I have been a steady reader of this magazine since the 1970s and just wonder why for the past several years it has had such an evangelical Christian overtones. Can anyone enlighten me?
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I was wondering the same thing. I am very disappointed in the magazine. They used to feature more breeds than Quarter Horses, also.
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I totally understand, Salty. They used to have articles on all kinds of breeds. I get this magazine for horse articles, not to be preached to.
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I thought it made a huge shift in the near recent past to being more of a “lifestyle” magazine than a horse magazine. After I noticed that change, I let my subscription expire.The AQHA Journal has gone the same way. I let that subscription expire too.
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Not to hijack the OP, but Yes! The “JQURNAL” is such a disappointment. I usually page through and look at the pictures, but rarely read any of the articles.
We used to subscribe to Western Horseman when I was a kid, but I haven’t actually looked at one in decades.
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I read it sporadically, but don’t recall Western Horseman evangelical or preachy?
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I took have been reading it since the 70s. It used to yon the rack at the grocery store where I grew up. I’d read through it waiting for my mom. It was full of horse info.
I got a subscription a year ago, since was so cheap. Very disappointed. It’s more “Western Horseman Lifestyle” now. Almost all articles are about people and their lifestyles, not about horses. Obviously seeking a different audience. Sad. Didn’t renew.
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I may need to clarify. In most issues when interviewing the subjects, their faith is usually highlighted. The Jan issue had an article on a riding ministry. This is something that wasn’t highlighted years ago in the magazine. I read it for the horse information and have no interest in faith issues. I find it mildly offensive, as faith is a private subject,at least in my generations of Canadians.
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Editors pandering to their Conservative Christian readership, presumably after doing a bit of market research. I used to buy the magazine regularly but in the end I found it to be very repetitive in what it covered and there was less and less of interest to me.
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I was provided a subscription to Western Horseman as a replacement for another magazine I subscribed to which stopped publishing. I found it to be a waste of valuable natural resources and put it in the recycling bin.
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Fair enough.
I will agree the magazine has changed since I’ve started reading it as a kid(80’s). Western Horseman’s website mentions they have changed content wise as well. I believe they had partnered with Quarter Horse News and a couple other publications. I’d venture to guess the focus on the QH breed may have come from that.
Admittedly I have not read the mentioned issue or article. I suppose if I was offended by reading an article or story faith based, as I’d expect a story of a ministry to be, I’d most likely skip reading it, look at the horse pictures and go to the next article. Or cancel the subscription?
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Wow, that’s sad.
Yeah, we’re Christian, (Catholic), but a horse magazine is supposed to be about horses. I’m not particularly interested in any one else’s faith. It’s like someone telling you all about their dietary habits. It’s personal and no one cares as much as you do, especially if they eat something different.
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I haven’t read it in years. The last ones I read were a couple of years ago and the content was pretty much nothing so I haven’t bothered since. I have a large collection of back issues (to the sixties) that I need to sort through because they are not in very good shape.
I am not surprised by the Christian overtones as the whole western horse and rodeo world seems to be quite preachy these days. It has always been there, I remember a pretty big name who was known for his hard ways with horses always advertising back in the mid eighties with Christian symbols.
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Wow, my husband gets it and I haven’t noticed that, I do flip through it and read some. I really like the new cover style, very retro but classic, and really like that they featured a Latino rope trick guy on a recent cover.
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We have all issues since it started publishing.
So many articles were about trainers and horses of note, about the horses and horse world.
The past few years, it seems one more Christian magazine, crosses advertised to hang on vehicles, tack, used for clothing and tack design, half the articles preaching about how spiritual every person featured is, it seems way out of proportion to what is there about horses.
The old ones from the 50’s and 60’s are full of invaluable stories about old top horses that we still can see their influence today.
Today’s stories are about a certain section of humanity, the very religious and, yes, preachy about it.
That preachy tone is part of how society is today, why is taking over in the western world, in the western horse world also.
Any time any one religion gets to be the law of the land, beware.
History shows us how that ends and is not pretty.
Sad to see the US fall for it as it seems to be today.
Why?
The US was supposed to be where individuals were free to choose how to live and believe, as long as they didn’t interfere with the lives and beliefs of others and got along peacefully within our differences.
When we lose that freedom of choice to be and believe to any one group, when we suppress and mandate by that group’s perceived laws how everyone should think and live by and what to believe, most not followers lose basic freedoms, very fast.
That is happening today, in the US and the western horse world reflects that.
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The thing is that if someone is a person " of faith" that is something that is part of you and reaches into every part of your life. If the person being interviewed ran a riding ministry how could you possibly keep Christ ( or the faith aspect) out of that?
Just like any other article where the person interviewed may mention non horse related interests/ hobbies lifestyle.
I read the magazine many, many years ago. Most magazines change over the long haul.
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Thanks Bluey…I was beginning to think I was the only one noticing this. I just don’t think it belongs in a horse magazine.
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It really doesn’t belong in public life either, no matter what religion someone wants to observe.
Fine, showing your religious beliefs in private and with like minded folks, not when mixing with others, makes others uneasy, that especially coming from religions that are becoming so extremists in their beliefs and pushing themselves thru laws and mandates into public life, something that is not supposed to happen in the US.
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I don’t think issues of “faith” belong in a horse magazine. I wrote to WH and gave them my opinion on this, so at least I have let them know how I feel. I have been reading this magazine since the 1970’s. I expect it to change, but I don’t expect it to become a magazine of faith disguised as a Horse publication.
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I gave up on it many years ago. I preferred the glam ads in the QH Journal and the articles were better, but it’s been years since I’ve been an AQHA member.
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