What happened to this BB?

[NanciK]

Am I the only one who's sad that this BB seems to be circling down the drain?

At one time, it was a great commnity.

Now, it's more or less a waste-land ... very few posts, and seemingly, little rescuing going on.

What happened? Can we revive it?

[TashGaia]

Why should people keep coming to this board? We have no unique content. I think the only way to revive it would be to come up with some kind of unique content.

[calypso]

While I agree that unique content will draw people, it's generally only until the "next cool thing" comes along.

I come here to connect with like-minded people. I come here to touch base with the people who've seen me through the ups and downs of rescue - with my cats as well as my horses. The rush of the save may have been the energy of the boards (this one and all it's predecessors) but the stories of the rescued horses were the glue that held it together.

I can keep in touch via email with people who no longer post here, but I do miss the stories and the pics and all the give and take as we all wrote our own part of the story. I treasure all the threads about Kaleigh and Diva because of everyone else's part in their story. It's the difference between celebrating your birthday by yourself (it's still your birthday, you can have cake and ice cream if you want) and celebrating with your family and friends (party on!). And, when you have a big party going on - who doesn't want to join!

I think the stories of the aftermath of the save - the good and the bad outcomes - are the real value that the internet can bring. They inspire others to want to join in, as well as educate others about the true requirements in taking on a rescue horse. It's not only the chance to join in on the "feel good" it's also the reality check (that is so lacking on most rescue-oriented boards, imho)

How about moving this thread into the general area and have everyone get a chance to put their 2 cents in? I too feel like this board is dying - and it makes me sad.

[jenm]

Jun 15, 2008 22:06:42 GMT -5 NanciK said:

Am I the only one who's sad that this BB seems to be circling down the drain?

At one time, it was a great commnity.

I am sad too. Some of it has to do with people leaving or being asked to leave based on their opinions about other rescues. A lot of good people with strong contributions are unfortunately no longer around. I miss the activity on this board and would love to see it revived. I like Caly's idea of opening the thread to all members.

[pnp4kidz]

I agree with opening it up...
we got spread apart by recent hapenings in our rescue world, and many are still here, just not posting as much...
perhaps we can find a new direction to forge... ?

[gratefulknits]

Personally, I think the board went on "life-support mode" when we embraced and fueled the drama that we profess to hate. My feelings about coming here and sharing, both the give and take, really changed at that time. I wish none of it had happened, and I hope there is a chance of recovery, but I am not optimistic. That being said, I have no idea what the remedy might be ...

[paintedlady]

Boy I have wondered the same thing !! WHERE IS EVERYBODY Maybe because there is no real threat to any horses right now .No trucks coming on this board to take them away. There was alot of hate and accusations towards people here and alot of hurt feelings (IMO) atleast I thought so. I miss my horsey friends on here. Dont get me wrong about the truck coming. Im glad NO TRUCK!! just my opinion PL

[wendyp]

For me, the 'Trucks Coming' wasn't the reason I was on this BB..........I kinda burnt myself out on that awhile back (meaning I bought a few horses, rehomed a few, kept a couple, helped out with lots more, and just got burnt out.........) but I made some very good friends on this BB, and the previous CBER BB's. I log on to see what's happening with those friends........

I am sincerely sorry that this list imploded..........but I too feel that there was irrepairable damage done, and it will never be the same again. Doesn't mean it should go away, but I think the expectations are/should be/ will be different. The Trucks are still coming, but that information is no longer shared on this list. I'm okay with that - I can go to the other lists for that - but I do hope that this list can evolve into 'something'. I'm not sure what, as there is carnage from the battles, but maybe something good can come out of it?

I miss Cybercat, and Tash we rarely hear from you anymore, and I know I don't post alot, but my life is boring!

I guess it is what we make it...........so what do we want to make it?

WendyP/Bend, OR

[pnp4kidz]

Aren't quite a few of us going to the campout in a few weeks?
perhaps it is just what we need, some face time to see the 'real' folks...
we had some experiences here with the cyber-faces...
and I think most of us are supporters elsewhere but come here for old friends...
perhaps that is where we need to focus... on what is new with our old boring lives?
what our rescues have graced us with recently?

[emjay]

I have been wondering the same thing too.
I think just because there isn't 'one' particular rescue focused on, doesn't mean we can't focus on something else.. we need to find something........... surely there's lots to talk about, horses that need help, feel good stories, maybe even not so feel good.
it definitely has lost it's energy. I think with so many forums on the go right now, people are spread thin.
I enjoy reading updates on horses saved, no matter the rescue group or individual who did the saving. That's what I keep reading for.

[beckybee]

I think part of the problem is that there is an elephant or two in the room and until the air is cleared or enough time passes we are all walking on eggshells.

[bridgetah]

Jun 16, 2008 18:25:30 GMT -5 beckybee said:

I think part of the problem is that there is an elephant or two in the room and until the air is cleared or enough time passes we are all walking on eggshells.

This post and gratefulknit's post above pretty much say it for me. I lost heart awhile back when all the drama was going on. I check in here to see if there's anything going on but I don't really feel like participating much at this time.

[gypsyrn]

I thought this was a place for like minded horse loves to share ideas, resources and work as a group for the betterment of the horses that were at risk and celebrating our successes.... i have noticed fewer postings, but when i found out today my land deal might be in jeopardy, the first place i thought to look for help was here.... guess thats not the case, thats sad because I thought thats what this was all about

[gypsyrn]

and as far as no rescues going on I have done 3 in the last month,that makes 8 in my herd and have just placed 1 today.... but now all of mine might be at risk because we might lose our land space....

[pnp4kidz]

That IS what this is all about...
unfortunately we were focused on a large PNW rescue for a long time... and then there were some issues and the group became divided, some were more adamant than others...
some hurt more than others.
we won't have resolution for some time on the elephants in the room...
there are some attempts to find alternatives to speak of the elephants, but they are smouldering... and in following them, some of 'us' have shown even deeper reality of themselves than I think they wanted to, and more rifts were made...

would it help to have a gripe session as to why you are quiet?
not complain about the issues, just say "i was mad, but now I feel better"?

I think we are all here for the horses...
and we have so many of them...
let's embrace our successes, enjoy the more local rescue that is happening around us, and help each other!

we don't need 'truck day' scares... not here.
we can go 'there' to find those if needed...

[earlybp]

I've been wondering this too. I think there was some nasty drama, and some elephants too. But I really miss the sharing. So think I'll go share something and maybe someone else can share something and we'll get this thing back to where it was.
I miss so many of the folks who used to post here!

[MustangAppy]

For me, the lack of posting has become a simple issue of time. I do rescue dogs in addition to my full time job and school, and have been very occupied with finishing my thesis (this August, God willing). Also, we only have room for one rescue at a time, and right now Gypsy is occupying every spare minute with the whole halter training/why are you messing with my feet thing so we can get her vetted, trimmed, and rehomed. I believe we are all still rescuing, just not sharing as much any more. That being said, this is still a wonderful place to come when help or advice is needed, or even just a little boost in the moral department. I hope all of you who are able to go to the camp out this summer will come back with lots of fun tails for the rest of us poor souls who couldn't make it happen this time.

[beejoyfulmk]

all said is so true and sad......

[calypso]

I completely agree with time being an issue. I pulled back when the drama broke cause I started realizing how much time I was spending online and in RL posting, reading, discussing stuff that I really had no control over. That made me go back and estimate how much time I'd spent on rescue drama over the nearly 2 years since I'd joined up.

I wasn't considering actual time that was productive - getting the horses in my care, working with them, making posts about them, etc. Just the who said, who did, what's going on, what ISN"T going on stuff that was 2 states away from me. Then I costed it out - I'm self-employed and bill by the hour so that's an easy calculation. Wanna guess how much it was?

You're not going to believe it.

$63,000.

That would save a lot of horses. That would have covered all the costs of the horses I did save.

At that point I plugged my ears, averted my eyes, deleted links in my bookmarks, and stopped paying attention to everything swirling around up north and started paying attention to my life right here, right now.

I check in to this board nearly every day and the CBER board every few days (although I rarely log in there) cause I miss the community. I would LOVE to have a board that was sorta the "Cheers" for those in rescue, but in order to be a peaceful community where people have the room to disagree without it devolving into a time-consuming, life-sapping, mudfest the board would need to NOT be affiliated with, support, promote or fund-raise for any rescues at all. It would have to draw the line at simply supporting the individuals who are supporting the rescue effort whether it be as individuals (with their own rescues) or volunteering with an organized group.

I hope we can find our way back to each other - like MA says, this is a great group for advise and moral support. Maybe if we focus on *that* we can start again. And, let me add, I've been very grateful for the support I've received publicly and privately in my recent cat crisis with Louie and Ewok! And, I see the "views" number tally is high, so I know people are checking in repeatedly even if they don't say anything. I doubt y'all would do that if you didn't care, so I know there is a bunch of "silent caring" as well.

[beckybee]

Who can you trust? Who can you support? How can you be enthusiastic knowing that anyone you cheer or donate to could be outed as an abuser, swindler, etc. tomorrow?

I personally am not angry, just sad and cautious.

And I agree with Caly, I don't have time for the mudfest either.

[calypso]

Those are valid concerns. I think you support the rescues/rescuers that are local to you. Ones you can see regularly. Make sure they are transparent with their finances, adoption procedures, and standards of care.

Then, on the board you share your stories. The "save" may be the rush, but the aftercare and the stories that we share are what encourages people to want to join in and do it too! It will attract the people who are in rescue for the right reasons and are doing it in a sustainable way. It may not be as "exciting" but it will be more rewarding, and less risky - for us, for our bank accounts, and - most importantly - for the animals.

[luvnarabs]

It is sad that the "mudfest" had to go on...we are all here to do one thing..SAVE THE HORSES! We are all adults and you would think that we could put the petty things aside and focus on what needs to be done.

[chatty]

We all are here and talking..That is what is all about...
I like having no "The Truck is Coming"..Money helps rescue, but having a home is important too...
Are numbers are smaller, but WOW we can look at the last 6 months and say YES we have....
And if we can't take a rescue in we can help in many other ways...

SO YES, we're making a difference...JUST need to post it more....

[Dora]

I backed out for several reasons. Top and foremost when we are in very bad shape from Mike's hospital bills. ( we have never recieved any help besides one person on this board ) He will be messed up for the rest of his life over helping the horses. We loved those horses. I tried to sell off some of my stuff on here to not be begging when I literally could not afford the gas to leave the house or to fix the car that got good gas mileage. Mike has a legit, and severe need but because its old hat and he was only damaged helping a horse instead of being a horse it did not matter. On that note I still have a pile of brand new custom earrings and jewelry that we are more than happy to even trade out for gas cards or money orders made out to the doctor.
Every time that I came on here the main posts would be someone begging for money because they took on more than they could afford, a sick or dying horse, who was going to be slaughtered if everyone did not come up with the money or the basic bashing. I don't know about the rest of you but I think all of these things are pretty depressing. There got to be a point where there was not enough positive the weigh out the bad and I am sure I am not the only one that has enough going on in their own life that they don't need to be depressed getting online.

[bridgetah]

Jun 17, 2008 1:45:22 GMT -5 calypso said:

I completely agree with time being an issue. I pulled back when the drama broke cause I started realizing how much time I was spending online and in RL posting, reading, discussing stuff that I really had no control over. That made me go back and estimate how much time I'd spent on rescue drama over the nearly 2 years since I'd joined up.

Time and money were also big factors for me. I spent far too much time online reading drama and it was very depressing.

I also decided to pay off some debt. I only donate once in awhile these days.

[endurorider81]

I am new to this board, (a week) but I have to say that I have been doing a lot of reading, and it makes me sick to see all the drama. Life has it's own ups and downs without adding stuff like what I have seen on here. I am here to save horses, not get caught up in who did this and why. We are all adults and I think that alot of people (in my own opinion) have gotten so wrapped up in everything that the REAL cause has been over looked. Ok, so someone did this and it isn't what someone else would have done, SO WHAT!! We as humans make mistakes and everyone needs to realize that. No one is perfect. I have read many threads on here and have to say that I am sick over some of the nasty things people have said about each other. The worst part is, most probably don't know the person at all, but have no problems picking them apart. I am apart of alot of different groups, and I have to say that this one has made me ill. I don't know if I can participate too much, just too depressing, and after doing some research, I don't think I can be apart of this . I don't support the main "leader" of this group, to me it is very sickening knowing that this rescue board is started by someone that has 4 counts of animal cruelty!! I mean come on!!! Who can honestly say that you want to be asociated with someone like that. I don't. I am here to RESCUE horses, not to support someone like that. This is my own opinion, and burn me at the stake if you want, but I can't believe all the negitivity, slander, and so forth that I have read in the last couple days. Just my own 2 cents, take it as you will. But if all this "bashing" continues, I see it being the downfall to any rescue group. We need to all support one another and not go after someone for differences. Most of us were all taught as kids ( Maybe) that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. This should be about positive experiences, not about ganging up on someone or anything like that. I am willing to look past many differences, but I will say I will not be a big voice on here, and don't know how supportive I will be towards certain things, but I assure that I will not be negitive. I know coming from a newcomer, most just see blah blah blah, and that's fine, but I hope that something on here is understood in the context that it was written, with no hidden meanings.

[chatty]

Jun 18, 2008 0:48:00 GMT -5 @endurorider81 said:

I am new to this board, (a week) but I have to say that I have been doing a lot of reading, and it makes me sick to see all the drama. Life has it's own ups and downs without adding stuff like what I have seen on here. I am here to save horses, not get caught up in who did this and why. We are all adults and I think that alot of people (in my own opinion) have gotten so wrapped up in everything that the REAL cause has been over looked. Ok, so someone did this and it isn't what someone else would have done, SO WHAT!! We as humans make mistakes and everyone needs to realize that. No one is perfect. I have read many threads on here and have to say that I am sick over some of the nasty things people have said about each other. The worst part is, most probably don't know the person at all, but have no problems picking them apart. I am apart of alot of different groups, and I have to say that this one has made me ill. I don't know if I can participate too much, just too depressing, and after doing some research, I don't think I can be apart of this . I don't support the main "leader" of this group, to me it is very sickening knowing that this rescue board is started by someone that has 4 counts of animal cruelty!! I mean come on!!! Who can honestly say that you want to be asociated with someone like that. I don't. I am here to RESCUE horses, not to support someone like that. This is my own opinion, and burn me at the stake if you want, but I can't believe all the negitivity, slander, and so forth that I have read in the last couple days. Just my own 2 cents, take it as you will. But if all this "bashing" continues, I see it being the downfall to any rescue group. We need to all support one another and not go after someone for differences. Most of us were all taught as kids ( Maybe) that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. This should be about positive experiences, not about ganging up on someone or anything like that. I am willing to look past many differences, but I will say I will not be a big voice on here, and don't know how supportive I will be towards certain things, but I assure that I will not be negitive. I know coming from a newcomer, most just see blah blah blah, and that's fine, but I hope that something on here is understood in the context that it was written, with no hidden meanings.

Welcome to the BB....
You my not know the name chatty, but most do on many BB's...I don't judge anyone, I believe instead of condemning try helping...
We're here to save horses and some times it take a village to do this...If you know what I mean...

At time it looks slow, but that could be were working...Us who are retired still have a full day...AM & PM no matter what is happening my four legged kids need us...
Being stepped on, pooped on, up to your arm pits in "almost anything"..THAT IS RESCUES...

Open your mind and meet us...We're not that bad....


chatty

[Admin]

I have never understood until the last month or so why most rescues do not work together.
Everyone has their own way of doing things. There are always three sides to every story whether you choose to listen to all is up to you. Ego has absolutely no business in rescuing horses. I don't think the horse really cares who saves it. I don't think it cares if it stands in a field for a while before it gets a bath and all the knots cut out of it mane. I don't think it cares if it has ribbons in its tail and polish on its hooves.
It's alive and being fed.

All of us don't have big fancy barns and unlimited resources. Some seek funding, some do it privately. The horse doesn't care.

This board was created for one purpose. To aid and support those who contribute in some way in rescue.
My father always told us, "believe nothing you hear and half of what you see".

Time heals many wounds. The board is here for the long run ;D

[chatty]

Jun 18, 2008 3:52:06 GMT -5 Admin said:

I have never understood until the last month or so why most rescues do not work together.
Everyone has their own way of doing things. There are always three sides to every story whether you choose to listen to all is up to you. Ego has absolutely no business in rescuing horses. I don't think the horse really cares who saves it. I don't think it cares if it stands in a field for a while before it gets a bath and all the knots cut out of it mane. I don't think it cares if it has ribbons in its tail and polish on its hooves.
It's alive and being fed.

All of us don't have big fancy barns and unlimited resources. Some seek funding, some do it privately. The horse doesn't care.

This board was created for one purpose. To aid and support those who contribute in some way in rescue.
My father always told us, "believe nothing you hear and half of what you see".

Time heals many wounds. The board is here for the long run ;D

Well stated...
Some would say "How can they live this way"...Vet's and animal control take a walk and say "Great job"...This is the way it is....

Our place has no fancy fencing, no fancy barn (just very good shop barn), no fancy shelter w/ runs, or the lush green fields the well irrigated places have...
It's how you interact with them...You know each personality, how to talk to each one, what the spacial needs are....Food, water and a daily interaction is the needs of a rescue....
We could go out at day one force ourself on them, but that is not the way....Let them know you are the person who has the food, love they have been missing...And All the Rest Will Follow....

ANYONE CAN LIVE IN A FANCY HOUSE, BUT LOVE MAKES IT A HOME

chatty

[NanciK]

Hello endurorider81, welcome to the board, and thanks for your post, well-written , not at all Blah!Blah!Blah! .... you're made some excellent points and it's refreshing to have someone hold a mirror up to the community.

One of the founding principles of this particular rescue BB is that it is designed to be a clearing-house for information about horses in need, across many organizations and geographies, and to share information about horse protection legislation so that we can give a voice to the horses. It's also a great place to ask questions or provide expertise about general horse care...there are some AMAZINGLY knowledgebale horsewomen who will advise across a broad range of topics.

As a community and as individuals, we decide ourselves how the BB is governed...if we think a rescue is too controversial, it gets "voted off the island" or simply ignored.

Jump in where you think you can make a difference, try not to get over-extended (trust me, we all hit the wall sometimes), help spread the word about this BB, and finally, POST POST POST ... because this online community can't be as effective as it can be unless we all come on here and share information, post questions, advice, success stories, requests for assistance, and share our failures, too.

Again, welcome to the BB, and we hope to see you on here as a "regular"!