Really rude email?!!!

[Alexart]

Sorry bit of a rant here!!! I won't mention names here or anything but we bred a horse and sold it to a lovely lady a few years ago, and the horse is her pride and joy, the horse is a very nice looking animal and is very sweet natured and has just started her career. She has the horse at a well known stud and has been there a few years, the owner likes to potter a bit but lets others compete her horse as her confidence isn't quite there and she wants the best for said horse and to keep it busy doing lots of things. The horse does show jumping unaffiliated upto 90cm at the mo, dressage and working hunter, the horse enjoys it as does the owner who goes along to all the events. I had a photo of the horse on my sold horses page, as I like to post up dates on how all our babies we've bred are doing, I mentioned next to a pic of the horse when it had just been backed and said where the horse was in training and that her trainer thought she'd do well in dressage etc, which she has - OK not olympic standard but I'm proud of her as is her owner and that is all I said.

Said stud emailed me, I've never spoken to them before, stating that i should not even mention their name as technically it was their business name not the actual address - I didn't know that as all over the web and FB their business name is their address - anyway that also they did not like the fact the we had given the impression they thought the horse would do well which she said they never did - the lady said and I quote "She is a sweet horse but has not shown potential as a serious competition horse and it would be very unfair to try her beyond her capabilities" - nowhere did I ever say I thought they should push a horse and in my eyes she has done well and that was all I stated in literally one sentence!!
She told me to remove their name off our website and to not state where the horse is in training and to do it within 30 days! Is it just me, am I over reacting?, or is that really rude basically saying they don't want to be associated with said horse and it isn't doing well in their eyes, and surely a positive mention for any business is a good thing???!!! I've never had an email like this before it's just so weird and I think rather rude!!!!!

 

[Goldenstar]

Honestly I would not be pleased in their shoes I would remove it ASAP .

 

[ihatework]

I can kind of see where the stud is coming from if I'm honest

 

[Spring Feather]

I never mention other equine businesses on my website without their permission. I keep website/FB updates on all of my youngsters vague. IF a business owner wants a bit of advertising then I wait for them to ask me if I will mention them and then I'm happy to do so. I have a number of clients who have bought youngsters from me (business people) and I specifically ask for me to be mentioned as their horses breeder as I do want to some notice given to my mares and my farm.

I wouldn't have written their business name on my website without checking that they were okay with it first, so I do see why they may have sent this email to you. Sorry.

 

[Alexart]

Why though? - if it were someone mentioning my stud on the internet in a positive way I wouldn't be worried and sending an email to them - surely then no-one can say where their horse is, who's bred it, who's competing/showing it etc? I have removed it, but what am I supposed to say if I can't mention where she is or what she's doing even though I have the owners permission to do so on our website and she loves sending me pics of her competing to put on there?

 

[Spring Feather]

You can mention the youngsters, I do, and you can mention what they are doing, with photos to back it up. You just can't mention the other business by name if they do not want to be linked to your website. In my sales contract it is part of the sale price that the buyer WILL continue to mark me down as the breeder of these horses and any shows they go to where there is a breeder space, they have to complete it with me as the breeder because I want breeder recognition. The trainer in your case does not want recognition from you for whatever reason and that's their right imo. I can't see that it makes any difference to you really whether the name of the trainer is mentioned or not, you can still say what the horse is winning or competing at, and where. Anyone interested will just run a check and then they can see who the rider/trainer is presumably.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

This is a difficult one, something similar happened in a local town down here. We have a local rag, and someone from one of the organisations in the town - without thinking there'd be any problem in it - had done a write-up and in it they'd mentioned that they'd had a talk from a certain local charity which does work with youth and down-and-outs; anyway this charity weren't very happy that their name had been mentioned without someone asking them first, as they're doing quite sensitive work with local disaffected youth and were worried that this might negatively influence their "clientele" and drive them off.

The article, like your screed, was written in good faith and without realising that it would cause such a hoo-hah.

One has to be careful these days with mentioning business names..... so yes I can see where the stud is coming from. But IMO they were a bit anal about the whole thing and could have been a bit more acknowledging of the fact that you were basically giving them some good free publlicity.