Comments on: HI Spy: How do you Deal with the Local Know-it-All?

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 22:31:30 +0000

I say that there are certainly wrong ways of doing things. But, there is more than one way to do anything

By: Eliza

Eliza — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 03:59:46 +0000

I actually use all the tactics mentioned depending on situation. I do appreciate some information but I’ve met a lot of people who would cripple you from ever progressing beyond walking around a paddock if you let them too. I think some of the best progress I made in relationship building with my horse and riding was mucking about on my own and having to work through a problem with my horse on my own. I recently had some problems with one of the workers at a stable I was leasing at. She was always fussing over me for some reason. Did I need help tacking up? I say no thanks and she’d still come check and cluck if she found a little piece of straw still in the horse’s mane. If I was adjusting my stirups in the saddle she would come running over and say she’d fix them for me. I did the avoidance tacit until one day I was taking the horse to spray her legs off and she refused to go by the trash bin. This person was there and when my horse shied she said to put her in the stall and she would wash her legs down later. I decided I needed to take a stand at that point. I said no, thanks that I think its important to work through that now myself with this horse. I used several taps and encouraging voice to get the horse by and it went fine although she was still a bit keyed up at the wash place. The employee told the stable manager it made her uncomfortable to see me whipping the horse and working her up. I never ‘whipped’ the horse, the use if the whip was true taps that made no sound and left no mark. I’ve never whipped any horse aside from the normal sort of small smack you give while riding if they are nonresponsive to leg sometimes. Luckily when I explained the stable manager sided with me but after that she would constantly nit pick and complain about things. She noticed that my bit didn’t look rinsed, my horses boots didn’t look tight enough to her, etc….Ugh! Ultimately you have to think if there is any merit in the advice and otherwise ignore it. Most of all, while you need to use common sense and be safe, you can’t let others over protect or smother you from becoming comfortable and competent to handle your horse yourself. You also can’t ever take all the risk out of riding and working with horses and you can’t make that choice for others either. People aren’t truly being helpful when they do this but rather bolstering their own sense of superiority. I agree to that its often humerous when we go trail or cross country riding with some of these barn know it alls and they can’t control the horse or handle a true gallop.

By: maria

maria — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:58:22 +0000

i go out riding. most know it all can’t keep up.;)!!!!

By: Mattie Jenkins

Mattie Jenkins — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:02:39 +0000

For me, being a know-it-all is a sign of immaturity, meaning they’ll probably grow out of it. If they don’t, my suggestion is to just POLITELY let them know it’s annoying. When dealing with the know-it-all, don’t be the know-it-all back. Either let them know they’re being one, or, if you’re not that kind of person, happily go along with it, who knows, they may know something you don’t.

By: Lassie.

Lassie. — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:59:26 +0000

The local know-it-all around here has had some things said about her; one of them this:''she thinks that every horse is as stubborn as she is.'' You see, she has bad training methods baised on the idea that EVERY horse is stubborn, wants to do things like walk away when you mount, and she punished her horse manly because it took a step when she was about to leap off the fence, going on and on about how stupid the horse is, and what bad manners it has; when she LEAPS onto it's bareback back, and hurts the horse; I used to do that until I had some lessons, and now that I DON'T do that, they stand; they just don't like to be rammed on! So,when she starts jabbering about how bad my horse is, and how I should've slapped him, instead of researching the problem and seeing if it s tack, my method, or a phisical problem, I look her strait in the eye and say '' this is my horse, and I will deal with him how I see fit.''

By: Becky

Becky — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:50:06 +0000

A smile a day keeps the grumps away! And……………………Always have a cheerful answer! It worked! Ignore the nasty remarks, and say somthing nice to them. It worked well for me. That know-it-all accaually said to me “you are too agreeable” because they couldn’t find anything else to critize.

By: Allysa

Allysa — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:37:05 +0000

I think it is really funny to hear so called”horse know it alls” tells stories. When you are riding they like to control everything you do telling you either your sitting a inch too forward or too back. Not having you heels in the right position not transitioning into gaits right. I just smile and enjoy my ride. Its also funny to see when they get on their own horses that the horse starts having attitudes and they are real quick to call it quits.

By: oopsies

oopsies — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:52:36 +0000

actually, I guess I am a little puffed up myself. Now that I am actually riding I realize how much I don’t know. I am trying to change my ways though. I have to remind myself how much the fiddler in my orchestra who ‘never’ makes a mistake annoys ME.

By: Kaity

Kaity — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:48:29 +0000

i try to ignore them but sometimes i get the feeling that thoes peole are just jealous of me or other people’s and our awesomeness ;). so they try to be awesome by saying something that they don’t even know what they are talking about! but usually i just ignore them. unless i just have to say something, which isn’t often.

By: Haylie

Haylie — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:22:24 +0000

What I do is. Roll my eyes and (depending on who it is) I might say something smart.A girl that has never bought a horse or helped someone buy a horse, was telling me how to buy another horse. I had bought 13 horses in my day and she is telling me all this stuff like “not to get a 4 year old because it’s to young.” And “don’t get them from the stock yard.” About 6 out of the 13 horses came from stock yards. And I was letting her use my horse, who is gaited, she was running barrels on him and it was messing his gait up, so we told her that she couldn’t ride him anymore, reaal nice and even let her use a QH gelding.(Because she knows nothing about gaited horses) Then she goes crying to her boss and her boss lets her use a world champ reining mare for barrels. So now when I ask her to come riding, she always has to take care of Arby, or work at the barn. 🙂