With regards the noseband advert, I assumed it was a dealer and they’d just chucked any tack they could find that day on it to do the ad photos. A bit odd to look at, yes, but I don’t think the horse looked like it was suffering

 

[Ample Prosecco]

I agree it's not a safe place. If you want it to be safe for you, you need to create your own safety. People use the forum for different ways. I use the forum for advice - which has been hugely valuable but I also have to accept that I might get advice I don't like. But mostly it's my 'happy place' and it's my responsibility for making it that kind of environment for me. Which I do by choosing what topics to engage with, ignoring biff and using user ignore to filter toxic users.

In regard to the ad- if I put that ad up I'd be embarrassed but grateful to learn my horse loked ridiculous as it would increase my chance of selling by not making it look like the horse was ridden in poorly fitting tack which is an injury risk. But in this case its prob a dealer who is well aware of looks wrong but isng fussed. Either way, I cant see the harm. But you're right, other critiques have been harsh in the past and they make me feel uncomfortable too sometimes.