Bahahaha. I am so stealing that. I will never forget it. Is it from a movie or something?
If you thought that up on the spot. You are my hero and I bow down to you.
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Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and again. Feel free to use it.
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When I get in those situations I shut them down by saying, totally deadpan, āyou winā and walk away.
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The dance of the black rooster is everything 
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We used to get a lot of door-to-door folks peddling their religion, which pissed me off no end. DHās usual response was: āSo glad you came by! Please give me your address, and weāll come over and sacrifice a chicken in your front yard.ā That got us onto the āavoid at all costsā list for various religion pushers.
Rebecca
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I had a chatty woman at the barn who talked constantly during our trail rides but I always felt like that would help warn the deer we were coming so they didnāt jump out right in front of us.
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iām almost positive iām not a chatty-cathy. But given the various definitions of am i one? (āi donāt know if iāve ever known one?ā - i tick one of the boxes LOL)
So, iāve said before that iām autistic, soā¦
I usually donāt make eye-contact with anyone unless i remember itās necessary and really make an effort to. Where i haul-in for dressage lesssons is a low-key place and iām a visitor so i am of no consequence to anyone. Occasionally a person will come by my trailer when iām tacking up and without giving undo direct attention i will answer any question. Iām direct and if they are in my way iāll ask them to " would you please move to here" (and actually physically walk to and motion at the space i want them to occupyā¦ i think it comes from being a lifelong K9 handler? lol). So OP, that worksā¦ you could try that!
With other people in my lifeā¦the talkers in particular, and when iām stuck there and havenāt yet walked away (i do that easily. Just walk away while theyāre talking whenever thereās something else i want to do instead) when i have a question i interrupt. And i sometimes have odd questionsā¦ So i guess i waylay their soliloquy. When i listen, i actually listen. And i have questions i want answered before they continue because i donāt understand some bit of pre-text. I will constantly interrupt until my question is answered too.
For all the above things, iām not a target.
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You must not have/ or had any children? It is way easier to ignore a random adult over your own child pestering you for something they want. They can be relentless and āusuallyā an adult will realize you arenāt listening and hopefully move on. Kids donāt really get that.
I didnāt ignore my kids chattering or if they were actually talking to me no matter what the subject. Big difference. I canāt believe the barn person would follow as OP rode their horse? If it is that bad then they just have to say something .
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Haha. No I donāt. Thanks for the reality check.
I could see though if you are used to being blasted by kid chatter that is nonstop, you might have to consciously recalibrate to put up barriers against an adult Chatty Cathy.
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My kids are adults now and no grandkids so I may not be as practiced as I once was where kids are concerned but I can still block out an adult pretty well if the need arises. I keep my horses at home so not much need of that .
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I always tell them we need to walk and talk as Iāve got limited time. Then I tune a lot out. I do t wear ear buds because itās dangerous to do around horses. Though you could just put them in and not play any music! Even better get some big ole headphones!!
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LOL about the hearing aids!
There was one very sweet elderly woman who rode her hormonal half-blind mare at a walk for about 15 minutes, and spent the rest of her barn time literally trying to engage in conversation with everyone at the barn. The ignoring didnāt work. If there was a pause, sheād just take a gulp of air and keep talking. Once when I tried to ignore, she put her arms around my horse.
Iām also a nervous rider, but she was even more nervous, and sometimes sheād talk about her fears/anxieties which is not what you want to talk about before riding. Plus, I like quiet time to read my horseās mood beforehand!
She didnāt mean any harm, but it was a lot. The only comfort I could find is that at least I know how to be quiet and alone. I canāt imagine being so extroverted and having so little sense of peace within yourself that you need to share every single thought with the world.
I think people who are not ābad peopleā but who are flat-out annoying sometimes are more guilt-inducing than anyone else.
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They make buds that let ambient sound in. Theyāre great!
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I will often work/ride with just one earbud in so I still have background noise!
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Same here.
I took a group golf lesson where we were supposed to introduce ourselves and our level of ability. I said I would describe myself as a blind squirrel
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Two years ago I moved my horses to a fantastic facility where I hope to keep horses until I age out of the sport. Itās so lovely. Everyone has their own mission, and there is respect for boundaries. However, at the beginning, there was one woman who felt that horses were her segue to the social life she never seemed to have had in her life. Sad on the one hand, but she expected everyone to drop what they were doing to hear about her life, horse, etc. plus, she was a vicious gossip, so toxic to boot. Frankly, no one had time for it. She eventually left for a small barn.
Sadly, if a BO invites these clients in, itās fair game to put up your boundaries. I really like suggestions, like do it while smiling. You work hard for your horse time, and it feels really shitty to spend time around people like that rather than tending to your horse or riding. I have boarded at one small barn. The joy of no one being around does not make up for the one Chatty Cathy. Great suggestions here. Iāve read them all for future reference. It is nice to chat with people in the horse world. But to chose to not read the room is selfish and rude. Putting up your boundaries is perfectly fine.
Enjoy your horse and family, you work hard for your time with them. Donāt feel guilt. Chatty Cathyās will leave you alone quickly enough. You can listen to some nice music from your earbuds as a distraction with a big smile on your face because youāre doing what you loveā¦
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I was caravanning to a horse camp with one other woman and we stopped for dinner at around 4:00, it was the middle of summer so it didnāt get dark until 9 or so. During dinner she would not shut up, just talked on and on and on. I was driving with one other woman in my truck and the two of them kept at it until 7:30 or 8 and we didnāt get there until after dark. I kept saying, we have to get going and itās like I was on ignore. I had to physically get up and start walking to my truck to drive the point home.
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How do you deal with a chatty cathy farrier?
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