indiarace.com is the oldest racing portal in India. Since its inception, it has always been a free site and the Management is committed to keeping it free despite various constraints. HORSE TALK is a popular section of this site. Over the years, various racing topics have been discussed, lively debates have ensued, some very knowledgeable people have participated in them and many useful conclusions drawn. This has been possible because of the contributions of so many different people and the Management has hardly had to intervene.

Of late, though, the forum seems to have departed slightly from its main aim of a "healthy debate". Acrimony has crept in, discussions have become personal, personal insults have been traded and all this detracts from the purpose of having a public forum. The Management is today functioning under severe pressures. Its skeleton staff has its hands full in maintaining the site technically, administering it efficiently and keeping it fully updated. It has hence not been possible to monitor the trend and tenor of various discussions. In any case, it has always been the policy of the Management that "policing" of the forum is counter-productive. Which is why it is necessary for all participants to take greater responsibility and ensure that the forum retains its decorum. With this in mind, it is necessary to spell out a few points.

A topic starts with a new head post. It is the absolute freedom and prerogative of a person to make an opening statement. He must, though, remember that he is doing so of his own volition. He must be prepared for bouquets as well as brickbats. He is the "controller' of how the topic proceeds and it is his duty to stick to his own statements and parameters. He is obliged to reply to any queries and dissenting notes with logical and factually correct explanations. By all means stick to your guns but do so logically and not by shifting the goal post, stealing bases and using bluster and bravado to compensate for inability to convince with sound reasoning. Every discussion is not going to end with a consensus and a person initiating a topic must know when the topic is going nowhere.

An equal responsibility lies with those who respond to a topic. Agreement or a contra-view should be based on sound reasoning or correct facts. They must confine themselves to what has been posted and not by who has posted it. They, too, have to maintain the decorum and should be prepared to withdraw when it becomes obvious that your point is not meeting with general approval. Prolonging the discussions will not result in acceptance of your point.

One can agree to disagree – and that is where the line should be drawn.

Perhaps, an even greater responsibility lies with the 'seniors' of the forum. A timely word from one of them can keep the discussion to straight and narrow and they must not shun the responsibility of expressing an opinion. Sitting on the fence is not a constructive option.

Two other points deserve to be aired. Personal insults have no place on the forum. Commenting on a person's education, status in life or suggesting that someone is neglecting his family because of his racing are totally uncalled for. It should also be kept in mind that our wonderful sport has many shades and many hues. Racing is unique in that it brings to one venue princes and paupers; industrialists and ordinary workers; people from high society and slums. It is the same with a forum such as HORSE TALK. Different people have different interests. If a topic or a view point is not your cup of tea, just leave it. Don't comment adversely on it or use a mocking tone.

It is not considered necessary to go any further. HORSE TALKERS are sufficiently savvy to understand what is required to take the forum to greater heights. Just as the Management is committed to keeping this site free, it is also committed to maintaining the decorum of the forum. We will continue to strive for both those aims.

Thank you

ADMIN