Ok, this burned me out of list silence. I have been a member of this list now for nearly two years, and yes Howard banters on, sometimes needlessly, and yes, he seems to have a real way with people. You know what really pisses me off though? The fact that AGAIN somebody had to bring up the fact that he made some mistakes in the early stages of his endurance riding career. This is uncalled for. I'll probably get flamed for this, but what the hell. Some of you people seem to fly off the handle so readily anyway, what's the difference. And no, Howard didn't put me up to this. No I don't correspond with him on a regular basis, and yes, I've disagreed with him openly on this list before so it's not like we're all chummy and in cahoots. The fact is as goofy as Howard is, and though I disagree with him on some topics, I still respect him as a person and I feel as though I can successfully share my opinions, as opposite to his as they may be, without cutting him down or trampling over his character or record.
I really think it's pushing the limit to constantly dredge up someone's past like this. Howard will attest that he was not very in tune with his horses' needs. WE ALL AGREE ON THIS. EVEN HOWARD. It seems to me that the man has tried to rectify his mistakes in his push for better attentiveness to horse welfare. Granted sometimes his thoughts and commentaries seem slightly off the wall, but at least his heart and/or mind is in the right place. How many times are you people going to summon up the skeletons in his closet and hold it over his head? How many times have any of you made mistakes you were ashamed about? Especially if they were accidents? How do you feel when others won't let you forget these mistakes? I find it very ironic that these are the same people who strive to make endurance better for the horses. Look at it this way. You are the same body of folks trying to encourage people to come forward more openly if they believe their horses are in trouble during a ride to PREVENT equine deaths, but you also seem overly ready and willing to shun someone who has done so. How many times are you going to crucify Howard for this? Maybe people are afraid of being outcasted. With such a judgmental bunch, I would be too. The fact that so many people quickly stood up to badmouth Howard and uphold his ban is stunning to me. If Howard's life revolves around RC, who cares! What does it bother any of you? If he wants to write about his thoughts, who cares! Here's a little hint. DELETE BUTTON. Time doesn't permit much Internet usage these days with my classes and new job. So I use the delete button pretty readily. Why can't you do the same? Does it really pain you that much to just trash what he says and resist the temptation to counter his posts? You think I've never been offended by things people have posted? You think I don't disagree with some of it? As bad as some of you say he is, you're willing to sink to equal lows just to get in the last word?
I just feel really disappointed that as a newbie, I look up to people on this list but I find it disturbing that many of you come across as condescending and unapproachable through your posts. It's a real shame because there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge on this forum and I have enjoyed being a part of it.
Now that I've vented my frustrations, I'll leave everyone to go about their lives.
