# FBH/IHS (good or not)



## Kirkgrey (Aug 25, 2011)

Hi everybody a little while ago I was reading a discussion on the fbh/ihs and the people where slating them some of the points I remember where they only cared about small group of there friends at the top of the hobby where unwilling to help people outside said group and would ignore hobbyist that tried to talk to them I personally would not know any of the top brass of these groups if they jumped up and bit my arse but I find these comments hard to believe I assume this discussion could have been antis but I would like people's thoughts on this.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

I take it by th question that you are not a member of the I.H.S.? Its not just about protecting the hobby and shows, its a club that you join to be able to go to meetings, meet other hobbyists and receive journals.


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## Kirkgrey (Aug 25, 2011)

I have been a member in the past I won't lie my membership had more to do with doncaster show than anything else at the time but now I am a lot more into the hobby I would like people's iews and like I said I found it hard to believe that the people fighting for the hobby would be anything but friendly and helpful to fellow hobbyist


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

I have found them friendly and they do a lot behind the scenes for the hobby but you will always find their detractors.


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## Khonsu (May 20, 2009)

Kirkgrey said:


> I have been a member in the past I won't lie my membership had more to do with doncaster show than anything else at the time but now I am a lot more into the hobby I would like people's iews and like I said I found it hard to believe that the people fighting for the hobby would be anything but friendly and helpful to fellow hobbyist


Simples really, if you don't like em' don'y join em'

If more people joined other than just to get into the IHS breeders meetings earlier/cheaper then we'd all be a happier lot


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## iron-clover (Aug 2, 2010)

I personally think the FBH is a good idea- it helps to join all the disparate clubs under one umbrella organization which means its easier to organise the large breeders meetings (Kempton) and also sink funds into legal action if necessary as well as provide a group that can lobby government on related acts of parliament- they were quite involved in the welfare act 2005 which can only be a good thing- there were very serious threats to keeping animals as pets that could have appeared through that bill that the vast majority of keepers were blissfully unaware of. 
Same thing goes for the Invasive species acts which are going through the EU at the moment, which could effectively ban keeping exotics throughout the EU if it is left without groups such as the FBH getting their input in.

Your friends might not like the FBH as it doesn't give financial support to groups that are not affiliated to it such as the 'rogue' show that happened in the West country. As far as I heard the FBH did liase with the organizers and did warn them that they were opening themselves up for legal action from the antis but were ignored, resulting in the fall out we all saw last year.
Possibly also disliked is that FBH affiliated club members or IHS members can get into the big reptile shows early. This simply gives some benefit of actually joining one of the reptile clubs to the membership- why wouldn't a club that's put a lot of time and effort in to organise a show (all voluntarily- no one gets paid from organising or running the shows) from letting their members in early, it only seems fair to me.

I think being a part of one of the local reptile groups can only be a good thing as it enables much better coordination within our hobby (as well as making great friends) rather than a rag tag of individual keepers snapping at each other over the internet.


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## v-max (Aug 12, 2014)

iron-clover said:


> I personally think the FBH is a good idea- it helps to join all the disparate clubs under one umbrella organization which means its easier to organise the large breeders meetings (Kempton) and also sink funds into legal action if necessary as well as provide a group that can lobby government on related acts of parliament- they were quite involved in the welfare act 2005 which can only be a good thing- there were very serious threats to keeping animals as pets that could have appeared through that bill that the vast majority of keepers were blissfully unaware of.
> Same thing goes for the Invasive species acts which are going through the EU at the moment, which could effectively ban keeping exotics throughout the EU if it is left without groups such as the FBH getting their input in.
> 
> Your friends might not like the FBH as it doesn't give financial support to groups that are not affiliated to it such as the 'rogue' show that happened in the West country. As far as I heard the FBH did liase with the organizers and did warn them that they were opening themselves up for legal action from the antis but were ignored, resulting in the fall out we all saw last year.
> ...


Nice to see appreciation, sometimes it can appear to be a thankless task, probably for all involved within the FBH and IHS. 

Your final paragraph, the internet has evolved into a powerful and incredibly useful tool. However, its still in its infancy and its far too easy to create all kinds of negativity. I think, in a few years time it may have some kind of social etiquette but as it stands social bickering can be nothing short of a complete pain in the bottom........

I'll stand back now...... :whistling2:


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## Kirkgrey (Aug 25, 2011)

Cheers for the response people much appreciated I wish I had a local branch closer to me I know there is one in Darlington which is only about 30 miles but not driving and no direct bus route it might as well be in London haha think it might be time to rejoin the ihs And an aside to my original post about not knowing any of the top brass at the IHS if they jumped up and bit my arse i retract that as I did not know Kevin Stevens was on the board I still don't know him personally but have meet him a few time and do know who he is Again thanks for the replys


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## Khonsu (May 20, 2009)

Just back from Doncastor, June 2015, show was good as ever but more importantly attended the FBH conference on the Saturday, really good/very interesting selection of speakers, good Q&A's, can recommended that any one that cares about the hobby really should go at least one, myself I'll be there next time around.


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