Shadowfax wrote:^ That's totally it in a nutshell!See my latest Facebook status for details
I've yet to receive a reply, but she should be online later. We shall see.
I'm never on FB but I was curious so I actually hopped over and looked. xD
Horses and cars aren't a good mix. I've heard so many horror stories about cars speeding by or even honking their horns to try and scare them and it's like... huh? What?
I feel like if someone goes out of their way to be considerate to a rider, they should acknowledge it. I mean, in this day and age there's so many people who are simply ignorant of anything farm/animal-related as it is, so to have someone understand it and appreciate it is a big deal, I feel like.It's kind of another reason why it bugs me when those types of horse-people are so uptight and arrogant. I mean, everyone was new once. Just because maybe you were fortunate enough to start at a young age doesn't mean that that's the case for everyone. Be glad that other people are showing interest in the sport/lifestyle at all, especially when older. It's a big deal. Because like I said, most people simply don't know these things anymore.
(Which is kinda frustrating because then you get people that have no idea what's going on. Like a few weeks ago in one of my classes we took out the wagon and hitched up the drafties and went for a drive. And while most of the foot/bike traffic was considerate/surprised/frightened enough to give us a very wide berth and watch as we passed by, some people just acted like we were another bike. Like one guy literally squeezed between us and the curb on his skateboard.
I was so confused.)lelizwe wrote:^ You know this might sound a bit disrespectful (and I don't mean that at all, it's just from experience), but I honestly think this is a legit problem with horsey people and farmers. I worked at a kennels for six months that was run by a farmer's wife and was located at the farm, so when I had a break I'd be in the same room as the boys who work there, along with the wife and the farmer himself. They are such awkward people to talk to. So unwelcoming and distant and lacking in any basic pleasantries you'd give a normal person, not just your staff. I think it might be because they live in their own little world away from most of society. But it was unreal. It was like I was an alien or something.
Three of the girls there were horsey people - they came to groom the horses and ride them and help move them from one field to another, things like that. Two were horrible people who literally treated me like one of the dogs we were caring for. Totally out of order. Only one was actually decent to me. Was so tempted to fling one of the bags of crap at the other two
That sounds literally terrible.
And no, it's not disrespectful, lol. It's just truth. As an agricultural major/aspiring horseperson/someone who works with animals, I can say for sure that there are people like that. It's a real shame, to be honest. Especially since (like I said), the other portion tend to be the most straightforward and honest types of people you could ever hope to meet. I feel like every time I meet someone in this field of work, I kind of have to gauge which side of the line they fall on.
I think a lot of it has to do with this internal competition/comparison that's always going on. It's not really ever stated but with animal people there's always this sort of thing where people judge you based off how much they think you know and how much experience you have. I'll admit that even I do it (like I said, everyone kinda does lol). But while some people take the time to teach others who are less experienced, other people just use it as an excuse to lord over everyone else. Which tends to get annoying, especially when they're not nearly as knowledgeable as they think they are.
I feel like once I get my own horse (which will happen one day) and have the experience to teach, I would definitely be open to sharing my knowledge with other people. No use in hoarding it, really. Everyone has room to grow and to learn, just like any other field of work. You can be an accomplished rider but a crappy person, and there are probably plenty out there, so... why be another one of those?
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