Social Media and the Horse Industry: Why the cruelty???

You see it all the time on social media: people bashing western pleasure horses, people bashing people who trail ride instead of showing, Hunter Jumpers sticking up their noses at the western "cowboys" and twitter personalities who gain followers from making fun of random people they may not even know. This is cyber bullying. I get so sick of looking at it day in and day out on social media. Since when did the horse industry become a place of cruelty and cutting absolutely everyone who is a touch different from yourself down from the safety and anonymity of a computer screen?

On the subject of the crazy western pleasure debates all I have to say is everyone has their own opinions and preferences. Just because you do not agree does not give you the right to cut them down and call it cruelty or call the horses "crippled" when they are just doing what they are bred to naturally do. I personally love a good western pleasure horse like no other; however, I want them forward with a natural, level headset and not overcanted; I want them to look like they were born doing this and want to do it. I have a mare that can lope all day long just as slow and simple as could be; it is natural to her and that is a thing of beauty. What bugs me to see the horses SO shut down, TOO low in the neck and loping at a 90 degree angle down the rail and winning that way. I ask that judges take a closer look at the rulebook, what standards the associations have laid out and reward the horses and riders that are riding to that standard. I applaud Jaime Dowdy and Its A Southern Thing for taking a stand at the AQHA World Show and riding off the rail, forward and looking like a rockstar; thank you for taking steps to improve that part of our industry.

On the subject of hating those who ride a different style than yourself; who flipping cares???? We all love the same glorious, four-legged animal that I believe is a gift from God himself. Whether they trail ride, jump, do western pleasure or just stand in a pasture looking pretty, they are all horses and we are all horse lovers. I personally have ridden paints my whole life but find it very fun to get on a Hunter Jumper or Dressage horse every once in a while just for a change of pace. Horses are horses and I find each and every one of them beautiful and magical because I just love horses. Respect everyone no matter what discipline or style because it is their choice and what they enjoy and there is nothing wrong with that.

On the belief that AQHA horses are far superior to APHA horses I have one statement: APHA horses are cropout AQHA horses that were born with too much white. When they could not be shown AQHA, they formed their own association for the cropout horses with too much white, APHA. Therefore paints=quarter horses from the basis and the lineage. They are the same horses, just different hair and skin patterns.

My last and biggest pet peeve is the Equine Twitter "anons" and all others who hide behind a keyboard and bash people for fun without knowing them. As for the twitter accounts, these are young, generally high school/college age girls who make an Equine twitter account anonymously and use it as a platform to air their views, make fun of people and their horses and spew opinions that can often be hurtful to others. As a victim of this very intense form of bullying, I find it disgraceful and disgusting. I had people hiding behind a keyboard telling me that because I chose to leave my geldings mane long and be different I should go "jump off a cliff" to quote their exact verbiage in a tweet (and this was tweeted by someone I considered a friend until that point). What is the purpose of this??? What good is this doing other than building up some pathetic people's self-esteem??? I just don't understand the need to sit around and bash people just for some laughs. Something else I saw regularly was taking pictures off peoples social media account without permission and posting them around and making fun of any number of things: outfits that weren't deemed stylish enough, Equitation that wasn't perfect, a horse that was still a bit furry.... what if those kids could only afford that out of date outfit and had paid for it with their own hard earned money and were proud as punch? Why tear that down? What if that girl has a leg injury that prevents her heels from going any lower but she loves to show the class regardless? What if that is an older gelding with Cushings that is teaching someone the ropes and hasn't been body clipped yet? What is so wrong with all of these scenarios that gives you the right to tear these people down? The answer is nothing. All it does is hurt innocent people's feelings and drive people away from the horse industry. (I will say that not all can be judged by the actions of a few and not everyone on twitter is a part of what I described and many are perfectly nice and build people up instead of tearing them down. Sadly in my experience these lovely people were the minority.)

I will get down off my soapbox now. I just can't stand to sit here and watch social media be used as a vehicle for cruelty and cyber bullying inside this relatively close-knit horse industry. We are all bound together by one common bond: a love for all things equine. We can either join together and be a big family who supports and respects one another; as most of my equine "family" and friends are. This is the situation where social media is used as a tool to keep in touch with friends from other states, share photos and stories about our precious ponies, to sell horses and tack, exchange ideas, educate and keep up with all the news; in that form, social media is amazing and a wonderful addition to the horse industry. I much prefer this use of social media to the unnecessary bashing cruelty that happens all too often. All I have to ask those pathetic people is why? What good is this doing? What is the purpose? All this does is make you feel bigger and better than others and that is not good enough reason to cut people down through a computer. It does NO GOOD. Instead of sitting around on a computer bashing people and talking big; get your booty out to the barn and put in some blood, sweat and tears so that your showing and riding does the talking and you won't have to hide behind a computer screen and cut other people down to make yourself feel cooler and better. If you do your homework and leave it all out in the arena, chances are your results will make you feel so good that you won't need to bash others in order to make yourself feel cool.

Let's remember that we are all together for a common reason and that is we love horses.... is it too much to ask to treat each other with respect and common courtesy over the internet and not purposefully harm each other?

If you agree with my message and want to help spread this positive movement please share this post on social media and use the tag: 

Prepping for Show Season

The days are getting longer, the horses are shedding and I am starting to pencil shows in on my calendar.... horse show season is coming right up! Prepping for horse show season is never an easy task and is one that can be overwhelming at times but I enjoy it nonetheless. It means another year of showing the most beautiful animals on earth with my extended horse show family and doing what I love. Here is my list (in no particular order) to help me prep for another great year of showing.

·         Wash your fake tales,

·         Clean your tack

·         Oil your tack

·         Iron and prepare show clothes and make sure they still fit

·         Clean the horse trailer

·         Wash sheets and sleazy’s and make sure they fit the horses and do not need repairs

·         Make sure you have all your health papers ready for the first show and horse is up to date on shots, worming, Coggins

·         Renew association memberships and review any rule changes

·         Make sure your grooming and bathing products are no longer outdated and possibly invest in some new ones including my favorite, EquiFUSE

·         Pack ringside bag with all the necessities

·         Clip the horses and start washing stains out of the white ones

·         Trim mane and tail and pull the mane if needed

·         If you've bought new tack or new horse make sure everything fits correctly and safely

·         If you have a young horse make sure that they are accepting and quiet in the new show tack, chaps and fake tails

·         If they've never been hauled also make sure that they load and stand on the trailer quietly and unload safely

·          Make sure they're accepting of whatever you choose to ship them in including shipping boots, shipping halters, soft ride boots or standing wraps

·         Get in one last Farrier appointment

·         Possibly consider injections a chiropractor or a glucosamine joint shot

·         Make sure you know what you're taking as water bucket, hay, grain, supplements, etc. Smartpaks are a great option for show season hauling and my supplement provider of choice

·         If you're anything like me you'll tend to over pack so make sure that you're not taking a lot of unnecessary things but also be prepared for surprises

·         Make a horse  first-aid kit so that you have options if an accident occurs

·         Also make sure that you have other necessities if an accident does occur including automobile and trailer repair items

·         Stock up on the little things like electrical tape, zip ties and duct tape in large supply

There you go! My list of things to remember when prepping for a new show season. 

Any things you would add? What helps you get ready for a new show season?

What Like it's Hard?

Yep, started with another Legally Blonde quote because I can. The reality is, it is really really hard, Elle. This has seriously got to be one of the most stressful times in my life. Between planning the wedding of my dreams on a tight budget, trying to correlate my law school attendance with my fiance's potential job area, finishing out my senior semester with 18 credit hours, working 25 hours a week at T.J. Maxx as a coordinator, trying to keep my house clean and feed myself, getting along with my three wonderful yet occasionally annoying roommates and still finding some time to go out to the barn and see my horses and spend some time with my fiance and family I literally want to yank my hair out of my head. 

It goes even beyond that: I am scared of growing up and the possibility that law school won't be what I have always dreamed about, I am getting married, I am no longer going to be able to count on my parents to hold my hand through things, I'm going to have to live with a boy, I never again get to go home for the summer and have my laundry done and meals cooked for me... adulting is hard. But they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and I am going to conquer this stressful time. My motto right now: "Toss your hair in a messy bun, drink some coffee, put on some T-Swift and handle it."

Want to know how I am getting it all done and still getting some sleep?? Well, I'll tell you but my organizational and stress relief tips might not work for everyone.

I Think I'll Go to Law School Today

Yes, I did start this post out with a Legally Blonde quote. Hail to the great Elle Woods, every young, blonde aspiring lawyer's unrealistic role model in hot pink. But in reality, very few aspiring lawyers decide to go to Law School in Elle Woods fashion and follow their ex-boyfriend to Harvard after scoring a 170 on the LSAT and getting a 4.0 GPA in Fashion. Most of us have been planning this for years; maybe even since we were kids. I personally have wanted to be a lawyer since I was a very little girl. I love to argue, I love to read and write and I am fascinated by all things legal. It was a natural progression to finish high school and head off to work on a Pre-Law degree for undergraduate college. It was then that I truly realized what it takes to get into Law School and become a Lawyer and boy was it a shocker. It most certainly was not as easy as Elle made it seem. I am graduating this spring, getting married this summer and I will start Law School in the fall. I have been accepted to every school I applied to thus far with a scholarship and even received two full-ride scholarships. So with no further ado, here is what tips I have for preparing yourself to get into Law School throughout your undergraduate years.

Saving Money While Studying in London

Tips to Save Money While Studying in london

·         Make a budget before you ever leave the USA. Know how much money you have to spend and make allotments. $__ for food, $__ for souvenirs and so on. Knowing how much you can spend and on what you can spend it will help with the urge to impulse buy while overseas. Also, go online and budget (translated into US dollars) how much all the activities you want to do cost. This way you can have a list of everything you want to do, how much it costs and then a cutoff point where you run out of money; below that cutoff point I put the things I would like to do if I can scrimp and save or if another activity doesn’t work out. I suggest filling out this budget in an app of some sort so you can update as you spend money and keep tabs on it. You know you will always have your phone and therefore also your budget.

Below was my budget before going to London

And My budget I kept while in London (mostly accurate but I certainly missed a few things)

·         Pay for as much as you can ahead of time. I bought all of my day trips before I ever left the USA. This way they were booked and paid for before I left and I could adjust my budget to relate this. I knew exactly how much they would cost and that helped me to know how much I could spend on other things. Also, when I was in London, I wasn’t worrying about the $150 day trip I was paying for because it was already done so I could enjoy it without the stress of money while there.

·         Think of everything in US dollars and download the translator app ASAP.  The conversion rates are always changing and you need to find out what it is as soon as possible and download a free app that will translate US dollars into UK pounds or Euro’s. When you begin to price out trips, activities, food, souvenirs, you can find out exactly what they will cost you in US dollars and this helps you to not overstretch your budget. Some of the girls I went with did not budget according to the exchange rate and halfway through our trip they were calling their parents for money.

·         Get a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. It adds up if you are charged a fee every time you use your card and carrying a wad of cash is not very safe. I got the Capital One Venture card and it worked great and I had no additional foreign transaction fees beyond the exchange rate difference. This is something to look into as soon as possible but I highly recommend it.

·         You do not really need an international phone plan. Everyone thinks they need international phone plans and to be able to text and call while there. I had no phone plan the whole time I was there, I simply used wifi. Wifi is EVERYWHERE over there so if you opt out of a phone plan, you can still communicate with people in the UK as well as those at home. If you truly want a plan, go for it but it is by no means a necessity and is a great place to save some $$.

·         Eat cheap. You’re not in London to eat like a king; your there to learn, research, travel and experience as much as you can. Eating cheap can save you a ton of money. I only ate “out” maybe 3-5 times throughout my whole London trip and yet I was never hungry. I packed PB & J sandwiches, a water bottle and chips when I knew I would be out all day. We stopped at the local Tesco grocery on the way home most days and picked up some simple pasta and sauce and a loaf and bread and had a lovely and filling dinner for a cheap cost. Breakfast was bagels and cereal. Buying groceries and eating in the apartment saved me a ton of money. I ended up spending about $100 less on food than I originally budgeted. The grocery over there is much cheaper than you might expect. When looking for cheap meals out and about, Pret-A-Manger is a great one. Also try the little grocery stores for a small sandwich and maybe a fruit cup.

·         Find the free activities. London has SO many free things to do. All the government-run museums are free, many of the outdoor attractions are free, the parks are gorgeous… so many great things to do with your time and not break the bank. Take a little extra time and find things to do that won’t cost you a thing. Along with the free activities, some activities are as low as 3-4 pounds. You can fill your time in cost effective ways if you just do a little research.

·         Keep track of souvenirs purchased already. Similar to my running budget of my spending while there, I kept a running list in the same app of what I had bought for different people and for myself. This way I did not overbuy for anyone nor for myself. I also did not miss anyone because I made a list before going of who I was bringing souvenirs for and just filled in as I purchased.