There's a Southern CA TIER Shindig in the works - read the Message Board for updates.

Southern CA TIER Shindig (8/11/01)

Northern CA TIER Shindig (6/16/01)

Overview presented by Ginger - The Northern California TIER get-toether was lovely. The Ranchotel in Vacaville is a nice facility -- well kept and attractive. We met in the tack store on the premises, where we all...um, well...bought a few necessities...(There is a sign hanging on the front door of the tack shop which reads, "Your husband called and said you could buy anything you want." Naturally we all thought the message was for us...
There were nine of us. Besides myself and my daughter, Lexi, who is fifteen, there were seven others. Catherine was there who has just adopted Belle Starr (formerly #233); Gayle, who is also the proud mom of a TIER rescue; LeeAnn (our Black Beauty Fund hero), her sister Barbara (rememeber the Arkansas elephant rescue effort?), her mother, Joan, and Barbara's two daughters, Jenny and Madeleine. (Jenny is an accomplished hunter/jumper and is following in her Aunt LeeAnn's stirrups when it comes to loving horses.)

We spent quite a while at the Ranchotel, where LeeAnn took lots of pictures, and then we all caravaned to the local Baker's Square for a long lunch.

We talked endlessly about horses -- ones we have and ones we still love in memory. We also talked about fund-raising activites for TIER. [We have a real fund-raising resource in Gayle -- hint, hint -- she has the dedication and energy.] Catherine said her mother, who is a professional artist, might be persuaded to help with some artwork that could be turned into a fund-raiser...

One of the nicest things was seeing faces to go with the people who write the words we all read on the message board. Another really nice thing was being with others who feel about animals the way our family does. So often, as we go through our days, we all meet people who just don't care or don't want to be bothered, or people who just don't understand -- people to whom animals are just objects. The TIER family represents a whole, different viewpoint. Most of us have rescue animals (and inevitably more than we can afford) and we all seem to share a deeply-held belief in the intrinsic right of horses (indeed, all animals) to have lives of dignity and kindness. It was pure joy to spend a few hours in the company of others who believe that horses have feelings, souls, and an absolute right to share our planet with us.

I think we would all like to do this again -- with even more TIERites next time!

Photos provided by LeeAnn