Thoroughbred Logic, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products: An Internet of “Answers”
“So I’m writing this for the folks who use social media as a way to figure out things with their Thoroughbreds… here’s the bottom line: If you want real advice, ask the professionals who will have the experience to knowledgeably respond.”
Welcome to the next installment of Thoroughbred Logic. In this weekly series, Anthropologist and trainer Aubrey Graham, of Kivu Sport Horses, offers insight and training experience when it comes to working with Thoroughbreds (although much will apply to all breeds). This week ride along as Aubrey shares her logic on asking advice on the internet.
I spend a lot of time on Facebook. Yes, I AM that generation. But also, that’s still the only tried and tested platform for marketing Thoroughbreds that actually works. So here we are.
New coming available Thoroughbred, Humphrey (JC Humstinger) will be up on Facebook soon. Photo by Lily Drew.
Every so often, I get a wild hare and want advice. I know better. I know the can of worms I am opening. But sometimes, just sometimes, I think there’s good reason to see what comes from opening up a query to the wild and woolies of social media.
So I’m writing this for the folks who use social media as a way to figure out things with their Thoroughbreds. If this is as far as you read, here’s the bottom line: If you want real advice, ask the professionals who will have the experience to knowledgeably respond.
Vet question? Ask your vet. Training question? Ask your trainer or reach out to trainers familiar with your type of riding and horse. Nutrition question? Most feed and supplement companies will do free analyses for you. Thoroughbred-specific question? Ask folks who successfully deal with them all the time.
Yep, we asked a vet first, not the interwebs. Radiograph by Early Winter Equine.
But if you’re looking for a million different options of advice that runs from “downright stupid” to “maybe-kinda-useful” from folks who commonly don’t know what they’re talking about, or just looking for a little entertainment of parsing through the comments for that hidden useful gem, go ahead and post a question on social media.
I’m not here to strip away the fun out of that game. Have at it. But if you want real answers to real problems with your Thoroughbred, don’t ask the internet Karens to chime in. That said, if you’re willing to parse the information, vet the commenters, understand the perspectives they’re coming from (usually exclusively their personal, often-limited or potentially very dated experience on the subject) and keep only the advice that makes sense for your situation, fine. I’m not here to stop you.
Hell, I do that on occasion too.
Recently I have posted queries like this about stock tie options (as I categorically hate stock ties) and about supplements and/or therapies for a horse who made it very clear that he cannot go without front pads. (No, I didn’t ask how to shoe him because I have a vet and their x-rays and a farrier with their expert knowledge for that part — alas, guess what 97% of the advice was? How to shoe him… weeee, gotta love the inter webs).
But before I dive into the potential humor of all of this, I actually want to thank everyone who took the time to comment. More than a hundred people took time out of their day to try to provide assistance for each post and that is honestly plain lovely, despite how bonkers some of the responses were.
No, not AI, just my flying electric eel (Neil, aka Lute’s Angel), who I know better than to ask anything about online because both he and people are ridiculous. Photo by Lisa Michelle Dean Photography.
Frankly, the stock tie situation acts as a really good analogy for what we get when someone posts, “Hey, I need help with my TB.” Such posts break down into component parts and categories of comments:
The Query
This is the actual thing someone is looking for advice on. It is the opener to that can of worms.
In the innocuous stock tie case, the long of the short is, I hate stock ties. I hate things around my neck. I hate that I have to take extra time that I don’t have to put them on. I hate how they look. I hate that I religiously fail at keeping them clean and tidy. I requested recommendations for efficient, attractive options that don’t suck so much.
A preferred angle — one where you cannot see the stock tie. Photo of Artie (Reunion Tour) at GVRDC by Caryn Prouty.
The Obvious Answer(s)
This is the answer you probably already know about. It is the one that you’re not really looking for but *maybe* there’s a hidden gem there that you missed. In the stock tie case, the responses ranged from about 70% of people who recommended velcro stock ties and the various places to get them. Others commiserated about hating them.
For most TB posts, this is going to be the chorus of folks who will say, “Have you treated for ulcers?” “Have you talked to your vet?” They often are not wrong, but it also is the answer everyone is expecting for pretty much all issues (rearing, balking, not putting on weight, odd behavior, etc.). You could close your eyes, spin around a few times, throw a dart, and still hit the “Did you treat for ulcers?” or “Maybe it’s kissing spines.”
Definitely you should talk to a vet knowledgable in the subject you’re dealing with.
Me still disliking my get-up in a velcro stock tie back at the 2025 RRP Makeover on on Major Spin. Photo by Lauren Kingerly.
The You’re the Problem
These are the fun Karens who come out of the woodwork to tell you that the answer to your question is not the issue, you are.
These are the folks who weaponize comments about stock ties. I’m over here going, “Wow, Karen. I want the time in the day that you have.” They’re the folks who will decry a lack of horsemanship for not having a mirror and a perfectly tied and pinned stock tie because tradition tells you so. Good on you, but I also just got off xc and am due down center line in less time than I have to tack up… sooooooo… cute.
Quick clothing shifts between dressage and jumping phases on multiple horses in multiple levels of competition makes my need for efficiency reasonably legitimate. Photo of Mr. Magico at Larkin Hill by Alex Zhang Photography.
The Comic Relief
I do love the fact that there are still folks with a sense of humor out there. If you mine enough comments you might just find something to brighten your day. In my case, a friend mentioned that I needed to simply “embrace the founding father’s cosplay” and I nearly snorted my coffee. I can’t unread that one.
The WTF
And then there were the folks that we get on every query post — the ones who clearly don’t get it. They’re the ones who don’t want to answer your question. They want to have something to say. When you post about advice for strengthening your Thoroughbred’s feet/ability to hold shoes in the wet-dry of the spring/summer weather, they’re the folks who tell you that you need an Appaloosa. Or maybe that shoes are the devil and that horses were intended by God to be barefoot. Great, thanks lady. Why even bother commenting?
In the “looking for a more efficient stock tie” case, this showed up too. It came in the form of “You just need to learn to tie a beautiful stock tie” and then shockingly multiple of: “Tie your own, you never know when you will need a sling or a tourniquet.” I’m sorry, what? We’re not fox hunting in the 1800’s. That’s a pretty intense dressage phase if I am going to need to tourniquet my own limb (I mean, don’t put it past me, but ummmmmm…). Also, none of that helps me get down center line any faster…
Look, when I’m fox hunting, I only ride one horse, only wear one outfit for the day. If a stock tie is required, so be it. Neumann (Bubba Bob) featured here photo by Katie Stewart.
The Maybe I Didn’t Think of That
And this is why I will post occasionally. These are the folks who maybe actually read the query, thought about it and had something to offer that might not have been the thing were you assuming. Maybe it is even helpful.
In the case of the stock tie, it was folks who pointed out to me that there is a new type of show shirt that has a built in collar. Just zip up and go. Now I hate ruffles only slightly less than I hate stock ties, but less is still a thing, and efficiency is welcomed. Cool. I now own one of these shirts and we’ll see how much I like or dislike it this weekend at the coming Genessee Valley Hunt Horse Trials.
Datesfreedom being fancy while I simply didn’t wear a stock tie at the Keeping It Casual Dressage show at Asbury Equestrian. Photo by Kristen Drew.
***
This is how I’ll leave it: If you want internet advice, fine. But please parse it, think it through, and then follow up with a relevant professional (clearly none needed on the stock ties, unless I was curious if it was USEA/FEI legal, etc.).
So go ride folks, kick the Karens to the curb, and enjoy hunting for useful information in the wash of advice on social media. Or, you know, just grab some popcorn and just wade through for the comments.
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