I guess we're famous now

[kaykay]

Yes marty i was pretty sure that was him. those were almost the exact words posted here some time ago. I just cant believe some of the comments on that site.

 

[Cathy_H]

Yes Steph & Triggy, that's what I was thinking exactly. Sounds to me like the same M O .........but it simply can't be........can it? They are computer wizards and very capable to pull it off.

......... If it is please watch what you say on here. If I recall correctly on here there was a threat made to get back at the forum people who were giving this person a hard time..... Also if this is that same person, the fire has been started & there is plenty of fuel being added to it much to their glee. Mission has been accomplished ( or just begun). Follow the leagal route & go after this person, beginning with the picture removal.................. Such a waste of energy by this person directing it toward negative comments when it could be put to better use for a positive outcome.

 

[Steph_D]

Thank you all so much

: I'm surprised, but I actually slept last night, and pretty good, too. I still can't seem to get my mind around why someone would do this to me. I've never done anything to this person. Some people just feel the need to put other people down, to make themselves feel bigger and better. I haven't dealt with that type of person much since high school, and NEVER to this degree.

 

[Jill]

Well, you just said, it Steph. The person who runs this site doesn't feel confident and happy with something apparently major in her life and it makes her feel better to "make fun" of others. I feel sorry for her actually.

 

[Sterling]

I don't know why anyone would find it funny to "laugh" at a horse who needed help.

My thoughts exactly Jill! That website is cruel. If they have any kind of sensitivity or compassion to equines, they would'nt be exploiting (yes exploiting) them on a website with those intentions. I can see a website dedicated to before and after pics and to help a community know what to look out for etc.....but this is just downright vicious. Not only do I feel bad for Steph, but I feel bad for those poor horses that are pasted up there and made fun of. :no: Nothing constructive about that.

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

This happened to another member on another forum.. Look down a ways , and her's is the colt with the chair on his back. Needless to say, I was furious.. He is a VERY well conformed colt, and he has a puppy dog personality. And she stated that he had "holes in his flanks from the chair".. Please.

:

Anyway.. I know who this person is on another forum. It actually surprised me to find out it was her.. She is/was a valued member.

Steph, I am so sorry about Faith. Are you able to see the comments? They are usually worse than the FHOTD girl..

Edited to add: Here is the link to the colt with the chair.. http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/200...01_archive.html

 

[Kootenay]

Not sure if this information is relevant, but it may be worth a read:

Bloggers Beware: Debunking Nine Copyright Myths of the Online World:

LINK To Article

 

[kaykay]

just got off the phone with parelli and they have their attorney looking at it

 

[Steph_D]

:aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033: :aktion033: WOO HOO!!! I hope something can be done.

As a side note, the table CAN turn both ways. I have found pictures of this person's family and animals on another board. I'm just not as cruel as they are

:

 

[Reble]

In your heart and ours we know how you have helped this horse.

Unfortunate the web site or link has had a lot of hits over this.

This can only pass, if we let it...

:

 

[Buckskin gal]

Excellent article which everyone should read and follow! Mary

Not sure if this information is relevant, but it may be worth a read:

Bloggers Beware: Debunking Nine Copyright Myths of the Online World:

LINK To Article

 

[Buckskin gal]

I agree totally. If someone doesn't have something better to do than pick on or joke about someone else's horse they really need to get a life or else realize they done wrong and fully apologize. I know some of us are very hesitant to post pictures because of things that have happened. It is too bad because others could get a lot pleasure out of seeing the pictures. We all need to understand that pictures and articles shared are private property and should be respected as such. :no: Mary

I really can't even get my brain around how I'd feel if I found a picture of one of my horses held up for ridicule some place online. It's one thing to post a picture or idea here, and have others share their opinions (with which you / I may or may not agree), and a totally different thing for someone ELSE to hold up your horse for others to pick on or joke about.

 

[Sun Runner Stables]

What would intrest more then a few of you, if you poke your nose around and read her comments, Many have pointed out that it's a Big kitty no no to steal pic's and talk with out permission...

She replies several times by saying that since it is So expensive (Lawyer etc), no one would ever bother to sue her. I'd go collecting those if I were you and serious about all this, it would be a tidy way to keep her from saying I didn't know or some such other.

SWA, I can see what you are saying, and agree that the degree of nastiness has gotten out of control there, again I Never said it was right, but a policy of dropping it in favor of better ways to spend my time, and to keep them from getting a kick outta my irritation does prevail.

I am also not a mother..., and the kids feelings Does impact me now that she (the child) has seen them. it's one thing for adults, whole nother story for kids...

.. and to the Mod's and anyone else who was taken aback by my non PC comment, I am sorry. Wasn't thinking there so much about how that comment would be taken by most.

 

[tracerace]

Thank you all so much

: I'm surprised, but I actually slept last night, and pretty good, too. I still can't seem to get my mind around why someone would do this to me. I've never done anything to this person. Some people just feel the need to put other people down, to make themselves feel bigger and better. I haven't dealt with that type of person much since high school, and NEVER to this degree.

I wish you weren't taking it so personally.

I am a daily reader of the FHOTD blog...and while I saw the picture I never made the connection to Faith (I am slow).

While the blog is harsh and sometimes unfair (surely some of those pictures are just poor angles!), the place that she is coming from is the same as yours: she wants people to STOP bringing more horses into the world that must be rescued. Her delivery isn't for everyone, but her message is spot on. People need to STOP bringing horses into this world as though they are guppies. I have serious, serious, SERIOUS issues with it myself. I am not nearly as bold, nor motivated as this blogger though...lol.

If it had happened to me (and it could because I've posted rescue pictures on the net) I would have felt safe in the fact that when I post pictures I am posting about a rescue and the After pictures will certainly clear it up. Nobody else matters. As long as she doesn't give my name, I wouldn't be offended.

Your story is one that crosses a thin line for a lot of people...your heart is in a wonderful place but it isn't something that everyone can understand (rescuing an animal when money is tight). At the time I went and got Phoebe, I told Gini before I even got her that I could NOT afford vet and farrier but that I had love, time and hay....and so CMHR covered the vet bills for me until she moved on to Stacy. I had to have help in order to help...I could not take the burden on financially and thank goodness CMHR was there...and I had another rescue lined up that would have taken her on the spot just in case something happened.....I did that before I ever brought her home. So no one (including my parents and in laws who are SO judgmental) could not bash me about a rescue when they knew I was struggling with money because of a high maintenance horse I had at the time at the time.

My point is that when you mention publicly that you are rescuing an animal and also that you are struggling financially you will raise some eyebrows. It should be expected. It's not always fair...but it's hard for a lot of people to grasp. In the end it is because people are more concerned about the animal than the people...and thats understandable.

I do hope you can get passed this. It's not as bad as it seems. You have friends here who seem to undertsand and that is what matters. Right? To the rest of the cyber world your story will be replaced tomorrow.

Good luck.

just got off the phone with parelli and they have their attorney looking at it

I do believe this is a stock answer. They would be kept busy for 100 years or more if they looked into every insult flung their way.

:

 

[lilmiraclesfarm]

Ah thats terrible. I couldn't imagine being in your situation. But I would probley do the same thing and contact a lawyer. There are so many other way to go about "informing people" on rescues and neglect. For one asking permisson to use a photo. I really hope a point gets made to this person. You don't just steal a picture and write about it when you don't know any of the facts.

Ugh..Good luck!

 

[nootka]

"While the blog is harsh and sometimes unfair (surely some of those pictures are just poor angles!), the place that she is coming from is the same as yours: she wants people to STOP bringing more horses into the world that must be rescued. Her delivery isn't for everyone, but her message is spot on. People need to STOP bringing horses into this world as though they are guppies. I have serious, serious, SERIOUS issues with it myself. I am not nearly as bold, nor motivated as this blogger though...lol."

I agree with tracerace. I also read the site and didn't recognize Faith though she looked familiar.

I don't know where she gets 99.9% of her photos, though I have sent her some to use of my horses that I took.

When the photo was first posted, the blog owner didn't know the current situation of the horse, and most of us have no clue. The fact remains that the photo is of a horse that is in very bad condition and that should never have happened (we would all agree).

I also hope that horses, when sound and healthy, should be trained to be as useful as possible. Minis and ponies, full size to drafts. That way, if there is ever a time when they should need to be rehomed or sold, they will be more appealing to a broader range of people and more likely to be well fed, vetted, wormed, etc.

Yes, there are MANY horses in the world which only stand in their pastures and there is nothing wrong with that. The problem is that there are many more which should never have been bred by sheer reason that they are unsound enough to get to DO anything. The very tiny miniatures aside, most of them are large enough to pull a cart at the very least, though even that is arbitrary. Their small size is what is the attraction, and hopefully reason enough to feed them well.

A full size horse is another matter. The older the horse gets, the more difficult it may become to train them to ride, though that is also a matter of discussion and debate. A lot of groundwork can be done with a young horse in which a saddle is not required, and I had my Arabian mare for several months before I purchased a saddle. I rode bareback and with a pad, and I learned a lot about riding that way. A simple bridle and snaffle are quite inexpensive.

I know that Steph, being the person she is, would likely find a fine new home for this mare if she felt that her needs were not being met. The bottom line is that this mare has found a way out of starvation and suffering and whether or not she's in her best home is up for discussion as a matter of opinion. She belongs to Steph and her family and honestly, it's their business. As long as she's caring for her, noone else has a right to do anything other than say something, and someone always WILL open their mouths.

Try to ignore it and in the beginning, noone knew who you were. You chose to defend yourself as did others and I think they fully accepted it other than the comments about not enough money, which was a mistake.

I would drop it and move on.

Really, the message of the blog, though it is put out their in an unpleasant manner, especially when it's turned mistakenly on "YOU" (though really itw asn't, because you, Steph, did not starve this mare, you were her salvation), is that we all need to have more sense when we're thinking about breeding, and to plan when we purchase a living animal, for what if....

Sadly, I hate to admit that miniature horse breeders are just as bad as any others when we go breeding purely for color, purely for height and let the conformation fall by the wayside. I see it alot, and I, too, have been guilty as charged. I am trying to do my best, now, with the ones I breed, and committing myself to good homes over breeding quantity.

You know in your heart that you are doing and will do the right thing for Faith, as do we. Please don't let them take any of that comfort away from you.

Liz M.

 

[kaykay]

Her arrogance in assuming no one can afford to sue her really irritates me. When I almost filed against someone years ago for stolen pictures on my site, she said the same thing. Boy she really changed her tune when she got the letter from my attorney. I was lucky in that I also had a publisher behind me (better homes & garden) the offender paid my atty fees plus a few hundred to keep us from going to court.

Also what irritates me is her hiding behind a fake name and stating that no one can ever find out who she really is to sue her. Why hide if you truly believe what you are doing is right?

I wish steph would take the extra steps to at least have an attorney notify her but I understand too if Steph doesnt want the stress of it. But that is why people like her continue on thinking just because something is on the internet they are entitled to use it any way they see fit

One more thing. Her blog could be educational but she chooses for it not to be. She has a lot of people posting asking her to critique their horses yet she says she doesnt have time. Why on earth wouldnt you use pictures with permission instead of stealing pics and refusing to take them down when asked?? To me that shows that her intentions are not good at all like she tries to say they are.

Some people have to try to belittle others to make themselves feel better.

 

[Steph_D]

I have sent her some to use of my horses that I took

That's the exact problem that I've had with this whole thing. I don't know WHERE she got my picture (probably from here, but I posted pics here for everyone to see and to get advice), but I definately did NOT send it to her or give her permission to post a picture with my 10 year old daughter for anyone on her blog to see and post about. People were bashing my daughter because the "poor kid" needed to read more horse books to see what a horse was supposed to look like. IF this person would've asked to use my picture, and I'm not exactly hard to find, I would've cropped out my daughter and allowed her to use it with no problems.

Oh, and I do know a couple of her "friends" or "followers" who got into the bash fest that frequent our beloved LB. I don't suppose it matters, but I've lost total respect for them

:

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I am getting the impression that the person behind this fugly horse thing could very well be a member of this forum? Or friends with many who are?

Just curious really

 

[HGFarm]

I'm curious too Lisa... as to who this is.

If you send a 'cease and desist' letter, you better be prepared to back it up with an attorney and you need to find out what the 'copyright' laws are on pics posted on the internet or sites. My understanding is that they then become public domain, unless done by a professional photographer who owns the rights to the pics, and that is only good for so many years. Or unless by some legal means, you have a copyright in your name, etc... for specific things.