Sigh

I have been just craving some horse 'talk' lately. The forums I have somewhat followed for years are so very quiet lately and half the remaining posters on the one tend to drive me crazy.

I went back to COTH and lurked some and even posted 1x and I am reminded why I didn't use my login for 3 or 4 years. Very snobby and cliquey feel to it. I wasn't batted down and didn't have a primary post but just feels like a lot of holier than thou on the general (farm and off course) boards and as I remembered their endurance/trail riding section feels like a pretty tight knit group of east coasters. I haven't poked my nose in the dressage, hunting .... boards since I'm not doing those things.

I've been lurking on Texas horse enthusiasts occasionally. Not sure if there is more volume; but since I don't check it real often it feels like a bit more and I like most of what I read there. But I'm 2 states away, hardly makes any kind of sense to try to actually join and I might find if I did that they are not so warm and friendly with outsiders who want to join. As a lurker it feels like a friendly place with some (un?)common sense vs 'tree hugger' types who happen to have the horse bug.

I don't want to and will actively avoid joining groups and causes let alone the games on FB.

the endurance yahoo group --still too few topics and a small group of posters spouting off with 5-10 posts with their same tired opinions on recycled hot topics and 2-4 posts on random topics. I care less what xyz and fgh have to say. I haven't ventured to ridecamp but other than a bigger group of people so perhaps some newbies and more chances to learn something new in response to a question I wouldn't have asked I'm sure it has the same problems as the yahoo group.

Partly I have changed, 2008-2009 made me think about politics and my views on how societies and governments can work vs failing and now I have no patience for people who don't share my 'less is more' when it comes to government views. So where before I just thought, well if they are committed to horses, including learning good horsemanship so they can care for them I have quite a bit in common with them. Now if they think government should attempt to 'spread the wealth around' for any reason, whether personal avarice or thinking themselves elite and that the masses cant succeed w/o gub'mint help I strongly feel that they are basically simpletons and I don't want to waste my time 'with' them.