Our Horse&Rider social communities are booming. We can’t keep up with just how many followers
we have on each platform, and we’re really excited about your interest and grateful to see our little village grow.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you comment on our Facebook posts or respond to a post from someone else. If you ask yourself these questions and can answer them positively, then you’re probably a positive contributor to our horse community. If you can’t answer in the affirmative, maybe it’s a moment to best keep your thoughts to yourself.

1. Would your grandma (or someone else’s) approve of what you’ve written? Everyone’s grandma is different, but most would agree that profanity doesn’t have a place in a public forum, for all ears to hear/eyes to see. She also probably wouldn’t approve of threats.

2. Is your comment a helpful or insightful addition to the discussion? Personal attacks on character of strangers don’t add to the discussion. Insights you’ve gleaned when in a similar situation to the one being discussed do. 

3. Would you want your child (or niece or nephew or friends’ kids) to read your post? Here’s another one against foul language and personal attacks. H&R‘s social platforms are for horse lovers of all ages. Many of whom tend to skew younger. They might have questions that seem less important to some community members. But at least they’re asking. And if they have faulty information, it’s best to offer the correct alternative in an encouraging, educational manner, rather than calling names, so we can keep them in the horse community.

4. Would you say this to the person’s face, if this were an in-person encounter? Here’s a biggie. Would you call someone a derogatory name to their face? Would you threaten them? Would you bully them for not having the same expertise you have or for having a differing opinion? If so, there are probably other communities out there that’d be more suitable for you.

The main message is: We’re here to help educate horse owners, to share ideas and tips, and to build a community of people who love to ride and want to improve their skills. We welcome everyone who wants to be a part of that, and we look forward to learning from your experiences and expertise, too.