We need and encourage owner participation. Through their participation, by asking questions and seeking professional advice, the forums are nurtured and flourish. Its why there is a "Farriers(and vets, too)Only section" and a section for farriers to help horseowners. It is because we don't want this forum to become like other places on the net that owners are discouraged from offering input on threads that are not their own. Certain exceptions have been made for certain [non-farrier/veterinarian] individuals who have proven their worth by dint of their replies. But those exceptions have been extremely rare/limited, and for the most part have proven their worth.

I don't believe that Karen's request was out of line or a bad idea or in any way meant to circumvent the tone, tenor, direction, mission, etc of these forums.

I suggest we all take a step back and see what the new rules and their clarity will be. As is, I think this has been a tempest in a tea pot and I'm at a loss as to why some folks have gotten so knotted up over it.

To paraphrase a line from the theme song from the movie "Billy Jack", "all I am saying is give Steve a chance........"

There was here at Spain,a great forum for farriers only.The forum owners opened the door for owners and barefooters. Two months later,in the forum writted only owners bored and barefooters antishoeing. The farriers are gone.

I like this site because it's a professional site when great farriers show his knowledge and his pic of the work. They sign with his real name,and everybody can check if it's a real farrier. The owners can sign with a false name and nobody can check that. What concern can I have about discussion with an owner (perhaps bored or working in office?

If you change the rules,the forum will plenty of 40 0ld barefooters divorced and overweigth calling in question the work of the farriers.This is a problem like the signature in the post and the barefooters participation in the forum some months ago.

Gabino wrote:
don't worry, we are a board for farriers , a site called horseshoes.com can't be anti-horseshoeing

Gabino wrote:
Gabino, I thought that, but didn't write it. They are the absolute WORST group, aren't they? And they're ALL convinced they coulda been a champ if not for their husband, their kids, or their fork.

cyber steve wrote:
A country founded on Christian principles that follows our constitution and checks and balances couldn't possibly be in this shape, could it?

I want us to also be supportive of owners, and everyone who believes there are at least situations where shoes are the right answer, when they bring positive contributions to the board.

Steve,

I don't think anyone has a problem with that, at all, but whatshername above personified the very type the rest of us want to keep from attracting.

The human condition is the same,here and there. You are the best of the intention, but it will failure.I saw two forums failure by the same things. The good farriers get tired about to hear nonsenses of the guys bored that don't know nothing about horseshoeing. The imbecile wants to put his occurrences on the same level that the opinions of the learned man.Cause of,they yell and shout. You can see in this forum some months ago,the legion of barefooters writing "You farriers aren't idea of hoofcare!!". Then, many good farriers are missing. ( Ron,Bob,Gary,Jason,Patty,etc,etc..). I can't imagine Dc Stephen O'Grady discussing about podiatry with a barefooter fat,divorced and blonde, that she has discovered the horse when she has 40 years old,and she wants to persuade every body about the curse of the horseshoers,as she could be a Jehová witness or mormon.

For the owners,the forum has the section "Farriers helping owners!, and I believe the owners are lucky man with this section.If the owners are coming in all forum,this forum will another Facebook.

I'm very grateful for this forum and I want not see like it's dead.My apologizes if I annoy to anybody,but it's that I think.You,guys,have a good evidence: The farriers have another forum for farrier.

Trav,

I'm wondering how well you can read and comprehend what you are reading. My first post has not anyone of the requests that you are talking about.

You are a troll. They are very easy to spot.

I can't find your credentials anywhere. There is no way of knowing if you are truly a professional farrier. My guess is that you are not, and you really don't have any business on this site.

There will always be farrier/vet only response sections requiring names (will continue to be the majority of the site), etc. so all the armchair quarterbacks don't start throwing their 2 cents out to owners or farriers looking for help from farriers. And of course farriers can seek farrier help. We will also try an open owners thread as requested. I need you guys to all stop the personal attacks on each other. The rules will be clear on this, if I ever get a day free of bs to deal with it I will get them posted.

Stick with your disagreements or agreements on the issues/ideas not the people presenting them.

seminolewind wrote:
I was invited here by the fella that owns the site. I suppose you can take it up with him at your next board of directors meeting, since you've decided you're in charge of membership.

On that happy note lets move on to something new and exciting.

I've created two new horse owner sections, one to allow horse owners to comment on other threads in areas they can't normally post in and one for them to talk about whatever they want to talk about. Farriers need not address comments made there if they don't want to, if the section remains positive I will let it grow. I moved my foaling thread there as a start.

The rules are updated under the rules tab. Please operate within them at all times to limit the work on our moderators. I want the personal attacks to stop and the debates on subjects to proceed.

Soon I'm going to work on whittling down the number of top level categories to make it less confusing to those entering the forum for the first time. If anyone has a logical way for this to be re-formated please PM me your ideas.


Thanks.