Have the forums played a big role in your life? The Chronicle would like to know what the forums mean to you. Have you made any special connections, created decade-long friendships or met anyone in real life?
Share below, or you can email Kimberly at kloushin@coth.com.
Tack, training, horse and rider medical experiences, and more of good hearted well meant sharing and advice.
Good question.
A few laughs, an opportunity to vent and share the crazy in our sport.
I especially appreciate the opportunity for knowledge and glimpses into areas I am not - will never be - or would like to be - sometime in the future.
I endeavor to Event so I haven’t much to contribute to the forum, but read all the posts.
I use the Search function a lot cause most of the horse / behavior questions have already been answered somewhere on here. I search trainer, barn, show names here cause references are hard to get.
And sometimes I just come here to shake my head reading Current Events.
I’ve made friends, been helped with training challenges, been able to help others.
All in all, a nice community.
Thanks to CotH for providing the forums.
I read the forums to relax, explore, get answers on many topics, and be educated about my sport, Dressage. Thanks very much to Coth for providing this resource.
Let me add that I read from all the forums: current events, racing, etc.
LOVE the forums! For all the above reasons, and sometimes just to waste a little time with a huge assortment of people from all over the world in all kinds of professions.
This is really a special place.
I’m wondering why you are asking. If the “powers that be” are wondering if the forums are worth it, I’ll tell you all with a loud voice, Yes! They Are!
Early on, when I had gotten my then new mare, the saddle I was using was sliding back and pressing.
On the forum, I made a connection with another Saddlebred person who gave me some measurements, and I found a couple online that fit her just fine! That would not have happened IRL. I had no other Saddlebred people around who knew what to look for to fit that back, and those shoulders. When I tried it on Holly, she apparently had never had a saddle that fit. She stood there the first few times with her back all hunched. I gave her time to get used to the feel, and then tried riding. I could see her start to think of things when I first mounted up, and when she got through thinking, she started moving out nicely, better than before. The saddle pad came back with no rubs or pressure points on her. I’m so greatful.
Just a couple days ago, I told a young gal who was helping out at the barn about the forums. Her horse was out of use for a bit with a sore back, and her saddle didn’t fit. I told her about the forums and the wealth of information contained in the people who post here, and she was glad to hear it! I hope she’s visited. The knowledge base represented in the posters here is unparalleled.
Although we’ve not met in person, I have made online friends, whom I care for. There are those who inspire me, others who help me, and yet others who encourage me. There may be some few whom I don’t understand (Current Events section), or who frustrate me, but that is the way of life. We all will never agree. I think some of it is biological. 
I have a new filly from my mare. I will call her well-bred. She is one of the items in my bucket list and I can share her here with people who will appreciate her for being more than just a cute horse baby! And although I didn’t reply to this comment from another at the time she foaled, Yes, I do wish Pinto mom had been more generous with the bling. I’ve been looking all over her trying to find those little white pinto type spots, but no luck. LOL! But the kid is gorgeous anyway!
We couldn’t get Mom back in foal this year, and posters here understand what that is to someone.
The forum Mods keeps the place from becoming just another internet spot where people are mean to each other and maintains the space as a spot where we can go to learn and be friendly. I haven’t been able to “always” maintain the standards, but it’s okay when someone tells me to play nice. We all forget at times.
If you are planning on closing the forum, PLEASE DON’T. This place is a public service and worthy of continuing.
PS: I learned from online friends from here about a product that is an effective treatment for sarcoids. Gave the info to a barn friend. The medicine was going to be much cheaper than the other surgical way. He had some sarcoids taken off his gelding’s sheath and Dr. told him they would come back. Friend was so happy that there would be alternative to more surgery!!
I have made connections, learned a ton and have had a wonderful experience.
Sheilah
Decades ago I had a horse who was stumping all the vets… the internet was new to me and I googled his symptoms and the forum COTH showed up with a bunch of similar horses throughout the world experiencing the same thing. The early days of PSSM with Dr Valentine. These forums probably saved that horses life and made countless other horses lives throughout the years better because the wealth of knowledge shared on these forums.
I recently had the same experience with my mare as there is very little research about spaying mares. (Thread is in h/j) and I have gone back to that thread to update about my mare. I hope my mares story helps others make more informed choices and brings comfort to “difficult” mares. If there are no published studies we can only rely on others experiences.
If there is any question about maintaining this space; I hope that is preserved for all the knowledge that is shared and the privilege to have access to horsemen and women around the globe.
I like knowing you can ask just about any question and get different answers, based on each horse owners personal experience. There usually is more than one right answer so I appreciate the community of options. Its also good to be aware of " bad trainers" or questionable horse people. Or helpful advice on any horse topic.
When I moved to Buffalo several years ago, @sarahandsam was the first to welcome me to the city and give me the ins and outs of the horse world here.
We promptly forged a friendship based on mutual admiration for horses, dogs, craft beers, and great breakfast sandwiches, and she’s now one of my best friends - and she introduced me to several more people who collectively made Buffalo home.
Thanks, COTH, and thanks Sarah!
It’s such a great place to get different opinions and advice from lots of great horse people. I feel like everyone here truly cares about their horse and there is a lot of years of experience here
I can’t imagine horse ownership without COTH – it is my go-to to resolve most any horsemanship issue.
I find google search to be a bit better than COTH, but all my horse search terms in in COTH because that is the source I want to read first.
Only recently have I lurked in non-horse threads and it is truly interesting to hear various points of view – as well as learn some personality quirks of popular posting members.
Hearing the perspective of fellow members helps validate one’s own beliefs and opens our eyes to others!
I’ve been on this forum, and a subscriber, for decades.
I’m happy to see people I’ve known IRL on the forums and really enjoy their opinion/feedback since I know them and their skills. It’s been a nice way to keep in touch with people.
I volunteered to be a Secret Santa organizer last year and it was so fun to keep the Secret Santa tradition going. I’ve participated in it for years and have so appreciated what I have received as well the thought I’ve put into gifts (which I think were well received!).
I did meet several COTHers in real life and one invited me to give a talk at the University she was a professor at. That was SO FUN. Some COTHers and I actually published a scientific paper together about dressage scores in response to the USDF wanting to increase the standards to move up levels. I loved participating in that response and helping to publish that paper.
I’ve developed many “friends” on the board that I love hearing from. Even if I don’t agree with them, I always consider another point of view and really consider what they say. I’ve come to trust the advice of many over the years because they have shown that they know what they are talking about. I’ve learned a lot on the dressage thread.
I’ve really appreciated the CE thread. I follow politics all the time (yes, it’s a fault) and I really enjoy talking with people about specific events. It’s great to hear from people who agree and it’s great to hear from constructive posters who state why they don’t agree. Those posters teach me a different way of thinking and I’m grateful for that.
I love the Off Topic forum to see what movies people like, what birds people have seen and getting advice about how to keep squirrels out of my bird feeders. I enjoy seeing the hits and misses of others’ Wordle experience because I play that daily.
In short, I have loved the forums for decades to get additional information from my “in life” horse community, get information from people I’ve known IRL who ride better that I do (!), read about different products that might suit my horse better than products I’ve been using, read about different approaches to training issues or horse health issues I’ve encountered. The forum has been a great “supplement” to my approach to training and horse care.
Similarly, it has been great to discuss politics with others. The varied opinions help me understand the range of political persuasions representative today.
Of course and Off topic are just fun forums!
@Sparrowette, we are working on our 85th anniversary issue, and because the forums are such an active part of our website, we are looking at including it in that issue.
Kimberly
When I first joined I had moved to a farm, I did not know anyone. Hubby was at work everyday and would go overnight to visit his father. I was having a problem with a tb.
The forums were my connection to other people and from discussing my problem, I took the tb out of the paddock while the cattle were fed and fed him separately and my problem was cured overnight.
I like the forums because they take us out of our home equestrian communities and let’s us hear opinions about a broad range of topics and current events.
I avoid some discussions because a half dozen posters take topics hostage with their rambling posts.
I’m sure the traffic to the forums during the Barisone trial was good for advertising dollars.
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