Re: giving advice nicely

["Maggie Mieske" <mmieske@netonecom.net>]

Good question...most often you are damned if you and damned if you don't.
It's hard when you know something that someone doesn't to NOT jump in and
say "guess what I know?".  I want to share everything I know that could
potentially help a horse or a horseperson (sometimes I even try to help NON
horsepersons!).  It's not easy to do with horse people unless they are
newbies.  Then they won't leave you alone.  They want to feed what you feed,
use the vet you use, use the farrier you use (well, that works out ok for
us!  haha) and well, you get the picture.  For people who already "know
everything", there is no hope.  I have tried saying....have you ever heard
of ____  or have you ever tried _____ and make it sound as if YOU are
looking for THEIR advice.  Sometimes that will spark a discussion that makes
it appear as if they initiated it and you might get some learning in there
somewhere.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it don't.  I know it's hard to
stand by and watch but sometimes discretion IS the better part of valor.  :)
Maggie