I chose to share this image from Anna Blake because of the frequent conversations that I have with my clients about their concerns over the overwhelming amount of information out there about horse care - particularly on social media. It makes them feel confused, anxious, and conflicted - like they can't do anything right.
"Ask 5 horsemen, get 10 opinions" - that joke, or some variation of it, has been around forever. Conflicting information and opinions about horse care is nothing new. But it is horribly exacerbated by social media.
I think it's a beautiful thing to give people a platform. I want to hear information from all kinds of horse-people, not just researchers or the folks at the very top of their field. Social media is wonderful for that.
The problem with the social media algorithms is that they favour information that creates a lot of reaction, and therefore interaction - usually in the form of arguments.
Before I decided to spend less time on Facebook by removing it from my devices, I was finding that every time I scrolled, I was getting anxious and angry about all of the divisive, contradictory, reactionary, dichotomous ("all or nothing") information being widely shared around the horse community online. The well-thought-out, researched, (dare I say) emotionally stable posts were being buried due to the algorithm's preference for divisive opinions and emotionally charged posts ("hot takes") that get people commenting and sharing.
If I want to find information from trusted experts and sources that I follow, I have to go directly to their pages - they rarely show up on my feed. These days, it can even be hard to know who actually has real expertise. There are many "celebrity horse people" on the internet who aren't really all that knowledgeable or educated, sadly - they just have a big following and a lot of content online, which pushes their posts to the top.
My point of all of this? Protect your peace. It is so difficult to navigate all of that information coming at you, while remembering your "why" of having a horse in the first place. It isn't supposed to be stressful all the time.
My advice (this works well for me!):
Follow the people whose advice you trust, and seek out their knowledge and shared resources - you may need to sign up for their newsletter, or go directly to their social media pages or websites, rather than waiting for them to show up in your feed.
Find aligned professionals - and peers - in person if possible who can support you and your horses (and you can support them in return!). The right online community can also be very supportive.
Be cautious of anyone who pushes that "all or nothing" narrative, or quick fixes - those two things just don't exist in the horse world (or in the world in general).
Don't believe everything that you see online. If you watched a video or read an article with new information that intrigues you, you can look up more sources, see who else is talking about it, and ask a trusted professional what they think. Don't take something for truth just because someone posted online.
Get off social media sometimes! Read a book (I'll be creating a book resource soon), watch a webinar, or better yet - go spend time with your horse, even if you're just going out for a hand-walk or watching them graze (I highly recommend reading a book while watching them graze - so peaceful).
Think about the quote above from Anna Blake, and remember your "why". It's how we keep the magic alive and well.
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Thanks for reading!