Why hater comments make me feel good!

Recently my horse Jack has been having problems with his back, we are working with a qualified physio to get him back to normal. I have been filming his progress and posting the videos on YouTube, as I do with allot of things that happen in my life.

At first I got allot of nice comments from our lovely loyal subscribers wishing us well, but then, as my videos started getting more views I started to get some negative comments, I tried to explain to the authors of these comments what was Jack's problems were and why I am doing the things that I am with him. Then, over the next few day I had some really mean comments saying that I didn't know what I was doing with Jack, I was making him worse, I was a bad owner etc etc. These type of comments clearly came from people who didn't know me, hadn't seen my earlier videos, people who hadn't been following our story and didn't know what was wrong with him or what I was doing to help get him better. When I deleted these comments I got PM's form the people who wrote them giving me abuse.

It is easy to say 'just ignore them' but that is allot easier said than done, when you love something as much as I love my horse it's hard to listen to people telling you you are harming him. Why anyone would want to make someone else feel so bad is beyond me. I often see videos on YouTube of people doing things with their horses that I don't believe in but I can honestly say that I have never posted a mean or abusive comment on anyone else's video or channel, nore have I ever sent an abusive PM. If it is their horse, they can do what they want with it, I don't believe anyone would intentionally do the wrong thing for their horse, we all have different opinions and different ideas as we learn form different people, especially when we live on opposite sides of the world, the ways that we do things and our opinions of what are right and wrong will sometimes be different.

One thing that I believe is that everybody, regardless of nationality, age or race knows that bullying of any kind is wrong. There are allot of different types of bullying, be it pushing a kid over in the play ground at school, beating someone up in a nightclub, emotional bullying or cyber bullying. I for one think that cyber bullying is the most cowardly form, you can sit at you computer typing mean emails to people who do not know who you are, where you are from, how old your are or absolutely anything about you, these people are basically hiding behind a username or email address, they do not have the guts to stand up to another human being and tell them what they think, they have to do it from inside their computer.

This was my first experience of cyber bullying, these people did not just write one or two comments, they sent me numerous PM's which were nasty, aggressive and basically very disturbing. I did not reply, deleted the comments and blocked them. One of them even set up a new YouTube account so they couldn't send me more abusive messages because I had blocked them on their usual account. Another found me on Facebook and Twitter and sent me horrible messages on there. Some may say that I should not have my FB and Twitter accounts visible on my channel for everyone to see but I like my YouTube friends to be able to talk to me on my other networking sites, not just YouTube, why should I keep those other profiles secret for the sake of these bullies?

While it is hard to ignore these comments I have come to realise that the more popular my YouTube account becomes, the more haters I am going to get. Its the law of averages; not all people are nice, most are but say for every 100 nice people you meet you are bound to meet one or two bad ones, so the more people you meet, or the more people watch your videos, the more haters you will inevitably get. It's just the way the world works, it's sad but true.

If you are getting hater comment just remember that these people are either very bored or very jealous of you! We all get bored and we all get jealous sometimes but most of us are big enough to deal with or let those feeling go, others are not, they feel the need to tell us how they feel, to make us feel bad so that they feel bigger and better about themselves. Next time you get a hater comment just remember that the person who has written it is not only bored, jealous or sad enough to think it but they are jealous enough to actually log in, write it down and send it.

My tips for dealing with haters

• Don't respond to their comments, you are to good a person to bring yourself down to their level

• Delete the comments, your videos are to good to be related with such people

• Block them so they can not continue to write on your video, send you messages etc

• Report them to YouTube, YouTube has strict rules on bullying and they have a duty to uphold these rules

• Go on with your day remembering that if these people are so jealous of you that they have taken time out of their day to try and make you feel bad, you must be pretty dam good eh?!

Keep posting your videos with pride, remember that most people who watch your videos watch them because they like them, like you and enjoy watching them. Do not let haters spoil the pleasure of YouTube for you. Think of all the good people you have met through YouTube and remember the feeling you get when someone leaves you a nice comment or subscribes to your channel.

Kat x

Good Grooms should be paid as such!

So many employees take advantage of grooms when it comes to pay, there seems to be a very old fashioned attitude when it comes to grooms which is wrong.

I was offered a job last year with a well known show jumper, they wanted me to work 6 days, 6am- 5pm with 30 mins for lunch, on show days I would have to work what ever hours were required (ie more than the 6-5 of a normal day), I got a room in a shared flat with 4 other grooms, bills paid. The pay they were offering was £150 per week.

Dont get me wrong, I am not affraid of hard work, as a freelance groom I now work between 60 and 90 hours a week, and I work hard. Who can live on £150 a week these days? Even without paying rent and bills, there is no way a grown up (unless you have no car to run, never go out, have no debts and can live on pot noodles!). When I told them I could not work for that wage they were shocked, as if I should be greatful that they were offering me work. I was greatful of the job offer but I am a proffessional groom who is good at her job and £150pw is a good as a kick in the face.

There was once a time when grooms could be expected to work for pennies but times have changed, it is 2010 and people need to realise that the world has moved on, laws have changed and it's just the way it is now!

As a freelance groom with a good rep and references I can charge between £8 and £12 an hour for general grooming, £20 -£30 for riding, and I have control of my diary so as long as I dont mind running myself raggid I can fit allot of work into a day and make a good wage. Having said that it's not all about the money, I have one client who I only charge £5ph, she is a nice lady with nice ponies and I love working for her, she isnt rich but she looks after me where she can and I appreciate that so I dont mind working for less.

People are more than willing to rip of good grooms, if you dont get them to sign a contact when you start to work for them you are risking never been paid. Even which a contract you still have to be willing to fight for you money at the end of the day.

I totally love my job and wouldnt change it for the world but I am lucky that I now have some very good clients on my books, I've worked for allot of bad ones in the past, but Ive paid my dues and learn't my lessons and now I'm older and wiser for the experience and I could write you a very long list of good points!

How JessBoomer change my life

Jessica Marie Forsyth, a girl who loved her horse, loved her life and lived everyday to the full.

Jessica was full of ambition, had bags of talent and a very bright future ahead of her. Jessica loved to ride, she loved to train horses, she loved to jump. Jessica was 14 when she died on Feb 6th 2008.

This young girl had so many hopes and dreams, what was next? What did life have in store for her? Her life was just beginning, then one day she fell of her horse and all those hopes and dreams were gone, as was she.

How is that right? That someone so young, bright, happy and talented could be here one minute and gone the next?

I, like many people, never met Jessica, in fact we lived on different sides of the world, her in CA, me in the UK but this young girl has changed my life. What happened to Jessica has proved to me how short live is, we all hear the sayings 'life is short', 'make every second count', 'live for the moment' etc but I think we hear these words said so often that we forget how true they actually are.

Young people die everyday, we hear about it on the news, read it in the papers, when I hear stories like this it always makes me feel sad, of course it does, but Jessica's story touched me in a different way. Maybe it was because I see so much of myself in Jessica, when I was 14 I also lived for my horses and all I ever wanted to do was ride. I was convinced that I would grow up to be a professional horse rider and no body could tell me any different.

I used to watched Jess' videos on Youtube, I didn't have a Youtube account but whenever I went onto the site I would always check to see what new videos she had uploaded. The one that first caught my eye was the video of Jess doing a scorpian on Boomer's back, that was the one that got me interested. Then one day when I was looking to see if there were any new videos of Jess and Boomer, I noticed all the tribute videos to her, at first I didn't believe it was true, but it was, she was dead. There was much speculation about the way that she had died but the way it happened didn't matter, the point was, she was gone. This 14 year old ray of light was gone, never to return.

In 2008 when the accident happened I was 23 years old, I had a job that I hated, I had no money and was living with my parents, I wasn't seeing my horses enough. I spent day after day feeling sorry for myself, thinking about how much I hated the way things were. When I heard about Jess' accident I thought about how this could happen to any of us, not just those of us who ride horses but any of us, at anytime our life could end, and for 1000's of people everyday it does. So why lead a life you are not happy with? Yes it may not be possible to have life exactly to way to want it, it may not be possible for us all to live out our dreams but what is the harm in trying?

I lay in bed one night and thought about all the things I would like to change in my life, and one by one over the last two years I have started to changed them. There is still along way to go but at least now, thanks to Jessica, I can say this... If my life were to end today I can say that I tried and that I made the most of everyday. I now have a job that I love, I am a freelance horse groom, I spend my days looking after horses, travelling to shows, riding and grooming, plus i have spare time to ride my own horses, I have found my passion for riding again. Last year I groomed for a professional show jumper at the Horse of the Year Show, the biggest horse show in the UK. That has been a life long dream of mine and I got to do it because a 14 year old girl from the other side of the world gave me to courage to do so.

I think about Jessica and her family everyday, if I ever feel down or sorry for myself I think of her and how her life was cut short, how her family must feel. How dare I feel sorry of myself?? I am here and she is not, I should be glad to be alive.

Jess, you are an inspiration, you have changed my life and you will never know it. I am forever grateful x

REVIEW; Bentley Brushes Plaiting Belt

The Bentley Brushes Plaiting Belt comes in pink and blue. The belt is adjustable and will fit most sizes.


The belt has 4 pockets, 3 on the front (see picture) and one big pocket on the back/ inside. This belt is very handy I use it to take the things I need with me to the collecting ring such as spare plaiting bands, mane comb, polos etc and I took a cloth under the waist belt.


It comes in very useful for plaiting but it would be better if it had a slot for a mane comb. It comes with a clear pouch on the front which has a card in to write your name and other details on, I have thrown this out as it seems kind of pointless, instead I have cut out the plastic front and put a thin piece of sponge in there which I use to put my plaiting needles in.


Price
This belt cost £6.00 which I think is amazing value, I had been looking for something like this for a while and did expect to pay maybe double this price. If you plait allot or just need something to carry your small item about in at shows I would defiantly recommend this product.

The Bentley Brushes Plaiting Belt gets 4 stars ****

Review; Horseware Ireland Turnout Rugs

These rugs come in various different weights and designs, there are light, medium and heavy weight designs.

The medium and heavy weight rugs also have the option for a neck cover. You can also buy the neck cover separately so they can be removed when you don't need them. When buying medium and heavy weight rugs I aways go for the ones with neck covers if available, they keep the horse much warmer and cleaner, some neck covers can be very thin and flimsy but on the Amigo rugs they are made from the same material as the rest of the rug, they are nice and thick and don't' slip down the neck. I don't like the detachable neck covers, (not just on amigo rugs but on any rug) They are a pain to get on and off, they can blow up and leave a gap on the withers in the wind and they are expensive. I would recommend buying rugs with built in neck covers and just folding them back over the horses withers when they are not needed.

The light weight Amigo rugs are great for spring and autumn showers, I also use mine for covering the horses up at outdoor shows when is raining, they are light enough to carry about and keep the horses warm and the tack dry. I have also used the light weight rugs in the winter as an extra layer under a medium weight rug.

I really like these rugs, in my opinion Horseware Ireland make some of the best rugs on the market, there are to many different designs to talk about each one individually but they also do;

• Stable rugs
• Summer Sheets
• Fly sheets (Review coming soon)
  
• Coolers
• Exercise Sheets

I would recommend taking a look at their website, http://www.horseware.com/products.asp

I have a Horseware Ireland Rambo Rug which came with my horse Tazz when I bought her 11 years ago and it is still going strong.

Prices
Prices vary depending on each different design. The heavy weight rugs are obviously more expensive than the light weight ones but in my opinion they are totally worth the money. I have used more expensive rugs in the past which have not been anywhere near as good as these.

REVIEW; Charles Owen Pro II

I bought this hat at the beginning of the summer as I didn't want to keep using my GPA hat for work, the GPA is an expensive hat (around £260) so I didn't want to use it for everyday use, especially as I fall off so much at work! When I was looking for a new hat I think this one stood out because of the colour, I have the gold one but it also comes in pink, silver and black. I decided to try one on, the first thing that I noticed was how light it was, the fit was good and it felt very comfortable. I will always favour the GPA for shows and hunting as it looks allot smarter but I really do prefer the Charles Owen Pro II for everyday use.

This hat comes with a free skill, the Charles Owen skills are made very small so that they don't cover the whole of the hat (see picture), I like that way this looks especially on the gold, the silk has a Velcro patch on each side to stick it to the hat so that it doesn't blow off in the wind although, it has blown of mine once but to be fair it was quite windy and I was galloping.

The harness and chinstrap are very comfortable, the harness is padded around the ears and neck and the chin strap is easy to adjust, fasten and undo

The Charles Owen Pro II has Ventilation holes at the front and rear. I have ridden in this hat all summer, when the weather has been really warm or when I have been working hard my head has got a bit hot and sweaty (attractive!) but for general everyday riding these vents do work.

Fit
I had my head measured by a qualified hat fitter, I measure a size 1.5 but when I tried that size hat on it felt way to small so I got a size 2. After riding it in for a few days I had to take it back and get more padding put in as it was to big...should of listened to the professional! I suggest that you always get your head measured by a pro before you buy a new hat.

Price
The Charles Owen Pro II costs between £89 and £98 depending on where you get it from. I think this is brilliant value for money. My GPA cost me about £260 and I can honestly say that I prefer the Pro II to the GPA for everyday use.

Features

• Ventilation holes front and rear
• Embedded high tech silver ions for antibacterial protection
• Revolutionary Sux technology for unrivalled fit
• Heat reflective paint finish
• Includes Free Airflow cover

Specifications

• Conforms to safety standards PAS015 and BSEN1384
• Carries BSI Kitemark

Overall view
I love this hat!! I would recommend it to anybody, if you are looking for something stylish to ride in everyday that won't break the bank this is the hat for you. It is so comfortable and light, I love mine and if I lost it today I would buy another one tomorrow without giving it a second thought.


The Charles Owen Pro II gets 5 Stars *****

Daily routine whilst in Somerset

720am Alarm goes off

730am Out on the yard. Feed, hay, water, change rugs, pick out feet and turn out. Muck out

10am brew break

1015am back on yard, make pm feeds, fill hay nets

1030am Bring in horses from the fields, groom

11am ride 2 horses, skip out

1 pm Lunch (includes power snooze!)

2 pm Back on yard, skip out, water, ride 2 or 3 horses

430 pm Skip out, hay, water, groom, change rugs, clean tack.

530pm Feed, make breakfasts, fill haynets, tidy up.

630pm check horses, lock yard and finish