Newrider forum

[Ratherhaveacupofteaandabiscuit]

Prompted by a thread about old chat rooms and forums I wondered if anybody here is an old Newrider user?
I found the forum about 20 years ago and it was a great support to me as someone who was getting back into horses after a break.
Met some lovely people, including my now best friend.

Wow, that takes me back a long time! I was one of the early contributors and did some pieces for them in 1997-1998! Not been on there for a heck of a long time.

Yes I was on there many years ago. Does it still exist?

It sort of does but looks unusable due to ads unless this is just me.

Yep, was the first forum I dived into in early 2000s. Still use the phrase FattyHorsePig and remember their Shetlands fondly. Also made some great friends in the US. Brought together a real mix of experienced riders and owners, and newbies. Been nothing like it since.

Wally and Frances up in Shetland with their icelandics as well as the shetlands?

Amongst lots of others I also remember Pink’s Lady who had very strong opinions and could always be relied on to stoke a debate.

That's them! Couldn't remember their names.

Yes I was on NewRider and then moved to the split off on TrotOnline after the split.

I'm still fb friends with loads of people from the forum days and am good friends/share a field with somebody from there

The good old days of forumland!

I had completely forgotten Trotonline!

I had many NR meet-ups. Some bonkers people out there 😂

People were obsessed with weight.

I totally agree that there are some who are too heavy to ride but in my experience the vast majority of heavier riders are well aware of this and either stop riding or ride a horse who is suited if their weight is high but not too high iyswim.

On newrider I remember a youngish tall girl who weighed about 12 stone being torn apart for riding a 15hh heavy cob and being told she needed a 17hh draft horse!

The concept of adults riding ponies blew some members minds.

I live in the New Forest and adult men riding full up forest ponies is common place here.

i remember those from TrotOnline!! some of the old TO members did actually move over to HorseMart forum too i believe

I was more of a HamletsHouse addict though - i'm still friends with loads of people from there (was more of a native pony forum)

I remember Hamlets House too!
I had two Highlands (now sadly pts years ago) so am very much a native pony person.

Really!!

I got one of my ponies from a breeder off there 19 years ago, I've had a couple off her now and we're still good friends! Half my FB friends are ex Hamlets House-ers 😀

@RedPony1 how lovely. It is so reassuring to buy a pony whose history you know.

Both my ponies had only been with a couple of people before me and I am fb friends with both their breeders.

Having a relatively rare breed everyone knows someone who knows somebody else so it is a small world.

What sort of ponies do you have?

I enjoyed reading people’s stories on NewRider and seeing the photos of their horses and ponies very much.

I was coming back to owning ponies again after a longish break so found lots of useful information there, the equine world having moved on a lot in my absence as regards feeds, equipment etc.

There was a lady with a french breed gelding, possibly a comtois, called Flipo. Loved him.

Somebody else with a gorgeous big chestnut called Pumpkin.

Another lady, who I think was deaf, username Imp who had a lovely black mare called Cherry.