I really need to know- why are horse people so flipping crazy?

[FatPalomino]

The nutty ones really ruin it for the rest of us. Sometimes I’m afraid to ever mention I even own horses, for fear that that fact alone will have me written off as a “crazy horseperson” Let’s see if my new COTH stalker will chime in on this one

It is because they don’t have kids, their horses are their babies, and their best (and only) friends? (Get a pet goldfish, or a robotic dog)

They didn’t get the lead role on the soap opera, but they are working on perfecting their acting career? (Stop practicing)

Or maybe because they are wealthy, but all that money hasn’t yet bought them happiness? (Give all your money away, and try out being broke and miserable for a while)

They didn’t save the drama for their mama? (Therapy, lots of it)

They have too much time on their hands, and instead of doing something productive (mentoring kids, cleaning the house, working…), they’d rather start rumors and spread drama ??? (Get a Job. Or a 2nd job. )

Or is the world really packed full of crazy people, and horse people really aren’t more crazy than anyone else? (Dear 6lb 8 oz baby Jesus, please let me be wrong on this one)

I’ve seen these sorts go after me, good friends of mine, and vets with a heart of gold. The easy targets- the ones who aren’t hiding and aren’t afraid to stand up for what’s right.

Share your thoughts and experiences, please!

[AllWeatherGal]

Check out snopes.com and your spam folder. There’s an awful lot of talent in the world not being used for the General Good. Horse people aren’t any more crazy than many other groups. But that’s just IMO

[Ozone]

I think the whole kaboodle is crazy today and it just happens to have many horse people involved in the hoopla

[blue_amp_blond]

You have a COTH stalker? Cool. Hehe, just kidding, sorry if you really are dealing with a nutter.

I don’t know why it is but I too sometimes just keep it a bit hushed that I have horses for fear of people thinking the same thing.

It could be any number of things and you pegged a few of them. I’ve often wondered if it’s some sort of control thing. Many of the really “nutty horse people” I’ve met/know do have a bit of a “control” issue. They like controling things I guess. Weird.

I’m not so sure it’s just horse people though. I’ve met/know crazies that are total dog fanatics or cat crazy. (Ok, I have horses, dogs and cats…hoping that doesn’t make me a “triple crazy”) :lol:

[mvp]

I’m certain I have all the ear-marks of a crazy horse person. If I had more time, I’d certainly stalk you, FatPalomino. Who wouldn’t?

I do make a joke of my Horse-centricity, and that helps ease the effects of my craziness for others.

For example, should it appear that my sound, working horse need a minor change in his shoeing, I’ll say to my great farrier. “Look at the deep suffering in his eyes! Just look! Oh, the humanity!”

Meanwhile we can’t see his eyes, because Horseling is really trying to figure out which of the three haynets hanging on the wall in the farrier’s heated shop looks best.

We laugh, but every once in a while, FarrierHotty and I agree that the reason OnlyHorseOnEarth has stayed sound for so long is because I micromanage the snot out of his optimized life. That includes making sure that PreciousThing has no idea what goes on inside my head. He just thinks that life is pretty comfortable and easy with candy magically appearing from time to time.

[FatPalomino]

Blue&Blond- I’m so glad I am not the only one.

I wondered about the control issues too, and if that’s why some of these middle aged woman without much to do get into horses. They can “control” such a big horse, have “control” over the boarding barn they pay, etc, etc.

COTH stalkers are kinda funny. Thankfully (?!?) at one time I did have a real stalker, and know all the steps to take. My ‘real’ stalker was convicted many times and served jail time. Well, maybe that answers my question, everyone is nuts…

I did begin to break it down years ago to “good crazy” vs “bad crazy”. Good crazy are the ones with the right intentions but are just very eccentric

[Miss_J]

I don’t think horsey peeps are all so crazy they just know everything! even if you don’t need to hear it! sorry to hear someone is trying to ruin your good mood:( I’ve learned that when somebody is trying to bring you down or gossiping about you, they are jealous of you or what you have in your life and they have the need to make themselves feel better by putting other’s down:( (rude and mean) it’s hard to ignore sometimes but put it in perspective, who are these people and do they really matter to you? ((((((Hugs to you))))))

[FatPalomino]

@mvp;4503303

I’m certain I have all the ear-marks of a crazy horse person. If I had more time, I’d certainly stalk you, FatPalomino. Who wouldn’t?

The kindest words uttered all day!

[FlashGordon]

FP I could have written your post myself. Was just discussing with a friend last night. Your description is strangely applicable to my current situation…

The craziness of the horse world came as a shock to me as an adult. I’d spent the majority of my childhood at one, low-key, local lesson/boarding barn. Had the same trainer, farrier, and vet for years and years.

I don’t know how we got so lucky-- but the BO’s and everyone connected to the place were ethical, honest, and always looked out for myself and my non-horsey parents.

As I got older and wanted different horsey experiences, and also as the professionals around me started to retire, I had to expand my circle. I was definitely naive… and it has taken me most of my adult life to try and figure horse people out. I’m still not good at knowing what is what sometimes, so I try to go with gut feelings.

I’m too damn busy for the crap and I’m finding I have less and less patience. Sure there are crazy people everywhere but I swear there is a disproportionate amount in the horse world. Sometimes I think hell am I crazy too? Probably in my own way but christ almighty I would never cheat, lie, steal, manipulate, or instigate the drama and the situations that seem to be created in some horse people’s heads and lives.

Then I see so many cool people on here, donating time, money or resources, volunteering with the OTTB rescues, or helping horses and people in need, or just extending support and friendship to others. There’s lots of good out there too, I try to remember that…

Ok then, now back to my quest to find a damn trailer to get my horse OUT of the craziness he is stuck in right now… :o (And where are we going?? Back to the boarding barn I grew up at. Again. Why I ever leave there I just don’t know.)

[equinelaw]

Most everybody is crazy if you get to know them well. We spend most of our time with horse people, so we get to know them well.

And yes, horses do attract a lot of control freaks, but so do other sports and businesses. Its a pretty stressful endeavor so it does not always bring out the best in people. And most of it REALLY is a competition:D

[Miss_J]

@FlashGordon;4503314

Then I see so many cool people on here, donating time, money or resources, volunteering with the OTTB rescues, or helping horses and people in need, or just extending support and friendship to others. There’s lots of good out there too, I try to remember that…

I see that too!..Fat Pali comes to mind…:yes: (

[LauraKY]

I have to agree it’s a control thing. I used to run gymnastics center. You haven’t seen crazy until you get a good look at some of those over competitive parents living vicariously through their children. Same with ice skating, etc. Talk about truly crazy! See it in the horse world too with parents. Very sad. Didn’t seem to be so nuts when I was growing up. Guess I’m showing my age, led a Leave It to Beaver kind of life.

[ShotenStar]

@FatPalomino;4503274

…Or is the world really packed full of crazy people, and horse people really aren’t more crazy than anyone else? (Dear 6lb 8 oz baby Jesus, please let me be wrong on this one)

star pats FatPalomino’s hand and says “There there deary. I’m sorry you had to learn this the hard way”.

Yes, the world is full of crazy people. And what makes it worse is that sometimes even the ones you know and accept as crazy control freaks can surprise you by throwing you under the bus on an issue / at a time / for a reason you least expect. That truly sucks.

Star, with wheel tracks on her back

[FatPalomino]

Can we make our very own town, where there are no busses to runneth over us???

Think of how much happier the horses will be, to not ever have to deal with crazy people.

All we need to do is come up with a name, and have one of us win the lottery, right? I think one of those fancy CA farms for $10 million would work ok. I’d also take 100 barren acres in the middle of Iowa, if it meant we would be free of crazies forever!

[JoZ]

@FatPalomino;4503380

Can we make our very own town, where there are no busses to runneth over us???

Think of how much happier the horses will be, to not ever have to deal with crazy people.

All we need to do is come up with a name, and have one of us win the lottery, right? I think one of those fancy CA farms for $10 million would work ok. I’d also take 100 barren acres in the middle of Iowa, if it meant we would be free of crazies forever!

I’ve threatened to move to FarmVille!

[Lori_B]

The poster who mentioned gymnastics and ice skating was on the edge of an insight.

I think that competitive ice skating, gymnastics, and nearly any significant commitment to playing with horses are not hobbies, they are OBSESSIONS. And obsessions draw obsessive personalities, which are not always people who know what good judgment or balance are in any other part of their life, which isn’t surprising, because they are obsessed. Knitting is a hobby. Stamp collecting is a hobby. If you leave a hobby in a closet for a week, and wander off to Tahiti on a cruise, NO ONE DIES, or fails to accrue points in a critical horse show, or becomes less than perfectly balanced in their flying changes, etc.

Also, some folks spend more time with animals because they aren’t actually very good at interacting with people.

Boarding a horse somewhere is a very interpersonally intense activity, when you think about it. If you eat at a restaurant, even if you go there often, you never go there 7 days a week! So even if you irritate the crap out of the waitstaff, or they sort of annoy you, sometimes, it’s no big deal, because you don’t have to deal with each other every day. But I could be at my boarding barn 7 days a week, and if there was something pretty minor about my personality, or how I say hello, or how I hang up the broom, that annoyed the BM, that could build up quick. (Same goes the other way.)

Crazy is exhausting to deal with, especially when we spend so damn much money for the privilege of trying not to drive the BM up the wall. (Really, some do try).

This is why I don’t find the craziness of horse world to be so surprising.

[Sandy_M]

Y’know, I stopped being apologetic for being horse-obsessed a while ago. After all, a guy can obsess over EVERY STROKE of a golf game, and constantly be buying the latest putter, or golfballs, or recount EVERY moment of a football game (I know women who can do that too!), but no one dismisses them as crazy. SOmehow THAT’s acceptable, but be horse-obsessed - you’re the crazy horse lady!! Eh! They should be so lucky to have as satisfying an interest - and you get a RESPONSE from the horse that you don’t get from a putter. LOL

[citydog]

[QUOTE=FatPalomino;4503274]

It is because they don’t have kids, their horses are their babies, and their best (and only) friends? (Get a pet goldfish, or a robotic dog)[/QUOTE]

Please don’t damn a dog to that. :no: It’s unfair and messes them up too.

(Unless you meant this kind of robotic dog: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41cNZNRsCDL.SS400.jpg)

[oharabear]

[QUOTE=Lori B;4503491]

I think that competitive ice skating, gymnastics, and nearly any significant commitment to playing with horses are not hobbies, they are OBSESSIONS. And obsessions draw obsessive personalities…[/QUOTE]

VERY well-said! :yes::yes::yes:

[dalpal]

Yep, last boarding barn I was at…BO was extremely wealthy, but mentally the equivilant of a 15 year old girl…even in her 30s, she would run and hide behind her daddy if she needed to get “tough” with anyone.

After I watched their nonchalant reaction to a colicking baby while they were playing host to an inspection (baby had to be euthanized…when I ran to get help, I was told…“Yeah, she’s been colickig all morning”) I decided at that moment, no way in hell was I giving 30 days notice, nor was I paying the BO a dime more than the days that I was there for such shitty, piss poor care. It got ugly, but my horses are now in a safe barn where people actually seem “gasp” normal. Barn Manager seems to have a clue and Barn owner is an old farmer who really isn’t interested in heading up a sorority club management.

Shame too, the facility that I left…state of the art…beautiful, couldn’t ask for anything more in a facility…but I’ve never been around so many “up and down” people in my life.

Does that make you feel any better…FP???

I think we are all control freaks…I certainly am, but I actually do have people skills and have a regular job. I think alot of these crazy people grew up with money and have no idea what the real world is about.