I have to admit that I’ve said horse people are nucking futz on more than the odd occasion, some of the best people I’ve also met are horse people. It’s a real mixed bag out there.
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The craziest clique I’ve ever come into contact with was my “birth month” group from The Nest. It was legitimately Mean Girls in real life (well, online life).
I have had some wacky horse people encounters, but nothing so wild as that place.
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well those are just “those” horse people who do not have my breed
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Oh, there’s plenty of this in the Morgan world… but it’s probably better than some other corners of the equestrian scene.
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I have only met exceptionally nice people in the driving world. But there’s a big caveat to this–I never showed. So there could easily be a whole other side to folks that I never saw. And my sample size is very small.
It’s funny, boating people used to be wonderful, but these days, not so much. I’ve run into an awful lot of jerks on the water.
Rebecca
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Yes, whenever you get people in a group you are going to have drama/ crazies. I think the most nutso clique I ever had the displeasure of interacting with was the women’s Christmas pageant group that I was volunteered for by my MiL. A meaner, more caty and drama-filled group I have yet to find.
But like @exvet said, I think that animal people maybe have an extra layer of anti-social tendencies added in. Folks who have a hard time in social situations, maybe are a bit neuro-atypical or just plan have poor communication skills can still find solace and love with their animals. So they give up on trying to form healthy or professional relationships with their fellow humans and just get really passionate about their animals. I think horse people have an additional layer or nutso since horses cost so much money, so the stakes are higher, and the emotions are higher.
ETA - There are also lots of situations with a mis-matched power dynamic with trainers/BOs vs riders/owners that makes for a lot of drama.
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In over 40 years as a boarder and equestrian sports fan my experience has been almost completely positive. i’ve had people offer to meet me at 4AM to haul my horse to a horse trial when my truck was down. Offer me a horse to ride in the hunt when mine had lost a shoe. Bring dinners when my SO was bedridden after a serious riding injury. Continue ground working my young horse every day when I was in the ICU with no expectation that I would survive or be able to pay. Surely a few of you also have positive stories to share.
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We have had Lippitts and kept our “show” horses in the backyard, we were mostly looked down upon as See We (those of upper crust) Allow Them To Show … which has changed over the years to Watch Out They (us) will win
Actually we never really had an issue, once I saw my oldest son talking with a man as they were watching our horse work in the warm up ring. Afterwards I asked him if he knew who he was talking with? He so no but he liked our horse very much. Son that man is Herbert Kohler. Who is that? His family owns Kohler Industries
Mostly every one was/is just average folks who like horses
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My father, who is long gone from this world unfortunately, used to say… “Horse shows… humans competing against each other through the medium of their horses”.
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I think a lot of horse people turn to horses (dog people to dogs, cat people to cats) because they’re missing some of the basic people-to-people formula. (Raises hand). I have all the patience in the world with a horse, but with a human? I guess I expect more.
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Raises both hands 
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Perfect! I’m going to borrow this, with credit to your dad.
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I haven’t read all the way through, but can I just say that the comments on Fire Departments are so absolutely correct? Especially the volunteer ones? They are all wonderful, wonderful people if you take them individually. But if you put them all in the same room…OMG!
I hate saying that, but they really are. I think horse people are the same. The majority are wonderful, but somehow the critical mass is…lethal.
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This is an interesting thread. Brings to mind a similar idea that a professional dog trainer said: the only thing two dog trainers will agree on is how bad a job the third one is doing.
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Yep, what’s the saying? 2 horse people, 3 opinions?
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I totally agree. I have some friends I met through riding over 30+ years ago, even though we now live in different states we still share photos, etc. When I first go married my husband was diagnosed with cancer. We would go out the the barn we boarded at just so he could get out of the house for a short while. We must have talked about how we were struggling a bit with me working full time and having to drive DH to the hospital an hour and a half one way and then to work another hour from that, and backtrack to get home, etc. We had a group of friends at the barn, and one young lady’s boyfriend, who we knew for only a short while, and not very well, offered to take vacation time from his job to drive my DH to and from the hospital. Who does that to people you hardly know? Family wasn’t even offering that. I feel it strongly to this day how generous that offer was. So, yes, there are good people out there in the horse world. You just need to find those that you enjoy and have your own little core group. 
Forget the rest.
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I have endless fabulous stories from the horse world, too. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
But I’ve also witnessed enough bat crap crazy behavior to color my opinion.
Every time I get the bug to return to working in the horse industry full time, I am quickly reminded that I like my space and separation.
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I too have lots of great stories. Some of them involve the amazing people on this forum.
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Just take a turn over in the current events section of this forum.
I doubt a fraction of them are actually horse owning people or horse people at all.
It can get pretty awful.
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Oddly I found the opposite.
With a single exception, the Drivers I’ve met & showed (ADS-rated) with were as welcoming to Obvious Newb Me as could be.
OTOH, Driving Club members whose idea of “show” is County Fair (no longer what it used to be) & rinkydink local shows, have turned out to be some of the BSC-est folks I’ve met.
Holding 20+yo grudges is just a single example.
I could list more, but suffice to say THEY CRAY CRAY 
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