I appreciate it if folks love a horse or dog , or kid, or the ocean, whatever…certainly is better than not caring. We can love the ocean and admire it, the ocean does not love us back. Still, it is amazing. That is how I feel abbot horses. They bond with us, to a degree, as far as "loving " us back…not so much . Most of them love being with a herd of other horses and would choose a horse buddy over hanging out with us. Doesn’t bother me, they are magnificent the way the ocean is.
alagirl…you can spin a position so fast no one can keep up. My entire point was: WHY the negativity and the attachement of judgement of the opinon of POOR horsemanship in all I can read of anyone using this term. You keep investing in diminishing what it means to any of us who have experienced it, but I see no one bashing anyone else for NOT using it. WTF?
oh, and maybe? share with us your horses! You do have horses, right? I’m sure they’re all very well loved and you simply don’t like that term. As always I think that’s fine! But of course you do have them!? we all love our ponies! Tell us about yours!
[QUOTE=Alagirl;7768929]
Well, since the OP did not say that YOU in particular where of this nature, why dos it bother you?
it’s not like you have not come across those people who basically torture their animals with their love, keeping lame horses around when they should be put down, feeding dogs until they are about to burst…because of the special magic connection…
I am not sure where the OP warrants to dismiss her knowledge and expertise in horse keeping from the annoyance she has over the expression of fluff.
Some of that stuff was pretty personal.[/QUOTE]
Did you see the thread title? That didn’t name names, it was addressed to everyone. I took offense to that as is my right to do. I don’t make a practice of telling people which words they may use and don’t appreciate being told which words I may or may not use.
Threads about things which make an OP face palm always amuse me.
I keep on seeing the red outline of handprints an an OPs face. At some point that’s gotta hurt.
Which leads me to…
Stop using FacePalm. Unless you really mean it.
Oh the irony of it. Oh humanity. Oh
Face palm is used so much google has a “trend” graph for facepalm.
I find it absolutely hilarious that people are comparing a “heart animal” to having a favorite child.
And we’re the nutters.
Hahaha.
[QUOTE=yourcolorfuladdiction;7768910]
I can’t figure out how people can pick one horse and say the love it more than the others. It’s like saying you love one kid more than the others. Again like having a “heart kid”.
Honestly, I ride lots of difficult horses that require a lot of time and emotion in them. So the horse I love the most is the one I’m currently riding. My best horse is the one I’m currently riding.
I’m not sure how you can have a “heart horse”, it’s like thinking about one kid while you’re spending time with another? Strange concept.
The OP was mostly frustrated with the complacent sympathy given the moment the term “heart horse” was unleashed upon a thread.[/QUOTE]
I have ridden horses whose names I’ve forgotten and whom I probably wouldn’t recognize if I saw again, and I’ve ridden ones where all I want to do is get off and not ride them again. (I visit my brother’s barn again I’m telling him weeks in advance if they put me on thank cranky slow mare again I won’t ride. He told them I preferred a quiet ride–I like quiet, not so dead I can barely walk when I get off! Plus, though they warned me, she’s got a dirty stop when a new rider jumps her.) Of course I have ones I like better, and if I have a favorite ever, it’s probably Lucky–he’s the horse I needed when I bought my first ‘grown-up’ horse. I don’t like all people I meet. I’m certainly not going to like every horse.
I have felt many bongs, but not the special one. So, taking cues from this thread, I never got high?
It was all collective-suggestion then.
Bummer.
[QUOTE=katarine;7768903]
I heart pancakes.
Is that so wrong?[/QUOTE]
Yes.
Great photos, Laurierace!!!
[QUOTE=CarrieK;7769208]
Yes.[/QUOTE]
Not if the poster has a Heart Pancake. Then it’s all ok.
I think for those of us that can’t stand the term, we need to put forward a shortening of the term. We can tell people it’s reverential in nature. I propose H*t Horse. Only 1 asterisk to keep it neat and tidy and oh so ambiguous. It will only be a matter of years before people forget what it means and it gets dumped from the CotH lexicon.
I don’t often face palm, but I head beamed last night thinking about this silly thread while I was in the loft feeding. The language that escaped my pie hole did not include H*t horse, nor face palm. It may have been a really ominous shade of blue though.
I don’t understand how people cannot understand distinctions. Have you loved every man you’ve dated/lived with/married exactly the same? Not I. Just as I have loved some dogs and horses and cats more than others. All got the same care (ditto the men too), but there are sometimes relationships with men or with animals that are above the ordinary. Like once I saw a guy walk into the room and it was, what is the Italian term from the Godfather?, magic. OK so that happened 2x, but the 2nd time the other guy and I never went out. I’ve had horses and dogs and cats who were something special. Call it whatever you want to, but it was different from the norm. Ditto relationships with men.
As for the person on this thread who doesn’t ride, never owned a horse, has no intention of owning a horse and still posts all over this board, well what do you care what we horse people call anything? (This does not mean those of you who love horses but never could afford one. I’m talking about the troll.) Let the “heart horse” people say what ever they want to say about their horses. Those of us who have the capacity to love both animals and humans know what those people mean.
ETA I never had a special bong. I never learned to inhale. I did learn to snort thought!
INORITE??!!
This thread is chok full o’ folks going on and on even after the OP made the distinction between the twee phrase and the twee phrase being used as justification for stu–well, not well-thought-out actions.
But…but…but…wouldn’t she EAT HER HEART PANCAKE??
ABUSE!!
:: ponders :: I wonder if a Heart Pancake would cross a rainbow sprinkles bridge?
[QUOTE=CarrieK;7769240]
INORITE??!!
This thread is chok full o’ folks going on and on even after the OP made the distinction between the twee phrase and the twee phrase being used as justification for stu–well, not well-thought-out actions.[/QUOTE]
No, s/he did not make a distinction.
“I can’t even articulate how many face palms the phrase ‘heart horse’ inspires in me. Particularly since it’s almost always used…”
S/he hates the phrase. Says so in the first sentence. May particularly hate it because it is often used to justify stupid behavior but not only because of that.
Goes on to say:
“Just stop it. We humans have a pretty unlimited capacity for love. There will be another one and you will love him/her.”
That seems to be addressed to anyone who uses the phrase. Me, for instance.
That’s true, not in the first post. But she made a later post clarifiying and folks were still…well, you know.
[QUOTE=CarrieK;7769272]
That’s true, not in the first post. But she made a later post clarifiying and folks were still…well, you know.[/QUOTE]
In her/his second post, they say this:
“On the contrary, I actually feel sad for people who truly believe they will only be able to love one horse as much as their ‘heart horse.’”
Third post: “I don’t believe in soulmates either so this one is going over my head, sorry!”
So regardless of what they may have said in later backtracking posts, I believe the truth was told in the OP’s first three posts. Pretty clearly. Other posters later described users of the phrase as “self indulgent.”
I don’t insist the OP or anyone else believe in heart horses and soul mates; I just insist on my right to use that term if I like and defend myself against people who bash.
ETA - Seriously, if you (generic) punch people in the face you shouldn’t be surprised if they punch back. It’s pretty stupid to get all like, “What’d I doooooooo?” 
Oh.
ETA - punch
Ah, and herein lies the rub. I read OP’s post as stating (my interpretation) grrr! that twee phrase irritates me like nails on a chalkboard. Stop! I also read a big ole winky face.
[QUOTE=LSMarnell;7764239]
Sorry, I totally disagree with you & will continue to use the term. I have had 6 horses. ONE was my “heart horse.”
My current horse is over-the-moon-amazing, but he isn’t even in the same league as my “heart horse.”[/QUOTE]
Apparently OP has never had a “Heart Horse”!! There are horses…then there are special horses that a person really “connects” to!! The term “heart horse” is to show a difference in the relationship a rider/owner has with a particular horse. I’ve had many horses over my long riding career…some have been really great horses, but a few have been really “special”, bonded partners. perhaps the OP can provide us with a better term!! So sorry OP has never had the opportunity to share time with a “Heart Horse”!!
[QUOTE=CarrieK;7769289]
Oh.
Ah, and herein lies the rub. I read OP’s post as stating (my interpretation) grrr! that twee phrase irritates me like nails on a chalkboard. Stop! I also read a big ole winky face.
Where others read a punch in the face.[/QUOTE]
And as you say, there’s the rub. You interpret one way, I another. Maybe that’s because I’m coming up on the first anniversary of the death of my heart horse. Or maybe it’s because I don’t see the humor in being called “self indulgent” for even thinking I had a heart horse. IOW, humor differs between folks and you always take a pretty big chance when you make fun of people.
But maybe I interpret it differently from you because I don’t see the humor in whinging about stuff - and I’ve never seen the humor in making fun of people or telling them what to do.
