[jaydee]

As you might have noticed we're in the process of making changes to the layout of forums/sub forum/sub sub forums
This is being done to (hopefully) make it easier for members to locate their specific disciplines
Since Natural Horsemanship encompasses so many different training/riding methods, many of which existed long before the NH terminology came into use, we're considering removing it as a sub forum so its just yet another aspect of general training
We'd appreciate your thoughts (not a discussion for or against perceived NH methods) and/or your vote on it.

 

[bsms]

I voted no. As I understand it, the NH sub-forum is supposed to be a place folks who like Parelli (or others) can discuss those ideas without being constantly challenged. I'm guilty of sometimes posting first and noticing the forum afterward, which is bad behavior on my part. The riding world is a big one. Folks ought to have some protected areas where they can explore their ideas without constantly being challenged by people who dislike a given approach.

 

[greentree]

I think there are too many sub forums as it is. I do not subscribe to threads because I despise all the notifications, and (try to) rely on my memory to go back and find them.

OT: it would be helpful to have live links in the quote and mention notifications....

 

[Golden Horse]

I voted yes, too many different sections already, there should be fewer, that is me speaking as a thread starter looking for the correct area.

As a poster I just tend to scan the new posts feed, and rarely look at the place of origin.

 

[horselovinguy]

With so many sub-forums now I think people get lost trying to find a match...

Before the "expansion" of sub-forums took place there was no option for this, that, or something else...
Is it so bad to go back to what was and what did work and make the reader responsible for posting proper thoughts in proper places...
It takes but a second to read a title and forum it came from before hitting the keyboard...:think:
:runninghorse2:...

 

[bsms]

If someone posts something about "horsenality" on a "horse training" forum, he'll probably get dumped on. If someone posts on how to get a good WP lope on a general forum, he'll likely get jumped on too. I dislike Parelli's take on horse personalities and WP loping, but I've used the Control Panel (Options) to eliminate seeing certain sub-forums, even on the new post pages. I'll never see a post on "Horse Show Clothing" - unless I specifically look for it, which would mean hell was frozen over a thousand feet deep!

There are a LOT of sub-forums. I can understand consolidating a bunch of little used ones. I just think NH is a sensitive enough area that a separate subforum has value.

 

[loosie]

I voted no. As I understand it, the NH sub-forum is supposed to be a place folks who like Parelli (or others) can discuss those ideas without being constantly challenged. I'm guilty of sometimes posting first and noticing the forum afterward, which is bad behavior on my part. The riding world is a big one. Folks ought to have some protected areas where they can explore their ideas without constantly being challenged by people who dislike a given approach.

I voted yes, because while I absolutely get what you're saying, these days at least, aside from whether you ride with a bit(but even then...), it seems that 'NH' is rather meaningless, and is discussed without the lable all the time in the 'normal' training section, just as Good horsemanship. And then Parelli for one seems to have... morphed from his original principles & practice, to cradle bridles & all sorts, that his current style I hardly recognise as what I would have called 'NH' decades ago when I first got into it...

 

[Golden Horse]

Folks ought to have some protected areas where they can explore their ideas without constantly being challenged by people who dislike a given approach.

I wish the English riding and dressage forums got the benefit of that.

 

[loosie]

^Yeah while I understand what bsms is getting at, it's not just 'horseanality' fans, but all sorts of areas that this applies to. And while there are always going to be... dissenters, I think we all do a pretty **** good job at keeping stuff reasonably respectful & polite here - we tend to be able to *discuss* things like 'horseanality' or 'on the bit' or... whatever, without resorting to the nastiness that seems rife on other forums & social media. Yay to my virtual horsey family! Everyone should be proud of themselves for this!

 

[Dreamcatcher Arabians]

I also vote "No". I've read a topic because it caught my attention only to go, "HUH?" about 1/2 way through a post and looked to see where I was. Most often I find I'm in the NH forum by accident and I just click out and move on without commenting. I think you'll see a lot more contention if you consolidate NH into general Training.

 

[blue eyed pony]

Consolidate NH into Training and we will have heated arguments. It always seems to happen when NH folks and non-NH folks end up discussing a concept.

I actively avoid NH people. Too many bad experiences. Are there good ones? Absolutely. But there are also A LOT of nuts.

 

[Whinnie]

I wish the English riding and dressage forums got the benefit of that.

I agree, it seems like there are some who like to argue with disciplines they don't understand. Some people argue that something is wrong because they THINK they understand it but they don't. Fine line between discussion and asking questions to learn and just arguing.

I don't know how any forum could be "protected" unless it was only open to some members.

 

[jaydee]

Moderator input


Thanks for all the thoughts so far, they will be taken into consideration along with the Poll results.


I have to say that giving NH a designated slot doesn't guarantee that its not going to be exempt from negative comments - if that were the case then the same rule would have to apply to every single discipline that has got its own slot and I'm not sure that would work.


The sub forums are intended to be for members who have interest in them but we've never blocked any members from any of them (which we can do) or removed polite negative comments because the forum is supposed to be about sharing opinions in a respectful way, even if they aren't in agreement with the majority or another member.


I think we can all learn something from educated pros and cons - the frustrations tend to arise when the negative comments come from biased or uninformed sources.

 

[loosie]

I actively avoid NH people. .... But there are also A LOT of nuts.

Oh Blue, I never realised you were avoiding me. Yes, I've also noticed there are a lot of NH nuts... but then I've noticed just as many nuts in other areas too...

I'm one, like bsms, that these days generally just looks at 'new posts' and I don't often go to specific forum areas to look at, so I could easily end up in an NH discussion as a... western pleasure one, if the subject heading interests me.

 

[blue eyed pony]

Oh Blue, I never realised you were avoiding me.

By the time I realised you were into NH I had already realised you're sane

I have no problem with sane NH people who accept that their way is not the One True Way - just the way that works for them.

I just won't stand for it when people accuse me of abusing my horses. Which seems to happen a lot when I talk to the less sane side of NH... so I avoid NH spaces.

Merging NH and Training would make that impossible!

 

[loosie]

I have no problem with sane NH people who accept that their way is not the One True Way - just the way that works for them.

Ah, fanatics! Yeah, fanatics in any walk of life rub me the wrong way! There's a saying that's stuck with me as a good one, that's about religion, but applies equally to whatever fanaticism, be it NH, 'barefoot', prejudice... It goes something like... Religion is like a penis. It's lovely for you if you have one and are proud of it, but it's not OK to go slapping it in people's faces & knocking those who don't have or want one, or those who have a smaller one than yours.

 

[blue eyed pony]

Ah, fanatics! Yeah, fanatics in any walk of life rub me the wrong way! There's a saying that's stuck with me as a good one, that's about religion, but applies equally to whatever fanaticism, be it NH, 'barefoot', prejudice... It goes something like... Religion is like a penis. It's lovely for you if you have one and are proud of it, but it's not OK to go slapping it in people's faces & knocking those who don't have or want one, or those who have a smaller one than yours.

I like the Maggie Smith quote along those lines - it's fine to have one and be proud of it but if you whip it out and shove it down my throat we're going to have a problem!