Social Networking the Equine Way
I am all agog at the world of social networking. I’ve been using forums and bulletin boards since the early days of the internet. Well, at least since 1995. That’s pretty early. Social networking kid of grew out of that online community concept. You set up a profile at one site or another and go form there, getting in contact with friends and new friends, sharing interests, joining sub-groups and basically just socializing. In more recent days, businesses and artists (like musicians) are really jumping on the social networking things an s turning the whole thing into professional networking. That’s cool with me.
My fascination, though, lies in all of the smaller, more specific social networks that are springing up all over the blogosphere. Instead of finding a smaller group in the middle of a catch-all social network, like MySpace or Facebook, internet users are clamoring for smaller networks that cater to specific topics and interests. One of those new communities is Horsemanship Journal. It is specifically aimed at women who love horses.
We all know that most little girls love all things equine. I sure did. I could not get my parents to agree to send me to riding lessons, so I just hung out while my friends Jennifer and Dawn rode. I would wander the grounds and loved to visit this young horse named Little Flight. He was boarded there where my friends rode.
The Horsemanship Journal lets you set up a profile, post photos (of both yourself and your horses), contact other members, and keep a journal that other members can read. It’s owned by Ginger Bevan, who is also a horse lover. Ginger practices Parelli Natural Horsemanship and encourages members of varying interests and practicing various disciplines. The common thread is that all members are women who love horses.
The community is new and constantly integrating improvements. If you love horses, you should go ahead and join now, while the site is new and growing.
I used to ride. I rode Western and I’ve ridden English. At this point, I wouldn’t subject a horse to my tremendous weight. Even Clydesdales are wondering if they could handle me.
“Yeah, a couple of cases of Bud…sure, but THAT one? Yikes, brother.”
Heh…