[Alagirl]

Shame on you! Don't touch it or you'll go blind!

you owe me a keyboard...

[nasalberry]

It's hairy.

Myself, I prefer to ride a nicely clipped beast.

[Sabino]

She has "one hind sock" which is my name on another forum, though I shortened it to "1sock" on COTH.

Well, we haven't met in person, but I know which forum you are talking about and I'm Farah over there.

[HenryisBlaisin']

I think one problem with giving Internet advice is that not only don't you know the person giving it, you don't know the person you're giving it to. I'd hazard a guess that many, if not most people on this board are experienced horsemen and horsewomen, and as such, we would take any advice given with a grain of salt. We also give advice that most of the time that includes phrases like "ask your trainer/vet/farrier" and/or "in my experience" and most of the time those are interesting and insightful...and as horsemen and women we can weed through the advice/experiences and identify what to take to our own professional in conversation, or in some cases, try (For example, if I ask for advice on a bit, and someone suggests trying a French link for such-and-such, that's something I'm comfortable trying on my own, without my trainer.). That's a good thing-by having so many people with different experience and ideas, you might hit on something that just your trainer/vet/farrier might not have, or hit on it sooner.

On the other hand, though, not everyone has the experience to be that rational, and when they ask for advice, they don't think about it. Imagine a young, first-time horse owner who comes on with something like "OMG I just got to the barn and my horse has a cut on his leg and it's bleeding everywhere! The vet can't get here for an hour, what should I do?!"

If someone tells that terrified, inexperienced person, don't worry, "I'm a vet, and you should pack the wound with cotton balls and Furazone until the vet gets there!", and that person's profile says they're a vet, the owner might not think, "I don't know if this person is REALLY a vet, maybe I should think about it...they're probably going to take the "vet's" advice.

Just because experience and learning tells me that packing a deep wound with anything without being told to do so by my own vet is a bad idea doesn't mean that everyone knows that. Might I give advice to scared HO? Sure, but it's going to start with "I'm not a vet, but I would find something clean to stop the bleeding and wait for the vet. If you can't stop the bleeding, call the vet back and tell them it's an emergency." Most people know to give advice that's not going to cause further harm, but if someone gives bad advice with made-up credentials to an inexperienced person, then what?

I'd argue that posing as a professional when you aren't isn't the same as giving advice from one experienced horseperson to another, and it does have the potential to cause harm.

On another note, if a man was so happy to see me that he grew a HORSE, I'm not sure if I'd run away screaming or marry him on the spot...

[propspony]

Can no one tell me about Colin's Spectacular Beast?

HAHA! It's an andalusian. You can see the brand in a few pics. ;-)

[shiningwizard255]

HAHA! It's an andalusian. You can see the brand in a few pics. ;-)

I'm not sure what we're talking about here, I haven't read back to find out, but I'm not sure I want to know - lol!

[kookicat]

Kooki, I have a plate of chocolate chip cookies sitting in my car if you want to come grab one. I doubt anyone at the kindergarten christmas program this evening would notice. They did just come out of the oven an hour ago.

Do you have sunshine, too? Cause if you do, I'm so there.

[Belair]

Do you have sunshine, too? Cause if you do, I'm so there.

haha it's supposed to be back this afternoon after disappearing for the past week!

[Crackerdog]

Shame on you! Don't touch it or you'll go blind!

[AllWeatherGal]

Do you have sunshine, too? Cause if you do, I'm so there.

*raising hand*

[shiningwizard255]

I'd argue that posing as a professional when you aren't isn't the same as giving advice from one experienced horseperson to another, and it does have the potential to cause harm.

I dunno if this was in response to me but if it was I totally agree - don't lie about your credentials or give advice you aren't absolutely sure of. That I don't understand the appeal of at all, if you love animals why risk hurting one if you give bad advice? Is stroking your ego worth an animals suffering or death?

I was just responding to someone that asked if anyone really takes internet BBs seriously and I was giving scenarios where they can be useful. I do think the internet can be useful and helpful, if you are smart about using it and don't replace it with proper vet care when it's warranted. I also pointed out the importance of questioning ALL advice given; again, such as when a vet prescribes a guinea pig Clavamox. Penicillin drugs are toxic to guinea pigs, but vets still do it.

[FalseImpression]

I have to "chuckle" because something similar to Grataan's story is happening at my barn. Granted none of the boarders believe that person, but she is still saying she is a vet... This boarder and her niece came a few months ago. The aunt has some kind of WB (he sure has an Arab head and tail though) with Sweeney shoulder syndrome. He can't be ridden of course. The niece has a 6 yo TB who, almost a month ago, went 3 legged lame. Aunt diagnosed an abscess... but after a few weeks, the BO hinted that maybe it was time to call a vet (ie a real one!). It turns out that the horse now has a bone infection which will require surgery! Auntie is furious, keeps claiming she knows better, that xrays were unnecessary (too much money)... but "what does she know, she is just a vet, right?" When she made that claim in front of me, I questioned her, asked her what, when and where. She claimed to have graduated in another country (Ireland), but it was too costly to get her equivalency (Or whatever you need to do). I pointed out to her that the real vet comes from Austria and did just that... Yesterday, I directly asked her SIL (owner's mom) about the auntie's credentials... She said she was a vet TECH, who only practiced as such for 3 years many moons ago!!! Ha... no wonder she had such a hard time giving an IV to the horse (and ended up covered in blood!!).. Sheesh... In our case, only the niece "benefits" from the aunt's "knowledge" (and has since turned to the vet and trusts him) and none of the boarders would EVER listen to her. Oh, and I got very tired of auntie calling the REAL vet an idiot and saying she won't talk to him... no wonder... he would out her in two minutes flat...
Still, in my book, her "advice" has probably caused the horse to get a lot worse than he should have, will cost the niece a lot more .... Auntie is now saying the horse should be put down, surgery costs too much... I am relieved that the horse will now get the real care he deserves.

So... I despise people who lie about their qualifications. Who knows, someone at Grataan's barn may have asked and listened to her advice and may have delayed calling a real vet too.

[nasalberry]

HAHA! It's an andalusian. You can see the brand in a few pics. ;-)

I thought so!
All I can say is ... WOOF!!!


Um. ... Nice horse.

[cloudyandcallie]

Hey Cloudie and Callie

Your in box is full, but it seems she's on the mend and wrote me a very nice note. Let me know if things change and I'll do a run with flowers even though she says she's in need of nothing.

alittlegray might get out of hospital today, but her morphine has been lost! So she's in pain.
However, there's a rumor that Always Funny has sent her pink roses!

I'm not on Lex's exclusive PM list, so I cannot send him to the hospital in Fredericksburg to visit alittlegray.

[RxCate]

Another good example of an inexperienced horse person asking for advice and us throwing it out there, (by the bucketfuls in this case) - though none was taken by the fruitbat - was that crazy one who had her horses in witness protection... can't remember her name....

She eventually got sick of not getting the praise and butterflies she thought she deserved and flitted off somewhere else.

Tiffany is another good example. We are all constantly giving her advice and a lot was given when Beautiful was apparently lame. Most of it was good though, telling her to hand walk, call the vet, etc.

This stuff happens on this board every day and we hope to god that they would just call their vet, but we ALL know that doesn't always happen.

[1sock]

Well, we haven't met in person, but I know which forum you are talking about and I'm Farah over there.

Hi Farah!

[cloudyandcallie]

I think what false impression posted, supra, is an example of what can happen if someone says she is a vet. People hear that or read that, and if they aren't experienced, or don't have the money for a vet, they might let a horse languish until it is too late to correct an injury or illness by using a vet.

OtOH, I've learned some good things on coth. The vets who worked on eventgroupie2's Willie had the soft ride boots, and I bought some and recommend them to everyone. But eventgroupie2 did not tell me she was a vet.

She does, however, make wonderful sun catchers and I recommend that everyone have one made of your horse(s).

[pal-o-mino]

Yep, I have gotten some GREAT advice on this board, stuff I wouldn't have thought of or otherwise known about. That part is awesome. But taking medical advice, as in, you should do this or that, I'd have to check with the vet first.

Like the soft rides, I found out about them on here. I almost sold them when my mare got over her laminitis, but I've used them a few times since then for other problems and glad I held on to them!

[propspony]

She does, however, make wonderful sun catchers and I recommend that everyone have one made of your horse(s).

*blinkblink* link or pics please! I NEED one of these. My mare already thinks that the sun shines out of her behind... might as well prove her right.

[Halt Near X]

It's not like Grataan is the first, last, or even current only person posting advice under credentials they may or may not have.

The only really useful thing I see coming out of this is that maybe people will start insisting that people who say "I am an X" and are using that to claim authority on a thread actually verify -- on the board or via PM -- that they really are X.

Forget "trust but verify." Verify first, then decide if you trust.