To all the old timers on here...

Queenbee

Queenbee

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For those of you who have been around for yonks - or even lurkers for years... don't you miss the old fast pace of the forum? It seems to me that with every forum style change (the last two particularly) people have left, become less active... of course there are many other reasons too.. I remember the days when controversial subjects could be discussed freely (really freely) and within reason we could voice our opinions.... Sure we often got sent to the naughty step but we compared our naughtiness and joked and laughed about it, got up and dusted ourself off and got back to it... Now admin, users, and forum content have moved on... I see the same thread types over and over and not just because its all people post about but because the forum seems to move that much slower. I can go away for a while, come back and the same posts are going on... it used to be that a day away meant scrolling back through five pages of new threads in the tack room (or whatever we used to call it!) TFC used to come on here and have a good old banter, The old stooges popped up in the most predictable ways... JHoward would always seek out the 'Im a man what should I wear?' threads along with JFTD and Rhino.... People locked horns on other threads and popcorn flowed. For those of you who have not been around long enough... we certainly don't lock horns or speak as freely as we used to! Then there was the good old Starzaan threads with her wellies, wafting morags and her sausages!

Don't get me wrong, I still like HHO, but I find I can go a long time now lurking and not posting. Nothing really moves me to hit reply anymore. I still love my SS at christmas and am posting more in the run up to it, but its not the same... Im not the only one to feel this way surely? I suppose over time thats why many of the other members who made this forum so lively and fun have disappeared or become infrequent posters too.
 
It's happened on lots of boards-Facebook partly to blame I think. Also, when you've been here years you see a lot of the same threads come up and well, I cba replying. I've been here since 2004 on and off and there were far fewer posters back then but they were way more prolific. There was also some nasty stuff tbh, I don't miss those days at all.
 
2004 for me too. Parts I miss, and parts I don't.

Sometimes I think "where have the fluffies come from, doesn't anyone just use good old common horse sense anymore?" I often type out a reply and then delete it because I can't be bothered to justify myself.

There are threads I read that I sit back and think "Really? Don't be such a damn pussy" or ones where I just itch to write "OFGS, take a lunge whip out and if he turns around to kick jolly well give him a crack first" or the 'my homebred foal is a yearling now and I want to start training him to lead' head-wall-bang. So I keep my opinions to myself and go to ERG and have a good old barney on there instead.


I find the recurrent seasonal threads, clipping, rugging, feeding, spring grass, summer grass, hay blah, blah, blah boring but that is the way of things, new people, or new owners, come on and have questions, I can appreciate that. Magazines are just the same.

I do miss the old gang, but mostly they are still out there on the internet somewhere.

I lurk a lot, and post sometimes, more in the run up to Christmas, because I, like Queenbee, enjoy SS :)
 
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I think its the same on all forums now and its going to end up with more of them closing if they are not used (not just horsey ones). seems facebook has taken over many peoples lives and there is not so much inclination to debate things anymore. there were some heated threads on here but yes with every change there are more users leave but its probably a hard choice for the owners as if you leave it as it is you have people saying it needs updating because xyz forum has more bells and whistles as it can now sing and dance for you while others say they are happy and comfortable with it the way it is. forum software providers bring out new versions and say if you want to be safe and have a more secure platform you need to upgrade to their new version (which obviously costs and gives them revenue) rather than fixing the bugs or insecurities in the old versions so whatever is done the site hosting the forum cannot do right :(
 
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I wouldn't call myself an 'old-timer' but I have been here a while. 8 years according to my profile - actually maybe I am starting to be an old-timer! :p

Inevitably similar threads reappear all the time so I often start typing out a reply but then can't be bothered. I imagine that happens with many of the 'older' posters too. I do miss many of the old hands.
 
I started posting in 2007, probably lurked a bit before then. I was only thinking earlier how repetitive some of the topics are, but maybe that's just part of being around a while.
I find the medical opinions quite amusing, for want of a better word. For a while it was all backs and ks, then PPID had a stretch (though rightly so, perhaps). Ulcers seem to have been the in thing more recently.
I'm never quite sure who has really left and who has just opened a new account, either...
 
Enfys said:
2004 for me too. Parts I miss, and parts I don't.

Sometimes I think "where have the fluffies come from, doesn't anyone just use good old common horse sense anymore?" I often type out a reply and then delete it because I can't be bothered to justify myself.

There are threads I read that I sit back and think "Really? Don't be such a damn pussy" or ones where I just itch to write "OFGS, take a lunge whip out and if he turns around to kick jolly well give him a crack first" or the 'my homebred foal is a yearling now and I want to start training him to lead' head-wall-bang. So I keep my opinions to myself and go to ERG and have a good old barney on there instead.


I find the recurrent seasonal threads, clipping, rugging, feeding, spring grass, summer grass, hay blah, blah, blah boring but that is the way of things, new people, or new owners, come on and have questions, I can appreciate that. Magazines are just the same.

I do miss the old gang, but mostly they are still out there on the internet somewhere.

I lurk a lot, and post sometimes, more in the run up to Christmas, because I, like Queenbee, enjoy SS :)
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Lol! Reading your post I think we might have been separated at birth!!
 
Enfys said:
Sometimes I think "where have the fluffies come from, doesn't anyone just use good old common horse sense anymore?" I often type out a reply and then delete it because I can't be bothered to justify myself.
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This is me - I just can't believe the regular abandon of common sense and flapping, particularly in this bit!
 
Yup, it were better when I were a lass, etc., etc. Miss some of the old, crotchety posters but it's still interesting sometimes. Can't be doing with facebook at all. Come back you good debaters, all is forgiven!
 
As a lurker of many years, yes I totally agree with you. Even as a lurker I don't come on much any more as the topics are very much the same, almost aimed at young or new to the horse world type people now it seems x
Still have a lurk on the odd occasion
 
I've always been more of a lurker, it took me a few years to even register and start posting.
I particularly miss Tiaribbon and her posts about her daughter and the delightful Cloud. I believe she still posts under a different name. I often think of little Cloud.
RTE: I miss your photos of you and O clearing jumps by miles.
I don't go into the picture gallery very often, because it doesn't seem to be updated as often as people used to put up picture threads in other sections
 
Agree too. No common sense and all too fluffy. No one has any horse sense, they are what my friend calls the "pat it and pony nut brigade" rather than the give it a whack and make it behave type.

How many discussions can there be on rugs....surely it is easy...if it is cold put one one if it is hot take one off. I mean not exactly rocket science is it.........have to say fat cob was clipped out and un rugged......shock horror, wanted her to get a little chilly and lose some weight! Now all rugged up though.
 
Yep miss loads of people on here and I'm finding I'm spending more time in the club house than anywhere else.
What I miss the most is being able to spend hours in comp riders going through peoples weekend reports. It was full of the good, the bad and the ugly, lots of pics and vids and it was the place I felt the most comfortable in. Nearly all the old guard are gone and there are very few reports posted, if I had a horse I wouldn’t bother as I just don’t see the point. I learnt a lot from reading stuff in there and often found it was a bit more common sense when the tack room got a bit fluffy.
I can understand things change but I do miss it and I have no idea who most of the poster where so couldn’t use fb to follow them.
There is an awful lot of knowledge lost which is a huge shame, don't get me wrong there are still loads of people on here but I'm not sure if most can be bothered to post any more. As Enfys said you type out a reply and then delete it, I normally think 'whats the point'. You'll either get ignored or laid into.
 
You get the odd person like me who goes away, and then comes back lol...

I used to post mainly in competing (this is pre 2010) and lol a bit at the general fluffiness of New Lounge (as Tack Room was called) and the arguments that used to start...

However now (post children) and with a lot less competing done on my part and a lot more Pony Club, I find Tack Room in the main to be quite sensible and not at all as I remembered it....

Most of the competing folk that I remember don't come on at all any more though :(

FIona
 
I've also gone away and recently come back and had noticed those same things, its much slower and perhaps people are nicer and more guarded but also dare I say it.. less fun... Where are the 20 page saga threads and arguments that used to keep me glued for hours?
 
Would be nice if we could have less censorship on here - that's one thing that annoys me about this forum.

I miss redmone (and Dolly - she was so cute) and cptrayes too, actually.
 
I dont come on or post as much now (old timer as I joined in 2002) as others have said Facebook has taken over a lot of forums, I also used to be on Saddle-up and that was such a fast paced forum too,

I do find some of the threads on here more interesting that the ones on FB, to many ''all the gear, no idea'' type threads on there, though some can give you 10 mins amusement before you want to slap the author for being so stupid (and half the people that reply)
 
pixie said:
I've always been more of a lurker, it took me a few years to even register and start posting.
I particularly miss Tiaribbon and her posts about her daughter and the delightful Cloud. I believe she still posts under a different name. I often think of little Cloud.
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Spring Feather. I think she doesn't come on so much now, very much busy, busy with her seriously super duper new place. Cloud was still going strong last time I saw her.
 
Ditchjumper2 said:
Agree too. No common sense and all too fluffy. No one has any horse sense, they are what my friend calls the "pat it and pony nut brigade" rather than the give it a whack and make it behave type.

How many discussions can there be on rugs....surely it is easy...if it is cold put one one if it is hot take one off. I mean not exactly rocket science is it.........have to say fat cob was clipped out and un rugged......shock horror, wanted her to get a little chilly and lose some weight! Now all rugged up though.
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:D

I put up a comment earlier about daisy reins and will probably get slammed for suggesting that small riders (mitigating circumstances permitting - small, nervous etc, etc) learn to give a bloody good heave ho on one rein, yell "Oi you ******!" and deliver a good old Pony Club welly to the ribs :( I didn't dare suggest what an instructor of mine told me years ago, "lead your pony out in a bridle and reins and if he goes to eat let his nose meet your toe!" ;)
 
I was just thinking about this when I was logging on today. I will have a quick browse, see nothing of interest and log off again. A few years ago I could while away a whole evening on HHO, and the Franch threads had me and OH glued to the screen and crying with laughter for many a night. It's a shame people can't let their hair down on here any longer, it has a counter productive effect. The advertisers want a high number of people looking at their ads. HHO keep a tight rein on the forum to ensure no one says anything that could be deemed offensive or libelous, people no longer log on due to the lack of interesting threads, therefore forum numbers drop and the advertisers aren't happy.
 
I agree! I've been here from 2007 so not a big old timer but I used to post a lot then and now it's very little.
Forum is a lot slower and it's getting very repetitive as well. I'm spending a lot more time lurking, writing the occasional direct opinion/advice and then not posting as I can't be bothered with the hassle of defending my opinion. Especially if it goes against the "general opinion" of the other posters.

Competition room is also very slow, there was a lot more posts. I haven't competed in ages so I haven't anything interesting to post anyway, but I definitely don't spend a lot of time in there, it's mainly tack room now. Quick glance down the page and see if anything looks interesting and then that's it!
 
I'm far from being the old timer that some of you guys are, but even I've noticed that there are more and more fluffy bunny threads. Some of the 'alternative practitioners' must be laughing all the way to the bank. On a personal note, I and a friend of mine are far from fluffy bunny with our neds and yet (touching head as made of wood) we see the vets far less than a yard very close to us who are totally in the fluffy bunny camp. That's not to say we don't get the vet if we need to, it's just we seem to apply far more common sense and perhaps are more traditional in our approach.

And don't get me started on those dratted rugging threads - like you say Enfys cold = put a rug on, hot = take a rug off, how hard can it be. Sometimes the Tack Room is more like the new owners board, I do sometimes wonder whether I'm on the right board or not.
 
Have to say I've found it a bit boring lately too. I nearly posted a thread about it last week, but cba. So many people have disappeared - they can't all have been banned can they?
There hasn't been a really good fast moving thread for ages.
I lurked for a long while before I joined and there was more life about it then but the forum is always at its best in winter, so maybe things will liven up.
 
I think we are all saying its slower in general and especially in competition area there are less reports being posted but what can be done about it? you cannot get a big whip and round up all the people who dont post any more and beat them until they do :D so how can people be encouraged to post?
 
3OldPonies said:
I'm far from being the old timer that some of you guys are, but even I've noticed that there are more and more fluffy bunny threads. Some of the 'alternative practitioners' must be laughing all the way to the bank. On a personal note, I and a friend of mine are far from fluffy bunny with our neds and yet (touching head as made of wood) we see the vets far less than a yard very close to us who are totally in the fluffy bunny camp. That's not to say we don't get the vet if we need to, it's just we seem to apply far more common sense and perhaps are more traditional in our approach.

And don't get me started on those dratted rugging threads - like you say Enfys cold = put a rug on, hot = take a rug off, how hard can it be. Sometimes the Tack Room is more like the new owners board, I do sometimes wonder whether I'm on the right board or not.
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Lol, agree with you about getting the vet! Every time someone post about a. Potential injury etc. It's always get the vet as replies :p yes, in some situations but horsemanship is also about being able to handle minor ailments yourself!
Eg. Horse looks like he managed to get himself cast a couple of nights ago & put his leg through some wooden boarding. Quite a few cuts high up on inside hind leg near stifle and then down to cannon bone - none deep or sore, just a lot of them. No cuts on pastern though so not entirely sure how he managed to get a leg through the wood!! But trots up sound and no swelling so no need to get vet out - but I bet you if I had posted on here it would've been a general consensus of "get the vet" :p

I also wish people would use the search function a bit more often so it's not as repetitive but then there mightn't be any posts :p
 
There seems to be a shortage of decent Trolls too. There was a time when one could spin a yarn out for 40 pages with everyone piling in getting very hot under the collar.

Anyway must go now as am about to give birth to triplets on the bus and my boyfriend is down the boozer :biggrin3::eek3::devilish::tongue3:
 
Archangel said:
There seems to be a shortage of decent Trolls too. There was a time when one could spin a yarn out for 40 pages with everyone piling in getting very hot under the collar.

Anyway must go now as am about to give birth to triplets on the bus and my boyfriend is down the boozer :biggrin3::eek3::devilish::tongue3:
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Oh god yes, I miss the decent trolls... there were some crackers, so funny! And ^^^ on the earlier subject of fluffy bunny huggers.... It used to be excellent fun to goad them, now some good doer will come along and accuse you of being mean and the thread never gets anywhere :( its no fun!
 
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