Pet Peeves

[RockRiverTiff]

Ok, I just have to jump in here since I've already posted to the thread and say that I actually do NOT judge people's intelligence by their spelling and grammar in their forum posts. Do I think it's key to looking professional on their sites and in their ads? Absolutely. But as they say, nobody's perfect. I'm an absolute grammar wonk - my job requires it - but I recognize that there are plenty of smart people out there for whom perfect spelling and grammar simply aren't a priority. I think if you discount everyone that doesn't use spell check when they're essentially socializing then you're probably going to miss out on some very valuable perspectives. JMHO

 

[dannigirl]

Mine is one I hear often in the saddle horse world, many people call all young horses "colts" regardless of their gender.

I was taught a young female horse is a filly and a young male horse is a colt.

I have had many conversations that go like

Them: I just rode that colt this morning

Me: I thought that was a filly

Them: Oh we call them all colts

Why ???

This one also bugs the heck out of me. I can understand non-horse people doing it, but people that have been breeding and raising horses for years??? I honestly didn't know the difference until we started raising minis (never had a horse before that), but now I politely correct the non-horse people and do as you do and question the horse folks.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Oh Matt, this is a GOOD one!

My farrier refers to all my babies at colts and I've just learned to live with it. At his age, I'm not going to change his mind.

I too hate the "out of" when referring to a stallion and also the ubiquitous (did I spell that correctly?) "here's my new stud!" What? Did you just purchase a horse breeding facility????

I also go nuts when I read "she's breed to" ... Again, what???

And I "bailed" hay. Folks, puh-leez!

My favorite all-timer is "my mare fold a filly" Really? Did she press it too???

 

[dannigirl]

I really start to hate the questions. Do they bite? Do they kick? Of course they can bite and kick. Most of mine have been taught (and I had to look that word up not to bite or kick, but they are animals. Animals can be unpredictable--especially if provoked by your little "angel".

If you take them in the house, how do you keep them from pooping or peeing? Answer: you don't. If they have to go, most will just go. I ever go into the train them not to idea--just too involved.

 

[dannigirl]

My favorite all-timer is "my mare fold a filly" Really? Did she press it too???

Or shrink it in the dryer?

 

[Matt73]

All great

I will say, too, that I'm not bugged by people typing quickly on forums making typos. I do that, too. It's the ads, primarily, that get to me. My grammar and spelling aren't perfect, by any means. But, to be honest, if I see an ad where the spelling and grammar is really really bad, I totally discount it. I think to myself, "Self (lol). If they can't take the time to make sure that their wording/terms/grammar are correct, how do they run their farm? How particular are they in their breeding operation?" I'm sorry, but I connect the two. Same goes for a dirty house. Too often, I've seen that a really nasty house goes hand-in-hand with improperly cared-for animals (I'm not talking just unkept and dusty. I'm talking NASTY). Now...of course, I've also seen very educated people run bloody awful operations too (and be very dishonest).

 

[ohmt]

Rockrivertiff, just to clarify on my part (in case you were referring to my post), I do not judge people's intelligence on spelling, nor do I discredit anyone who doesn't use spell check. It's a pet peeve so yes, it bothers me, but I do understand that not everyone is a great speller. My best friend is one of the smartest people I've ever met (much more intelligent than me in many aspects) and she asks me how to spell very common words all the time. We both get a good laugh out of it most days

Anyway, I apologize if I offended anyone, I in no way meant to insult anyone's intelligence. I have learned so much from all of the forum members over the past few years!

Another pet peeve, referring to a horse as 'it'.

 

[Songcatcher]

This topic has been on my mind for a few days. I'm glad you asked. I try my best to use the proper terminology, but I am pretty tolerant of most people who don't because I realize that a lot of that terminology is area specific and many times age specific.

What really aggravates me is when people email asking questions or for pictures and I send multiple pictures and information and they will never acknowledge receiving them. Many times I will email again asking if they received the info, and still no response. How hard is it to say, "Thank you, but I don't think that is what I am looking for."?

 

[chandab]

Now, its possible these ads were called into news papers, but I saw the following...

Philly for sale.

Gilding for sale.

Ridding horse for sale.

Own son of drives me nuts too, either he's a son or he isn't, so why add extra words when most ads are by the word and expensive.

I can't think of anything other than the "stud colt" and "filly colt" right now, but some doozies come out at the local sale yard, and they are said by long-time horse breeders and trainers.

 

[wiccanz]

OMG hillarious!! Ditto to all the above

Especially the stud/stallion thing ... a stud is a breeding facility ... a stallion is an entire male horse. And I suppose you could refer to your stallion as a breeding facility, but ....

My pet hate is seeing a "chestnut, father was a palomino so carries the dilute gene" ....

Lord save us!

 

[Eohippus]

My top two are the two most common questions I get asked:

1) Can you/do you/will you ride him/her?

This question is most commonly asked when I have my 25" stallion with me. Does it LOOK like I can ride him? I think he'd rather play rider and me be the horse!! It also bugs me if they ask if they or they child can ride.

and like every one else 2) Does he/she come in the house?

I guess I kind of understand this one but at the same time I get so sick of hearing it. It gets asked EVERY time. I want to make a sign to wear that says "No, this is a horse. He lives outside. He does not come in my house."

I realize this is very petty but when people call their minis paints.. they are not paints it is not possible for them to be paints.. they are Pintos..

again totally petty but you did ask lol

I call my gelding a paint. As I've always been taught/heard (and some one else said in a topic related to paint vs pinto) paint and pinto used to be used inter-changeably before both Paint and Pinto associations (and still can be). Where I distinguish breed versus color is capitalization. You can have a paint colored horse or a pinto colored horse but that does not make them a Paint horse or a Pinto horse (remember pinto does not accept every horse breed). That's how I view that at least (just like you could have a miniature horse who isn't a registered/really a Miniature horse). Personally I think its alll just opinion when it comes to that or where you come from (just like certain areas call all foals colts )

 

[albahurst]

This topic has been on my mind for a few days. I'm glad you asked. I try my best to use the proper terminology, but I am pretty tolerant of most people who don't because I realize that a lot of that terminology is area specific and many times age specific.

What really aggravates me is when people email asking questions or for pictures and I send multiple pictures and information and they will never acknowledge receiving them. Many times I will email again asking if they received the info, and still no response. How hard is it to say, "Thank you, but I don't think that is what I am looking for."?

Ditto- I was just about to post about this very matter-

 

[REO]

I agree with you Songcatcher, that is just a huge lack of good (or any) manners!

I think only one person has ever bothered to reply to me when I've answered ads off the sale board. (Many over the years)

If I posted a wanted ad, I would answer every person that took the time to email me, no matter how many there were. People are people with feelings, not cattle there for your pleasure.

It is not hard to say, thank you for showing me your horse, but he/she isn't quite what I'm looking for.

 

[Riverdance]

What really aggravates me is when people email asking questions or for pictures and I send multiple pictures and information and they will never acknowledge receiving them. Many times I will email again asking if they received the info, and still no response. How hard is it to say, "Thank you, but I don't think that is what I am looking for."?

This is probably my biggest pet peeve. I go to the trouble of writing an ad and posting it with pictures, some just taken. Get some inquiries, which I spend a lot of time talking with them either on line or on the phone. Get some updated pictures of them and never hear back from them. how much time does it take to type thanks, but no thanks, or I am not ready yet? Most do not respond back even when I email them to see if they are still interested.

(Another BIG pet peeve is when one has gone to the trouble to get pictures of a mature animal in the summer, then get a call regarding that animal. They want updated pictures, even though they may have been taken only a month or so ago. Now it is winter and believe me, around here one can tell conformation or anything on a min that grows hair like they do here, but still they want pictures and say they can tell.(have not sold one yet like that) Can one tell what a little tick looks like once filled to capacity with blood? That is our Minis. Great big ball of hair with 4 legs underneath.. , Now there is no way that a 6 year old has changed at all from summer to winter, except to grow the coat.

Last fall I had someone who contacted me all fall, winter and spring. They were over seas and wanted one of my stallions, but they could not make a decision. Could I take updated pictures of them standing side by side (this was in February) all she was going to see where two engorged ticks. One in black and one in black and white, so she asked me to shave them down, then take the pictures. I told her the earliest I could shave them down would be the end of May. That if the pictures taken during the summer were not enough for her, then there was nothing more that I could do for her.

Never heard from her again.

 

[MindyLee]

I thought of another big pet peeve that I deal with on almost a daily...

I do mini farrier work and heres what I hear a lot...

"My minis feet are very bad, I need you out ASAP! Can I get a card."

Then I never hear from them again and then it makes me worry about how bad are those feet.

Sorry but Im a bad speller too

 

[bannerminis]

I think mine would be someone saying that their horse is Spot Bred - that drives me NUTS especially if its a horse for sale (very misleading). If it didnt inherit the gene then it will never produce a spotted offspring unless bred to a horse with some sort of spotted pattern.

One of my mares has dun and spotted breeding but is not herself spotted but would be a suspect Dun but being Palomino the jury is still out on that

Oh and if you breed Fallabellas then you SHOULD be able to spell it. I have seen (on an Irish site) someone that puts up Fallabellas for sale but never spells it correctly. I am more then capable of typo after typo but I know that this advert is just that they dont know how to spell it.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

Don't forget the ferrier or furrier, really, you put fur on horses??

 

[rabbitsfizz]

OK, Sorry, Banner, your face is going to be RED but it is "FALABELLA" not Fallabella!!!!

CONFIRMATION!

Drives me absolutely NUTS and now I have a permanent picture of little horses dressed in white dresses holding bibles

And I am very, very sorry to say this, but I am a spelling and grammar snob- grammar not so much as you care about or you do not, but everyone can press the spellcheck button, can they not?

It is free to download and takes moment.

Some of my mistakes (form for from is the most obvious) still slip through, and I do not always correct them, I know, but all lower case and no punctuation makes my head ache, and I often do not bother to read these posts.

I am not too bothered about "filly colts" as I grew up with it in "My Friend Flicka" and we call halters, headcollars (well, in the UK we do, I do not, actually, I call them halters!)

Craigslist is good for a laugh any day of the week until you realise that these people have, in their care, living creatures, and are reproducing all over the place, God help us!.

 

[Charlotte]

Oh my, Matt, the 'out of' and 'by' thing just drives me NUTS! I first started hearing that mistake back in the 70s when so many non-horse people were jumping on the Arabian wagon.

It can be very confusing. Just last year someone was talking to me about a wonderful horse they had for sale 'out of' so and so. As they were giving me all his good selling points I'm standing there thinking "but I thought so and so was a stallion??? Is there a mare named that too and I wonder what her breeding is????" By the time I figure out they are using the term incorrectly they have completely lost me and I missed all their great selling points and they may have lost a sale.

Like you said, it's a very literal thing.......foals can't be 'out of' a stallion. No way.

Charlotte

 

[Jill]

Matt, you said one that's a biggie to me too -- saying foals are "out of" this or that stallion. I know some stallions are versatile, but none are that versatile!

Other horsey pet peeves of mine related to both terminology and practices are:

• Thinking you have a "Paint" mini
• Harnessing up a mini, including hooking to the cart, and leaving the bridle as the last to-do (so dangerous, yet done so often w/ minis)
• Calling silver dapple minis grey, silver bays sorrel or palomino, etc.
• Leading a lone miniature (or biggie) from the wrong side
• Sharing pictures of your minis when in looks like they are living in a combination junk yard obstacle course
• Calling a horse who placed Top 10 at the Nationals or Worlds a "National / World Top 10 Champion". Top 10 is something to be very proud of, but it is not a championship title and I think it "cheapens" both the accomplishments for those who have placed top 10 and those who have placed at the champion level.
• On a similar note, incorrectly reporting champion wins regarding AMHR shows. Some people seem confused with age level championships and grand championships.
• Listing a 2-3yo (etc.) horse "for sale" yet only having weanling and yearling pictures to show.

Fun topic! I'm sure we all have pet peeves but I'm not sure that some of the "offenders" realize how much it can detract from an ad or website. When I see some of the pet peeves I've listed, I really discount the consideration I give to what is offered because it makes me concerned that the sellers may not really be as informed as they need to be to correctly answer questions I might have about the horse. It's very possible to be both honest and incorrect, and generally, I don't feel like trying to sift through it when I see some of my "pet peeve" red flags.