Does this forum offer you a "comfort zone" for asking questions?

[Invite]

I lurked for a long time on the dressage forum. It truly took a lot of guts on my part to put myself out there and ask question, especially those which pertained to being disabled. Do any of you feel “safer” outing yourself on this forum? Do you feel more inclined to ask questions you feel would have been ignored or viewed as useless on other forums?

I truly hope this forum offers the not quite right riders a place to help each other without snarky comments. I am thrilled this new forum has been brought to life. Personally, I find it much easier to ask questions on a thread where I don’t feel like a moron for being different and less abled then some!

[Orn1218]

I do feel that this is a bit of a comfort zone, free from any snarkiness. I have mostly lurked here for years, but I feel like this is a place I can fit my passion and my medical condition. I believe that we mostly just need an ear to bend or a shoulder to lean on and to know that we are not alone with our ailments and our need to be associated with horses.

[equineartworks]

I absolutely feel better having this forum. I always wondered if people felt less of me because I am not riding. Just because I am not riding doesn’t mean I am not a passionate horseperson, I am still out there with all five day in and day out…just not riding

Sometimes I find I like this better. I like to ride, but I am much more a ground person.

I do need to get myself in shape to ride this spring if I am going to finish my NARHA Cert. I am glad this forum here…I will need the moral support!

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

Some of my best times with my horse have not been about riding.

[IdahoRider]

I do feel more comfortable asking a question or raising an issue here, where the people responding are more likely to understand where I am coming from.

I remember posting last year (or maybe it was this year) about how much trouble I was having stabilizing my legs, especially at the trot. Everyone who responded to that thread was very nice, but many had a hard time understanding why I couldn’t improve simply by working harder and riding more. I think that this forum, dedicated to riders with disabilities, will provide a more comprehensive platform that can go deeper into the issues we all face. And that might make us more comfortable in asking for feedback or advice, knowing that we’ll get more than “ride more” or “try harder”. Not that either of those responses are bad, or wrong. Just that riders with disabilities might already be riding and trying as hard as possible already.
Sheilah

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

And what is amazing to me is how people compensate, and how creative they are when it comes to finding solutions to making things work.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=DressageGeek “Ribbon Ho”;4435378]
And what is amazing to me is how people compensate, and how creative they are when it comes to finding solutions to making things work.[/QUOTE]

Or how at times the horses tell us we are not riding well and the cause was something we were compensating for, but unaware.

If my horses had not kept switching leads on me or not cantering balanced, I would not have found I only had 20% function left in my left leg and would have kept losing even more.
After injections and therapy, I am back to 60% now.
Somehow, I kept adjusting to that and didn’t even noticed it, other than the ocassional stubbing of my toe.

You would think that, as closely as we look at how our horses go and feel, we would know to pay attention to ourselves also.

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

Ain’t that the truth!!!