My only hope for these rants is that I encourage those who do have 'simple pleasures' and just looks to enjoy a horse's company (guilt-free of the horse because apparently every single breed is disappointed if they are not trained to the highest levels for pointless competitions) out in nature. How narrow-minded of us. My message is - fuck off if you do not understand how someone could want to ride horses merely for trailrides yuck. Horatio, the appaloosa, was a sad sad horse because he had to sit in his enormous pasture, and go out for a trailride in the gorgeous woods with trusted riders and getting to meet new people and animals, and sneak the occasional leaf for a treat (yeah I have no control over him). That poor animal, cannot believe he made it to 27 with all the mistreatment he suffered.
And King, the former harness-racing standardbred I rode, was WAY happier in the days of harness racing where he physically harmed and psychologically scarred because he at least got real exercise until the poor thing was "rescued" by a woman who gave him 24/7 pasture access and a 2 hour trail ride every day. When I walked around his paddock to clean up all his poop, he only followed me around every.fucking.time because he pitied me for how ignorant of a horse person I was.
Like seriously. Fuck off. I've been a dick and absolutely obnoxious and defensive about proving my experience level, yes. But at the very least I can ADMIT that I've been a dick. You are unbelievably narrow-minded if you can genuinely read this over, and still confidently conclude that I am not an equestrian. I'm genuinely not kidding. And if you still feel this way (and not just because you do not like me as a person....but because you cannot genuinely understand my POV) i IMPLORE you to explain your reasoning.
Elitism? Nah. "Horse people" only make the top of 'communities of people that you can't stand r/askreddit thread" comments because they don't understand the true meaning of "exercise rider" and because if someone asks how they can go about advertising themselves to "help exercise their horse on days they are unable to" OBVIOUSLY implies the term "exercise rider" which OBVIOUSLY implies that they are a trained professional in their horse's discipline.
Fuck you.
Thank you to those who offered advice and withheld judgement, and thank you to those who asked questions