USERL-VARD in Turmoil

It is with a very sad heart that we have resigned from the USERL!
The Richmond Chapter (VARD)  grew under the leadership of it's former Regional Director, Susan White, to be the biggest and best Region in the entire League. The inception of the training barns was a step forward and towards readying the rehabilitated horses for adoption. It allowed for all the adoptable horses to be seen in one place by potential adopters. The recent increase in adoptions has proved this to be a fact.  Had they been managed correctly they would have generated the much needed income to allow future expansion and help perpetuate the care of other horses in need, which is the main mission of the group. Horses left to languish in Foster care are a drain on the financial resources of the League and in some cases have been returned to the league in worst shape than when they went into the Foster Program. The financial mismanagement of one of these training barns has caused the current upheaval within the group. After an  investigation by the Board Members of USERL it was determined that "no such mismanagement" had occurred??? A determination that cannot or will not be explained or justified to the group siting their "Whistle Blower Policy".  Unfortunately a determination with which not everyone in the Region was in agreement. It has cost VARD the lost of several devoted volunteers including the Regional Director and Board Member, the Assistant Regional Director, Webmaster and Fund Raising Coordinator, a Rehab Barn Manager, an Assistant Rehab Barn Manager, a Training Barn Manager, several Cruelty Investigators and many others, that have given untold hours and monies to the cause of helping horses in need through the USERL-VARD. The Board is in the process of reorganizing VARD and appointing it's new leadership. We wish them well in their future efforts. We, in the meantime, will look for other organizations that need volunteers. There are 39 other Horse Rescue Organizations in the State of Virginia.